MirkoBoeddecker
There’s quite a bit of confusion on the market regarding Rodinal at the moment – we can tell from the constant enquiries.
So here are a few clarifications:
Rodinal
If it says ‘Rodinal’ on the label, it contains Agfa Rodinal, manufactured in Vaihingen at a former Agfa factory.
It is bottled under nitrogen, ensuring that Rodinal remains clear until opened.
The name Rodinal can only be found on products manufactured up to a year ago.
Rodinal can no longer be used as a product name for Rodinal in Germany (it’s a bit more complicated and would go beyond the scope of this list).
R09 only
Where only R09 is stated, the brand owner of this designation is also listed as the manufacturer on the bottle: Calbe Fotochemie in Calbe an der Saale (formerly the VEB ORWO combine enterprise and brand user for the designation R09 for over 50 years).
R09 with the additional designation "one shot"
Surprisingly, R09 with the additional designation "one shot" is not Calbe R09 but original Rodinal from Vaihingen. I do not know why the bottler chose this particular designation.
F09
F09 is Foma’s designation for R09. The product is identical to R09 and comes from Calbe.
At least, that is to the best of my knowledge. Formerly R09 old (1+40), now R09 new (1+50).
APH 09 1+40 and APH 09 1+50
This is our designation for Calbe’s R09.
There are TWO VARIANTS. The old APH 09 was available in 1-litre bottles and had the standard dilution of 1+40. It is identical to the old R09 from Calbe.
APH 09 new has been reformulated by Calbe for us to a dilution of 1+50.
It is sold in 500 ml bottles and is identical to the new R09 from Calbe.
ADONAL
ADONAL will be the name under which original Rodinal from Vaihingen will be sold once all Rodinal bearing the original Agfa label has been sold out. The label will be designed to resemble the original and the original bottle will be used. The product will be filled under nitrogen, ensuring that ADONAL remains clear until opened.
I hope this clears up any uncertainties – otherwise, please just ask.
Best regards,
Mirko
hansschneider
Mirko and everyone else,
I have fewer issues with the various names than with the following claim regarding shelf life – or, to be more precise, with the fact that shelf life varies.
Background: As is well known, Rodinal has an ‘eternal’ shelf life, or at least a very long one (for logical reasons, we will be unable to either verify or refute the claim that it is ‘eternal’). To my knowledge, this applies to both the pre-war product and the post-war Rodinal from Vaihingen. I can add the following to this: a bottle that has been open for ten years still works (based on my own long-term test).
Now, the following claim has been made in some other forum: Yes indeed, Rodinal from Vaihingen with the Agfa rhombus lasts “forever”, whilst Calbe Rodinal (i.e. R 09 at 1:40) would suddenly go off.
It is clear that the rhombus Rodinal (1:50) was modified at some point so that oxidation does not cause it to turn dark brown; however, it is unclear to me how the claim that Orwo or Calbe Rodinal 1:40 could suddenly go off is substantiated – the person making the claim, who was also a photography/film dealer, if I recall correctly, gave no answer.
Does anyone have a _reasoned_ answer? Please no guesswork; I can make my own guesses.
Best regards
Hans
orwograph
My answer is probably a bit uninformed.
But why would R09 be any worse, when it’s made to the pre-war recipe and is therefore more ‘traditional’ than the ‘real’ thing?
Also, if you’re interested in the question, you could ring Calbe and speak to the people who’d know best.
If you want to take a purely empirical approach, have a look on eBay; people there occasionally offer R09 from the GDR era. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, isn’t it?
Best regards,
Peter.
uworischki
Hi Hans,
I’m still using R09 from 1988 (1-litre bottle). I don’t use Protectan or any other products to prevent oxidation; I just screw the cap back on after taking some out...
I’ve been using this bottle since the middle of last year, not without a certain sense of wistfulness – because it’s my last one.
Best regards, Uwe
mdeutgen
Hello everyone,
Franz once described it very well elsewhere: the shelf life of Rodinal and similar developers also depends on proper storage. The old Rodinal was stored in glass bottles, and these are known to be more gas-tight than anything made of plastic. That’s why I’ve always transferred my Rodinal/R09/APH09 into a glass bottle after purchase.
Since last year, I’ve been using a litre of APH09, which I’d previously decanted into four 250 ml portions. The bottles I haven’t touched since decanting them are noticeably different from the one I open almost once a week.
Yesterday I went through my stock again (and had a clear-out) and came across a 0.1-litre bottle of Paranol. I don’t know how old it was, but after breaking the seal I only had 70 ml in the measuring jug. So I’m going to go out on a limb here and claim that not all plastics are suitable for long-term storage. It is common knowledge that gas diffuses through plastic (why did CC take so long to finally switch from glass to PET – obviously, they had to learn how to handle PET first), but the fact that liquid evaporates from a sealed bottle was not something I was aware of either.
And as Hans so aptly puts it: We won’t be able to verify the ‘eternity’ either.
Martin
