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  #1  
Old 3rd April 2020, 08:51 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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Default Ilford Batch Numbers for Chemistry.

Just been reading the answers to CambsIan question about film use-by dates.
It got me thinking about chemical shelf lives stated on my Ilford developers, stop baths etc. Full bottles 24 months, 60 months for some etc.
There are batch codes on the labels, but no obvious date of manufacture. So the statements on the labels are pointless to me.
Anyone know how to interpret the batch codes into dates, or are the dates given but not obvious?
Cheers.
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  #2  
Old 3rd April 2020, 10:08 PM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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This is a decoder that has been around for quite some time. I'm not sure how reliable the data will be.

https://www.palomarkovic.net/mobile/BatchNumberDecoder/
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  #3  
Old 4th April 2020, 07:14 AM
John King John King is offline
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Default Shelf life

To be honest I have never actually worried about the life of chemicals and have found so long as the storage bottles are made of glass and full, the life will be so long it does not become a matter for worry.

I have just bought a 5L cannister of Ilford MG which will be decanted into 1/2L glass bottles and from previous experience I know they will last well over a year. To use the developer I further decant each 1/2L bottle into 100cc bottles which will be enough for a decent session per evening

The powder developers for film, unmixed and in sealed bags will keep almost definitely. Even when mixed ID11/D76 & Perceptol will last even in part full bottles at least 2 years. I know that because I am using Perceptol mixed in 2018 is still clear and fully active.

My printing paper never lasts long enough to go 'off'. Even some MG4 I inherited from a guy who had given up darkroom work was quite old but it still good.

Colour developer is slightly different. I found that a 2.5L, C41 kit if mixed all in one go (Tetenal) and then stored again in glass bottles will last at least a year. RA4 is even better. The Tetenal or Kodak RA4 used in a NOVA processor will last for ever and a day so long as it is correctly replenished after each session. In the past, when I did far more than I do now, after close to a year, I drained a 12x16 processor cleaned it out and refilled it with the same developer and continued as normal. It really is good stuff. The biggest risk is, if not used for a while, even with the tubular lids in place the 3 baths will evaporate slowly so cover the slots with cling film which will reduce the loss.

I buy my RA4 paper (Kodak) in a roll roughly 90M long x 12" I can cut almost whatever size I want from a home made dispenser up to 16" long and my last roll lasted for just over a year.

Still, each to their own and others will no doubt have different ideas. Rodinal is renowned will last a very long time, but others like some of the other liquid developers from Ilford Ilfosol I found a long time ago will go off very quickly in part used containers so I don't use them.

Last edited by John King; 4th April 2020 at 07:23 AM.
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Old 4th April 2020, 10:04 AM
MikeHeller MikeHeller is offline
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I have only chucked old chemicals (>1 yr) for B&W work when they are obviously off:

Stock Developer: gone v. brown

Stop: Never seen a change

Fixer coming out of solution (chemical change) in the stock container or depositing black (silver?) on the walls of my toaster (Nova Slot Processor) between printing sessions with fixer that was expected still to be OK.

I do put a squirt of Protectan in the stock bottle after removing some although decanting into smaller bottles may be better.
Mike

Last edited by MikeHeller; 4th April 2020 at 10:13 AM.
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Old 4th April 2020, 10:36 AM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I would not worry about B/W chemistry, I have never yet thrown away either fixer or stop bath, I buy fixer in 5 liter containers, just decant 1 liter at a time, and have never found any fixer going bad, for powder developers, in pand when powder form they last almost forever, and when mixed and decanted into 1 liter containers last for at least a year,print developers in stock last well and when they do go off it is pretty obvious, they go dark brown, that is the time to discard, but I ave found that they long outlast their use buy time, I am currently using paper developer with a use buy date of 2019, still clean and clear and working fine, and as for my other film developer, Rodinal, I am currently using a bottle that is tarry black and as good as new
Richard
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Old 4th April 2020, 10:36 AM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is offline
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I put dates on bottles and packets of chemicals when they arrive.

I never hold too much stock and simply use the date to use them up in date order

I once found an old packet of ID11 in the back of a cupboard which had been there for quite some time ~ 20 ish years I think - so I chucked it without ever bothering to check.

Martin
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Old 4th April 2020, 10:40 AM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Marty I had always thought that his decoder worked only for paper but it would appear that it decodes all the numbers Ilford and Kodak use?

It may have been that it was only ever mentioned in the context of paper and it was this that has made me think it only applied to paper

Thanks

Mike
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Old 4th April 2020, 12:16 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyNL View Post
This is a decoder that has been around for quite some time. I'm not sure how reliable the data will be.

https://www.palomarkovic.net/mobile/BatchNumberDecoder/
Interesting... Out of curiosity I'll put in my recent purchase batch numbers to see what comes up.

Terry S
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  #9  
Old 5th April 2020, 09:59 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Chemical longevity

As a footnote, I have just had a very brief session this evening with colour printing and from my notes, the last time I used the Nova was at the beginning of February. I expected some change in filtration values I used last and yes there was, but only 5 units of yellow needed to be removed

The colour saturation was normal with no staining, so I think this shows expiry dates at least with chemicals, both concentrates and working solutions can be taken as being very generous.
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