What developer?

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kknox

kknox
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I have been mixing 1 gal of developer at a time. I do not use it fast enough and it turns brown, I have to throw it out. What do you all use that I can mix like 2 rolls at a time that keeps un mixed for an extended time. I went to develop 4 rolls tonight and my unmixed concentrate is bad. I like fine grain if you have any suggestions for what to use with 400 film & I also have some Neopan 1600 to develop. I would like to buy just one type of developer. Thanks
 
I second Clovis' suggestion. I have been using both because they are very easy to use, economical and seem to last forever in concentrated form. HC-110 will give you finer grain than Rodinal and is probably preferable if 400 and above is your prefeered ISO range.
 
For ease of use, I like Microdol X in the small pouches suitable for making 1 liter. Microdol is a fine-grain developer which works well with all the black-and-white films which I have tried with it. Another reason I like it is that it is a one-part developer, so you don't need to mix two different pouches of powder. 1 liter of stock solution is good for ten 36 exposure rolls of film.

Another plus for mixing 1 liter at a time is that it takes little time to heat up or cool down.
 
I use a little rodinal now and then. My bottle is from 1998, 12 years old, and works fine.

I took it out of the plastic and put it into glass 1998. It may actually be older.

How can I remember? I put a date on the bottle.
 
40oz said:
D-76 comes in 1 liter packages. But HC-110 is a good idea also.
Click to expand...

Where do you get them? All I can find anymore are the one gallon size, and like the OP my D76 goes bad before I use the whole gallon.

I like Rodinal with some films, but if you want a good concentrate liquid for fast films, its hard to beat Tmax Developer. It keeps a long time even if half-empty and gives nice image quality.
 
Bad for us here as we don't have much choice. D76 is the only developer being sold commercially and it does turn bad before I use it up though I still use it until it really turned dark brown. I mix 1 pouch to make a stock of 3.8 liters and normally on the 2nd week or so it starts to turn yellowish turning darker and darker in the next 1-2 weeks.
 
Ilford DD-X keeps well too, though nowhere near as long as Rodinal or HC-110. But at 1:4 you'll go through it faster...
 
Rodinal or HC110 are classics. I mix D76 a liter from raw chemicals as necessary. In full stoppered glass bottle, it is perfect for 6 months. I store in 4 oz bottles, enough for 8 films. When one or two are left, I mix a new liter.

I have a bottle of Rodinal I decanted from the plastic original to glass in 1998, 12 years ago, and it works just fine. I tried it last month. I did plus x 1:75 for 11 minutes just as I did in 1965. Same time works too.

HC110 is 2 or 3 years if you get it fresh. Mix 1:31 from stock very carefully. It is viscous goo and good technique is required. It goes from yellow to orange as it goes bad.

Digi has none of these problems!
 
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