Gast
Hello fellow photographers!
While tidying up at Duka, I found some old stock of photographic chemicals still in their original packaging, namely
fixers, wetting agents and stop baths (liquid chemicals), all about 5–6 years old.
Can anyone tell me how long these chemicals will keep?
Regards, Franz
Gast
The fixer lasts for decades, as does the stop bath. These are all inorganic substances that are resistant to chemical attack and certainly do not degrade on their own. Wetting agent is an organic compound and is more prone to self-degradation. However, five years shouldn’t be a problem.
The only issue with our chemicals is the developer, as it oxidises. Oxygen can even penetrate plastic bottles. However, there are occasional reports of ancient Rodinal in glass bottles that still worked. I wouldn’t treat serious films with something like that, though.
Stay tuned, through the viewfinder.
-Uwe
