20+ year old HC110

[d_ross]

Recently I found an old bottle of HC110 developer tucked away in a box of old stuff in my darkroom ,it had been opened and a small amount used. I've figured out that it came from a lab I worked in over 20 years ago, and as it's been in my possesion since then and I havnt used HC110 since then, its been opened for at least 20 yrs, or more.

I just processed a roll of Tri X in it, Dil B for 7.5 minutes as per Kodak specs and I am amazed it worked, so well in fact that the film is rather over developed? perhaps it has become more active with age?

This is the bottle, and a pic from the film taken of the front door of my studio where the afternoon light creates these great silhouettes, I'm pretty sure the appendage is his belt 🙂

Sorry for a boring thread, I was just so surprised it was still active.

 

[drewbarb]

I'm not surpised that this bottle is still fine. It's my experience that most liquid concentrate developers last quite a long time. But I doubt it's become more active- 7.5 minutes sounds a bit long to me; I just processed a few sheets of Tri-X in HC-110 dil. B- actually, they are still in the wash- and they looked a bit over dev'd at 7 minutes. I think I'll got to 6.5 minutes for the rest of the sheets from that shoot. New Tri-X is much faster to develop than the older stuff was- it just takes longer to fix and get all the purple stain out!

 

[Trius]

Yes, 6 or 6.5 for Dil. B. and the new TX, from everything I've read. Or you could go to 1:100, which is what Gene and other folks use. That way the rest of the bottle would last maybe another 20 years. 😀

 

[MartinP]

Hmmm, I have an unopened bottle of HC-110 from a rediscovered box after a house move. It is approximately eighteen years old so I was intending to take to the local chemical disposal site - but maybe i will experiment after all. The colour certainly looks much lighter than that seen in d_ross' pic !

 

[crawdiddy]

WOW. How does that compare to shelf life of powdered developers? For example, I have a few D-76 packets-- the small size. I can't remember how small. Is it 1 quart? The expiration dates have passed, by about 1 year. I was planning on using them, even though they're a little out of date. Does anyone have stories about out-dated D-76 powder? When I mixed up the last batch, I remember that the crystals were not quite as white looking as I remembered. They looked a little brown. But the results seemed OK, at least to my not-very-trained-eyes.

 

[JoeV]

The problem I have with powder-mixed chems is that you have to mix the entire package to get proper concentrations; then you're stuck with what may be an excessive quantity of 'working solution' to use up in too short of a time before it goes bad. It ends up being a false economy in my opinion; it's cheaper in the long run to stick with liquid concentrates, which may be more expensive up front, but end up being cheaper in the long run. Which is why I like Agfa Neutol WA as a paper developer over Dektol, for instance.

~Joe

 

[charjohncarter]

I read that thirty years after the end of WWII they found, in some finally being repaired building, a bottle of Rodinal. You know what I'm going to say!

 

[Freakscene]

HC110 has the developing agents, preservative and alkali dissolved in an organic solvent. Its alkali has a neutral pH until dissolved in water. If you put HC110 syrup on film and then stop, fix and wash, you will observe that it does nothing - it does not develop film at all. The organic solvent keeps oxygen out so the developing agents do not oxidise. The alkali remains stable in its neutral pH form. I would not be surprised if the only difference between this HC110 and a brand new bottle are differences in formulation (Kodak probably tweaked the HC110 formula a few times between the mid 1980s and now).

Powder developers last a long time as long as the packets stay sealed and the contents dry. Once mixed with water they become susceptible to oxidation from dissolved oxygen and reactions between their constituent chemicals and last for variable times, which the manufacturer usually indicates. Rodinal and some pyro formulae (such as PMK) concentrates are very long lasting. Some are not (Paterson FX50 was the worst in my experience) and in general storage life depends on temperature, light exposure, quality of the water used to make the stock solutions and a bunch of other factors.

A useful activity test is to put a drop of developer at the concentration/dilution you intend to use for serious films, on a piece of film in a lit room. Then put another further along 30s later. Do this each 30s for 2.5-3.5 minutes. Stop, fix and wash. there should be a clear increasing gradient of density. If not, your developer is probably dead.

 

[Murray Kelly]

I've got some 55-60 yo boxes with 6 packets of Kodak Special Developer Powders for films, plates and paper. (sic). AKA D-72 and Dektol, I believe.

Should I try it?

Murray
Brisbane, Oz

 

[Freakscene]

>I've got some 55-60 yo boxes with 6 packets of Kodak Special Developer >Powders for films, plates and paper. (sic). AKA D-72 and Dektol, I believe.
>Should I try it?

I'd be willing to try anything, but it would probably be worth more to a collector.

Marty