Old Microphen, usable...

[Juan Valdenebro]

More than a year ago I found someone in Bogotá, Colombia, who had a couple of 1 gallon Microphen packages left, and he sold them to me... By then I didn't know Ilford was selling the 1 liter ones only, for a long time... When I mixed it and checked development times in the box, I found D3200 was not even mentioned, so I found out it was a really old package, maybe more than 20 years old! I did some tests, and it worked perfectly, as a card with grays showed me pushing HP5 to 1600 and to 3200 (stock, Ilford's times are amazingly accurate)... I filled 7 500ml brown glass bottles with plastic caps, and during a couple of months I developed 10 rolls with 2 of those bottles...
Today, perhaps a year and a half after the developer was mixed, I wanted to see what happened to the 5 bottles I din't use: the developer is a bit grey, and has some tiny grey flakes floating all around... I made a new test, with HP5 at 1600 with a card of grays, and... Absolutely perfect, as if I had mixed it today!
Amazing stuff... Thanks, Ilford!!!

 

[santino]

Great news, thanks for sharing!
BTW: don't try that with ilfosol, your negatives will be blank.

 

[miha]

BTW: don't try that with ilfosol, your negatives will be blank.

The latest incarnation is very stable. Mine lasted several years in a half full bottle. Cool stored, though.

 

[Chuck Albertson]

I have several 2.5-liter packages from 10-15 years ago (think I bought it from a camera store that was liquidating its film and chemistry stock), I mix one up periodically and it works fine. Great general-purpose developer at 1:1, and good for pushing HP5+, Tri-X, Delta 3200 at full strength.

 

[bgb]

I have some of this Microphen that must be very old too and now instead of throwing it away I will be able to use it ..many thanks Juan.