Photux
Hello everyone,
I wanted to give it a go today and develop an APX100 (old) in Silvermax developer – but the bottle, or rather its contents, looks yellowish (instead of clear), and there also seems to be a tiny bit of precipitation. I had used Protectan (I now do this with all my developers).
Now, as is well known, discolouration is completely normal with Rodinal, for example, but with D76 – which I otherwise like to use – it’s a sure sign that the developer has gone off.
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To be on the safe side (important photos), I’ve now developed the film in FX39 instead. Does anyone have any experience with this – should I test the Silvermax developer again with a less important roll of film, or should I just bin it straight away?
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Greetings from currently sunny Hanover
Daniel
TiMo
Hi Daniel,
I’ve got a slight yellowish tinge too, but it doesn’t cause any problems. I’d recommend transferring the developer to a glass bottle. I’d definitely test it before you throw it away.
?
Best regards,
Tim
Renate
Hello,
There is a simple test for situations like this. Cut off a piece of film and develop it in the light for 5 minutes, keeping it in constant motion. Then fix it briefly until the film is clear. When held up to a light, it should show a density roughly equivalent to that of a correctly developed film leader. Furthermore, there should be no streaks visible. If this is the case, the developer is usable; otherwise, it should be discarded. I either use the tab of the film to be developed, or I take a piece of expired film.
Best regards,
Renate
Photux
Thanks for your replies! The idea of the film snippet is a good one.
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It’s ‘just’ a 50ml bottle, which I ordered along with a ‘surprise pack’ – just to see what the developer can get out of the film. So it’s probably not worth decanting it.
TR
Best regards. I test my negative developer in the same way (using a test film set aside for this purpose, from which I always cut off a small piece). With Xtol, however, it only takes about 40 seconds for the APX 100 to start achieving density. That’s enough for me to assume that the developer is still working. Make sure to wet the film snippet completely with water beforehand, so that you don’t mistake the darkening caused by moisture for density. I don’t fix it at this stage.
Renate
Hello,
With Xtool, you can keep it simple, as the developer either works or it doesn’t. Other developers, however, show some density after a short time but, due to their age, are unable to develop to maximum density or tend to produce streaks. That’s why I prefer a more thorough test. A proper assessment of the film strip is only possible after fixing. It is sufficient for the film to be cleared. Further fixing is not necessary.
I also use this method, with a few modifications, to obtain a starting point for new development times for as yet untested film and developer combinations. The aim is to find the time at which the film’s D-Max is just reached.
Best regards,
Renate
Wolfgg
Hello,
The best thing to do is simply practise with a small piece of film in a developer that you know is definitely still good, to get a feel for how the density process works and how quickly it develops when the developer is still in good condition.
So: simply keep a film strip (e.g. attached to a peg) constantly moving in the developer under normal daylight or room lighting, as described by Renate, whilst closely observing how the density develops. Due to the severe overexposure, this happens quite quickly, and it is important that, when viewed from the emulsion side, a deep black forms – not just a grey – and that nothing else happens after that. Once you’ve seen how quickly the density appears and what it looks like with an intact developer, you can skip the fixing stage and spot quite quickly if something’s amiss – i.e. if the developer lacks reducing power. This quick test is also well worth doing beforehand for very important shots; with the experience described above, it only takes a few minutes and could save you a lot of frustration.
Regards, Wolfgang
Renate
Hello,
The test strip can only be properly assessed by holding it up to the light, and it must be held still to do so. Anything else is a bit of a gamble.
Best regards,
Renate
