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  #11  
Old 21st February 2022, 03:37 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Originally Posted by PeteK View Post
That looks encouraging thank you are we talking using it as stock and returning it to the bottle or using it diluted as one shot?
Peter, I always use it one shot. I really like the 1+2 dilution; one part developer+2parts water. This gives several advantages over the usual 1+1 dilution. More sharpness, tighter grain, and very good control over highlights in contrasty light.
Skellum is suggesting a staining developer. There are others, such as Pyrocat HD. But ID11 at a dilution of 1+2 is an absolutely top class developer, and gives superb results.

Alan
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  #12  
Old 21st February 2022, 04:46 PM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is online now
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I use my ID11 as a one shot developer - mainly for consistency - either at 1+1 (dev:water) or 1+2.

I make it up in 5 litre batches and store it in 500 ml plastic drinks bottles made from PET.

The PET bottles are much more gas tight than the HDPE bottles that you get your milk in.

Using gas tight bottles is important in storing developer as atmospheric oxygen will penetrate your developer through the walls of your storage bottle - given enough time - be it days/weeks/months.

The best (most gas tight) PET bottles are those for gassy soft drinks - such as Coca Cola.

I use Protectan gas to top-up any empty air space in the top of the bottle - just to keep oxygen in the atmosphere away from the developer.

As others have said in their posts - cigarette lighter gas works equally as well.

Squeezing the air out of bottles is a bit uncertain - the air usually gets in over a period of time.


For what its worth - I use ID11 to develop all my films.

Ilford ID11 and Kodak D76 are the standard developers which almost all commercial films are tested in. If the film doesn't respond well to ID11/D76 then the film manufacturer won't be able to launch it. Every developer always claims to have certain advantages but for every up-side there is also a down-side. If there was one developer with a clear advantage over the others then we would all be using it and Kodak plus Ilford, et al would be making it.

The quality or lack of quality in my own photographs is not because I don't use "killer" developer X but rather my own talents as a photographer.

So, I put my efforts in to improving by ability as a photographer rather than hunting for any mythical film/developer combination.

There is an expression in photography for those who are constantly on the hunt for improvements in the materials they use - they are called silver bullet hunters.

Martin
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  #13  
Old 21st February 2022, 05:06 PM
John King John King is offline
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ID11 last for a very long time even in part full bottles. I have some in my storage cupboard that were mixed perhaps 4 months ago. I have in the past had some over 7 months old and it was as good as the day it was mixed.

My personal advice from experience is to avoid concertina bottles like the plague. The plastic is very thin and permeable to air which won't help with longevity of the developer. They are also prone to splitting at the seams of the concertina folds after a while. It isn't noticeable when it happens, but the next time you go to get the developer there can be a nasty puddle on the floor.

Get a couple of glass 1/2 litre bottles, fill both, but only open one at a time. The 1-1 dilution makes it very economical when developing 35mm, even though I always use once and discard. With 120 film used at 1-1 even then you can get 4 films processed out of a litre pack
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  #14  
Old 21st February 2022, 05:06 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Originally Posted by Alan Clark View Post
I've got the remnants of a 5 litre batch mixed October 2018 and it is still working perfectly.

Alan
Alan, that's pretty good in terms of longevity

By the way Peter, there is of course a "Killer X" developer which we all know about but cannot reveal to new comers until we have know them for 80 years minimum

As you will have gathered we are not a "Killer X" developer kind of forum where the secrets of the universe lie

Thank goodness

Mike
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  #15  
Old 22nd February 2022, 02:13 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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I will add a +1 to Martin and Allan's recommendations for drinks bottles. I've been using 500ml sport drink bottles for years, and have had ID11/D76 last for over a year in these when kept full. I shoot mostly 120 film and develop 2 rolls at a time in D76 @ 1+1, so that uses a full bottle for every session. Handy, and I don't have to worry about half-full bottles.

Recently I've been shooting more 135 film, so will have to get some 300ml bottles to store it in.
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  #16  
Old 23rd February 2022, 08:55 AM
PeteK PeteK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Clark View Post
Peter, I always use it one shot. I really like the 1+2 dilution; one part developer+2parts water. This gives several advantages over the usual 1+1 dilution. More sharpness, tighter grain, and very good control over highlights in contrasty light.
Skellum is suggesting a staining developer. There are others, such as Pyrocat HD. But ID11 at a dilution of 1+2 is an absolutely top class developer, and gives superb results.

Alan
I like the idea of 1:2 because that way you get single use consistency and still get near to the 10 films per litre usage of re-used dev I am wondering if the sports drink bottles may be good for this. The ones where you pull up the stopper to drink then pop it back down again. You could invert the bottle, squeeze out all the dev you need then pop it shut, still inverted. that way no air would get in at all time for a test methinks
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  #17  
Old 23rd February 2022, 07:15 PM
PeteK PeteK is offline
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Scrub the idea of the pop bottle. I was having a senior moment
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  #18  
Old 23rd February 2022, 09:12 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Pete - not sure why you want to scrap that idea. Or maybe you mean the flip-top bottles only? The ones I was referring to are screw-top sport drink (Gatorade) bottles, not flip-top, and I think Allan and Martin meant something similar but for carbonated drinks. The lids give an airtight seal as long as the gasket remains in good shape. And the bottles are impermeable to gas migration. They work great, and when they get worn out or stained they get recycled and replaced.
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  #19  
Old 24th February 2022, 09:52 AM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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The kind of bottle I was referring to is the clear plastic 500ml bottle that you get Coca Cola and similar drinks in. They have a good seal. You can squeeze them to get the air out. And you can see the liquid inside. ID11 contains Metol, which discolours when it goes off, and this is easily spotted if the bottle is clear.

Alan
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  #20  
Old 27th February 2022, 02:31 PM
PeteK PeteK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Clark View Post
The kind of bottle I was referring to is the clear plastic 500ml bottle that you get Coca Cola and similar drinks in. They have a good seal. You can squeeze them to get the air out. And you can see the liquid inside. ID11 contains Metol, which discolours when it goes off, and this is easily spotted if the bottle is clear.

Alan
I took your advice and got a volvic bottle. I covered it mostly in gaffer tape but ou can see the liquid. Its also possible to squeeze to get the air out with the added bonus of having a clicky top with rubber seals. Perfect, and one tenth the price of a concertina bottle, and you get a free litre of water lol
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