Old AGFA Rodinal

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wizard717

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Any body know the shelf of an old unopened 500ML bottle of AGFA Rodinal? I found a bottle in a friends basement. The bottle is cover with dust but still sealed. I have no idea how long it's been there.
 
Sealed? IIRC Agfa once tested a 75 year old bottle of Rodinal and it still was good - unless the container or cap decomposes it might last forever.
 
wizard717 said:
Any body know the shelf of an old unopened 500ML bottle of AGFA Rodinal? I found a bottle in a friends basement. The bottle is cover with dust but still sealed. I have no idea how long it's been there.
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Chances are, you can still use it. Give it a shot and you'll find out. :)
 
ya know, given that it's only worth $12-17/bottle, it's not that big of a deal to just buy a new bottle, and know that your film will turn out.

SO only use a test roll, don't use any film that may have keepers on them.
 
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My first developments were with a 30 year old bottle of opened Rodinal. It was deep-brown, but didn't produce anything different from what my brand-new bottle, still nearly-clear, produces.
 
Years ago I found a bottle of Rodinal (half-full) that had gotten stuck behind a very large slide editing table. I knew when the table was installed ( as I did it) and it was going on 14 years of age. Dark brown, almost black - I did shoot a couple of rolls and ran one in the old Rodinal and one in fresh Rodinal. Only difference was a slight lowering of contrast with the old one (less than 1/2 a paper grade).
The formula was changed in the late 80's - early 90's and one of the preservatives was substituted and the longevity suffered a bit ( maybe 10 years instead of 20!!!!!).
Just try it - you will most likely not see a difference between old and new as the bottle you found has been sealed anyway.
 
I was wondering what replacement for Rodinal, if your not lucky enough to find an old bottle hidden somewhere ; ) that everyone is using? Adox, Foma and Compard are the three that Freestyle is selling that are supposed to be the same but was curious if anyone has any feedback on these or other suggestions.
Thanks
Ryan
 
I am running a test on some I bought 12 years ago and put into a specially sealed 12 year old bottle. Seems about a 5% deterioration.

I stupidly threw out my old rubber stopper bottles and need another. Send PM if you are willing to part with it.

That rubber stopper is designed to be punctured with a hypo needle so you do not let a lot of air in. Do not screw up the stopper. That packaging has been illegal for 20 years now. Probably more.
 
Revolucion Artistico said:
I was wondering what replacement for Rodinal, if your not lucky enough to find an old bottle hidden somewhere ; ) that everyone is using? Adox, Foma and Compard are the three that Freestyle is selling that are supposed to be the same but was curious if anyone has any feedback on these or other suggestions.
Thanks
Ryan
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Read the fine print:

Adox is manufactured by Compard.

Foma (and all those labeled as "R09") is "old-style" (older formula) Rodinal. 1:40 Foma roughly equals 1:50 Rodinal, doesn't last as long, and develops ever-so-slightly different.

Compard (and Adox Adonal, as well as all those labeled "R09 One Shot") is a later (and ongoing) product, which is an exact continuation of the latest Rodinal. Absolutely identical, even packaged in rebadged leftovers of the classic Rodinal bottle. 1:50 Compard = 1:50 Rodinal.

May I note, while a working dilution (1:25-1:100, usually) oxidizes quickly, the concentrate lasts eternities even in unsealed bottles. When I bought a 500cc bottle, I rebottled it into four 125cc bottles. One, while in use, was always topped up with glass marbles. Another was always refilled with nitrogen. The third was left with regular air. All looked the same as the fourth, which remained untouched since the original fill-up.
 
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