Even Rodinal can die.

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Lund

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Just a quick rant since I have no one else here right now to share my misery with.

Mixed up a quick batch of 1+100 rodinal for two rolls of acros. I did wonder a bit about the dark colour but since it always worked before I just went ahead. Bad idea. Totally blank negs. Not even edge markings.
I'm just sad. Wasn't anything special on them but still. I had some real hope for some of the frames. I will try for better safe than sorry next time.

(opened my new bottle and developing some rollei 80s. Desided I would not let a setback stop my even the slightest.)
 
Sorry to hear that! I have noticed the same thing though, this exactly same thing happened to me about a month ago.

Rodinal can die!
 
I learnt the hard way; developed 3 films in Ilfosol (I think) and the developer was dead. Now I am very meticulous, the little leader that is cut off is put in a small pot with some developer and water unless that goes black I do not proceed. I have become quite a fan of the variants of Rodinal with slow films.
 
Very Sorry to Hear and do know how You are Bummed

I recently stopped using Rodinal ...blotchy negs...rodinal seemed it had clumps & particles in the chemical mix
though i think it was the 'new' version of Rodinal

I am Quite Pleased with HC 110
 
Are you sure you didn't put the fix in first?

I am currently using up a 1 litre bottle that is now one quarter full and has been standing half empty for seven years, it still works perfectly. I found it in the garage in a box where it was packed during a house move. Black as hell. Even if it was on its last legs (whenever that is for Rodinal) you should have got something registering on the negatives.

Steve
 
This happened to me as well - one week ago with Acros. Mine was at least 10 years old if not older - was dark red, couldn't hardly see through the syringe to read the numbers. Yeah, it lasts a long time, but not forever.
 
Yeah... Rodinal is not what it used to be. I don't know what exactly has happened but the truth is the new R09 stuff is NOT the Agfa Rodinal.
 
Mablo said:
Yeah... Rodinal is not what it used to be. I don't know what exactly has happened but the truth is the new R09 stuff is NOT the Agfa Rodinal.
Click to expand...

Is it R09 Spezial? In which case it isn't Rodinal, but Studinol.
I have a bottle of each on my shelf. One is labelled Agfa Rodinal (bought recently) and the other Agfa R09 Spezial. They are completely different.
 
It was the Fomadon R09. Great stuff when it works but obviously not to be trusted. Just had a few ml in the bottom of the bottle.

On a bright note. My next try right after with a fresh bottle worked out great.
 
Lund said:
It was the Fomadon R09. Great stuff when it works but obviously not to be trusted. Just had a few ml in the bottom of the bottle.

On a bright note. My next try right after with a fresh bottle worked out great.
Click to expand...

AFAIK Fomadon R09 is the pre WWII Rodinal formular. That is different from the last formular Agfa in Leverkusen used.

Foma seems to have some troubles with quality control. Friends of mine experienced severe problems with the T200 film, R100, and the backpaper of the roll film (with Fomapan 100).

Cheers, Jan
 
If anyone who hangs around in Chicago's loop, near the Art Institute, wants a fresh bottle, free, missing two rolls' worth, PM me and I'll bring it downtown with me. Tried it; hated the look.
 
helenhill said:
Very Sorry to Hear and do know how You are Bummed

I recently stopped using Rodinal ...blotchy negs...rodinal seemed to have clumps & particles in the chemical mix
though i think it was the 'new' version of Rodinal

I am Quite Pleased with HC 110
Click to expand...
I did the same. After Agfa dropped death who knows where Rodinal is made. No such a problem with HC110, still made in the same plant in Rochester by Champion (proudly Canadian🙄).
 
I have a bottle for test purposes dated 1998. The activity started to fail in 2011.

Stock was decanted from the furnished plastic bottle into a glass one saved from Agfa Viradon toner which is very air tight bottle. The level in the bottle never went below half.

The best bottle was the glass one from 1960 with the rubber stopper top. I used to put a hypo needle thru it and draw up 5 CC much like the doc draws up medicine from his stock. The product was off market for a while because of that type of packaging. I don`t understand why !
 
Fomadon R09 is the pre WWII Rodinal formular. That is different from the last formular Agfa in Leverkusen used.

Foma seems to have some troubles with quality control. Friends of mine experienced severe problems with the T200 film
Click to expand...

Yes, it's different then Agfa Rodinal and this version CAN fail after a few years.

In the mean time the problems with the T200 120 roll film is solved. It's on Clear Polyester layer now (not Blue), less curl and they have a different, softer smooth type backing paper now.

Let's hope it will stay in this way.
 
My strategic reserve of Agfa Rodinal dates back to the pre-global warming era. Looks like cola syrup but is still going strong.
 
Fotohuis said:
Yes, it's different then Agfa Rodinal and this version CAN fail after a few years.

In the mean time the problems with the T200 120 roll film is solved. It's on Clear Polyester layer now (not Blue), less curl and they have a different, softer smooth type backing paper now.

Let's hope it will stay in this way.
Click to expand...


Good to hear, I know they had problems with their MF films, Misha (Foma USA, until Foma got a little crazy) got stuck with a lot of it. Showed as pinholes. He visited the factory and yes, he saw some problems.

They have potential, and the niche is open enough so they should do great. I bought their chemistry and the 200 speed film in Prague, the originally sealed R09 kept rather well, but everyone should know, once a bottle is opened , you really need to put Saran wrap under the cap-- the actual brand, the only thing other than ground glass stoppers individually fitted to lab bottles, that seem to really seal.

I used to sell bottle caps, the poly seals were the best I had, but still would breathe enough to let in enough O2 to cause problems.

It has been my understanding that R09 is the old formula, almost everything the Eastern bloc could nationalize was published. Note the dilution is different.

I corresponded years ago trying to promote and get Foma to sell in the US, they did not have the best business sense. They wanted to sell wholesale at a higher than their local retail price.

Jan Bruning in Germany is the guru of data of all things in film and chemistry, he is on RFF somewhere, I posted some of his collection of data, it is impressive.

Sorry for the long post, this thread reminds me of the test with the leader, I had almost forgotten this one, but I generally did the same.


Maybe this is the summer I start to use up some of my stores of film and soups?

Regards, John
 
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