D 76 shelf life

[cosmonaut]

So our school was getting rid of thier darkroom equipment, photography is no longer an option and hasn't been for some time. I ask them could I have some darkroom stuff and they told me yes as long as I hauled it all off. In the mix was five enlargers, two of which had no lenses, timer, darkroom light, paper. The good news is two of the enlargers actually work. One a Besler 23C II the other a smaller Besler 35.
But with it came enough D76, powder, to make 50 gallons of developer. Some of it expired in 08 but the bulk of it has no date and seems much older than that. It was keep in a closet, cool enviroment ect. It it worthless or can it be used?

 

[Chris101]

Is it in an open or closed package. If it's in an unopened package, it might still be usable. An opened package ... much less likely.

 

[cosmonaut]

All packs are unopen. There was a lot of fixer but it was mixed up so I got rid of it.

 

[rover]

I started a thread about old D76 in the fall I think. I had an old bag which I tried to mix, only to find that it wouldn't dissolve. Apparently D76 does expire even as a dry powder.

 

[jon.oman]

Give one package a try. If it mixes up clear, it may be okay.

 

[Freakscene]

I started a thread about old D76 in the fall I think. I had an old bag which I tried to mix, only to find that it wouldn't dissolve. Apparently D76 does expire even as a dry powder.

Eventually the packaging fails and atmospheric water gets in. The powder is hygroscopic - and once damp it will oxidise. Some of the oxidation products are poorly soluble, or you just may have had problems because the powder was so caked up. Developer is cheap, it was worth a try but failure to dissolve is a sure fire sign of a problem. Better to get more D76 (or whatever) and move on.

Marty

 

[cosmonaut]

Thanks all. The older packs could date back 10-15 years. It is in older packs not so moisture resistant, I am thinking they are gone. The newer packs, more of a plastic type pack may still be workable. I really have nothing to lose. Maybe some cheap film first.

 

[sevo]

It really is up to the packaging. The old, canned variety lasts until whenever corrosion punctures the can - i.e. forever, given dry storage. I am still using D76 in cans which I bought decades ago.

YMMV with plastic bags, as these may decay in storage, but you won't know until you test it.