Diafine - brown and sludgy solution A

[jrong]

I stored my Diafine solution A in a big clear glass bottle. I'm afraid to report that today when I was about to develop a roll of film, I found the solution had turned a brownish colour, and there was a horrible sludge at the bottom of the bottle. I think I mixed up this batch a little less than a year ago. Is this solution still usable or should I chuck it and remix a fresh batch? I was thinking that the sludge could be filtered with a sieve....

I guess I should really get a big brown bottle to store this stuff in....

Jin

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Normal. You can filter it if you think it'll start affecting film quality.

Mine is getting the lovely brown color of age, too.

 

[Dougg]

Jin, it's now "seasoned" like a good coffee cup, brier pipe, or sourdough starter. Some do say Diafine improves with age and use, though somehow mine isn't often kept that long.

 

[jrong]

That's good news! Thanks. I don't bother with filling the bottle with marbles, so there's a fair bit of air in the half-full jar. I sieved the sludgy contents. Solution B seems to have turned yellow as well.

Jin

 

[Dougg]

It occurs to me some of the Solution A junk might be dissolved anti-halation dye from the film emulsion. Stuff is intended to prevent light passing through and reflecting/diffusing back into the sensitive layer from the pressure plate, etc.

 

[rover]

My current batch is over a year old, and handsomely ugly. Still works though.