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  #1  
Old 29th August 2017, 10:02 PM
KidderJem KidderJem is offline
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Default Kodak D76 Dev

Hi all

Have managed to find time to shoot a few rolls of film and have some Kodak D76 developer that I mixed quite a few months ago. It is stored in a bottle and I have used the Vacu-vin stoppers to keep air out.
Do you think it will be okay to use or should I ditch it and make up a new solution?

I suppose I could shoot a roll of film of just 'wasted' pics and try it.
What do you guys think?

Cheers in advance.
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  #2  
Old 29th August 2017, 10:31 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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If this is stock solution and the Vacu-vin works OK then I would have thought it OK. I'd take pics that are not necessarily keeper just in case and it will also give you a chance to take say 3 shots of each scene at 3 different speeds. I'd develop the film for the time given for box speed. When you look at it, you will see what speed gives you the best shadow details. From the effect on the highlights at that best speed you can work out if development is too long, just right or not enough.

Let us know how it goes

Mike
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  #3  
Old 29th August 2017, 10:42 PM
KidderJem KidderJem is offline
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Good thinking Mike.
Will get ye olde Bronica out again over the next week.
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  #4  
Old 29th August 2017, 10:56 PM
John King John King is offline
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So long as the developer colour has not changed then it should be perfectly OK to use. If it has now got a yellowish tint whereas when first mixed it would have been clear, then I would trat it as suspect and perhaps not use it.
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  #5  
Old 30th August 2017, 09:32 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is online now
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D76 should keep at least 9 months and more like a year. I always used it replenished and colour wasn't really an indication of working condition, it used to look like thick soup after a bit and actually worked better

If you get stuck Jem give me a shout.

Ian
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  #6  
Old 30th August 2017, 10:20 AM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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I thought you could test developer activity by putting a drop on an unexposed piece of film leader, then waiting to see if it turned the emulsion black? Not so easy to do with 120 film without a leader.
Alex


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  #7  
Old 30th August 2017, 02:30 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Alex, Jem -- this is quite doable with 120 film. There should be enough excess film at either end that you can trim off a narrow strip with the scissors while you're loading the reels, and not cut into the image area. I do this all the time if I need to test a questionable developer or fixer.

BTW, for developer, you can dunk the whole strip into a little dish to test it. As Alex says - if it turns black in a few minutes then it's still active. Just remember to do this with stock solution, not diluted...otherwise it will take a lot longer to turn black if you dunk it in, say, 1+3 sol'n, and you may mistakenly think the developer is dead (don't ask me how I know this ).

Best,
Svend
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  #8  
Old 30th August 2017, 04:37 PM
Trygve Trygve is offline
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https://youtu.be/8J7G6ZMb48w
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  #9  
Old 31st August 2017, 03:58 PM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is offline
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Once neat D76 goes beyond the colour of tea (with milk), I would not use it - but if you keep it properly (in the dark and away from oxygen) - its surprising how long it can last.

How long it lasts will also depend on how much oxygen was in the water when you made-up the solution, as well as, how aerated the chemical was when you decanted it into its storage container.

Personally, I use Tetenal Protectan (https://www.theimagingwarehouse.com/...icals/AT105193) when mixing up my developer and decanting them in to storage bottles.

Martin.
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  #10  
Old 31st August 2017, 07:12 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Question for the chemists here: I mix up my own D76 from bulk, and have heard that it's best to add a pinch of sulphite to the water before adding the metol. The rest of the recipe then proceeds as normal. What does this little pinch of sulphite do? It is said to extend the storage life, or at least prevent premature oxidation. From this, I'm guessing it converts the dissolved oxygen to some other form(?). Is this correct? (Martin -- your post reminded me to ask about this...thanks for the nudge).

Best,
Svend
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