Making developer concentrate (more) durable?

Sparkus · 2008-10-04T15:13:45+00:00

Hallo meine treuen Helfer in Zeiten schwerer Not *g* Ich stehe vor einem kleinen Problem: Ich entwickle relativ wenig im Jahr (normaler Verbrauch ca. 3x200m...

Sparkus

Hello, my trusty helpers in times of dire need *g* I’m facing a bit of a problem: I don’t experience much development over the course of a year (my usual usage is about 3 x 200ml bottles of Ultrafin Plus). However, the 200ml bottles are now hard to come by, and when they are available, they’re at exorbitant prices (8–10 plus postage) Since the litre bottle is already available for around 20, the little Scotsman in me is speaking up. Now, developer concentrate only keeps for a limited time once opened. Hence my question: how can I store opened developer concentrate for a long time? Say, for up to about a year. I was thinking of decanting it into small bottles, adding Protectan, and then popping it in the freezer. Is that enough? Will it keep? Is there a better option? (Apart from scrounging or a group buy, neither of which I’m keen on and which aren’t really feasible for me) Or is that a daft idea? (Maybe the developer evaporates even faster when frozen????) Does anyone have any experience with storing liquid developer for a long time? Lots of questions. Thanks in advance (: Fräk.

HenningH

Hi Fränk, Transfer the contents of the litre bottle into small Aponorm bottles from the chemist’s. Ideally, these should hold exactly the amount you need for one development. If you fill them to the brim, you won’t need any Protectan. I’d avoid freezing it, as the components of the developer can precipitate and may not be soluble again afterwards. Just store the small bottles in a dark, dry and cool place (cellar temperature is fine), and you’ll be fine. :angry: Swinging regards Henning (8

Sparkus

Hello! Thanks for the tips, anyway. That’s certainly an idea… Especially as I’ve got connections at a chemist’s *g* I’d actually almost thought of freezing them. Well, I’ll just pop them in the fridge with the films. That should do the trick (maybe I can find some storage instructions for the developer somewhere *g*) I’ll give it a go. In a year’s time, I’ll post a follow-up on the long-term results. If I can still remember to do it by then... *g* Many thanks! That’s been a great help. Fräk.

Wolf_XL

...or just switch to a different developer – Ultrafin Plus isn’t exactly the ultimate ‘miracle solution’ for which there’s no substitute... Rodinal, for example, or the very similar Adox APH09, have an extremely long shelf life – some people even swear that they get better and better as they age... :angry: Kodak HC-110 is almost just as stable – see also the unofficial HC-110 website. In any case, these are all developers that work well with most films – at least with conventional films. The HC-110 even copes quite well with the “flat-crystal” films (T-Max or Ilford Delta), which don’t fare so well in Rodinal or APH09. But that, too, is a “matter of taste”...

Sparkus

Hmm... But I’ve had very good results with this developer so far. And I’m just ‘used to it’. Switching to a new developer just like that would mean wasting a few test films all over again. I don’t really feel like doing that. Besides, I’d have to recalculate all my development times (film speeds, temperatures, push factors) I worked it out once for Ultrafin and the figures were confirmed, meaning there’s a certain ‘stable basis’ there that I can rely on. With Rodinal, I don’t know how long it’ll be around for (because of Agfa and all that). I used to use Atomal from Agfa... you can’t get that anymore either, which is why I switched to Ultrafin Plus a while back. It may well be that it’s no magic potion. But I work well with it, I like the results and I know roughly what they’ll look like. Besides, I don’t want to start buying loads of different developers just because one doesn’t cope with T-crystals and another works too hard... Then I’d have the problem again of having large containers that I can’t use up :angry: Sure, a powder developer would be an alternative. That was the Atomal. It’s a shame it’s no longer available! Or is there a replacement? I seem to recall hearing something about A49 or something like that *ponders* So: Does anyone know of a fine-grain powder developer that

works with APX, TriX/PlusX and FP4/HP5
yields approx. 1L of solution (5L, for example, is already too much)
is comparable to Atomal

Gerd

So: Does anyone know of a fine-grain powder developer that

works well with APX, TriX/PlusX and FP4/HP5

yields approx. 1L of solution (5L, for example, is already too much)

is comparable to Atomal

?

That would probably be A49. Or would it? ADOX sells it in 2 x 1-litre bottles for a bargain price. Rodinal will probably be around for a long time to come, perhaps not under that name, but under another, e.g. R09. The practical difference between R09 and Rodinal is that R09 is prepared at a slightly higher concentration. So 1:40 instead of 1:50 and 1:20 instead of 1:25. You can then use the same development times. You won’t find any differences in the negative. Gerd

piu58

UF+ has been in the opened bottle for a year, maybe even longer. I keep it in a cool, dark place. I use it at a 1:6 dilution as a single-use developer – 36ml to 250ml – which is enough to last me a whole can.