Paterson FX-39 question - how old?

[jrong]

Do any of you use Paterson FX-39 developer?
I'm just wondering how long it really lasts, as opposed to the manufacturer's recommendations. I have a bottle which I opened about 12 months ago, and its gone rather rust-brown in colour. The instructions on the bottle says to discard the developer if the colour is darker than deep yellow. I hate to throw away a nearly-full bottle unless I really have to. So has anyone used it past its prime and got decent results?

Jin

 

[kaiyen]

I used a bottle about 2 months ago. It lasted 4 weeks before it went dead.

allan

 

[Little Prince]

I recently reported bad developer too. My FX-39 went bad in less than 2 months. Can't be sure exactly how long as I hadn't checked for a few weeks. I hate to throw away that much concentrate too, but with the color it was I didn't feel very lucky. Rust brown is quite right.

 

[jrong]

It doesn't sound very encouraging! I guess I'll definitely chuck out that bottlethen. A bit dispiriting because I don't develop enough film to warrant buying another bottle of FX-39 only to have it go bad within a month. Its storage properties really sound quite dismal!
Thanks for the heads up.

Jin

 

[kaiyen]

Well, I am considering using it again, but only after I buy several small glass bottles which I can fill up to the brim and seal. It's a good developer otherwise.

allan

 

[Little Prince]

That's righ Jin. Same feeling here. I don't develop often at all, so I need something that stores well too. After having chucked that bottle out and consulting with folks here, I decided to go with a bottle of HC-110. It's supposed to store better, plus I'm going to separate it into a few smaller bottles just like Allan mentioned.

 

[jrong]

I have HC-110 and Rodinal and they last for a long, long time. I stopped using Ilford DDX because its shelf life of 6 months was a bit too short for my liking, but it seems FX-39 takes the biscuit! Good idea re: separating into smaller bottles, I am going to look into doing that, and hope to keep it for a little longer. I do like the tonality it gives me with Acros.

Jin