[pure-silver] Re: Sediment in my XTOL, and another question.
- From: Claudio Bonavolta <claudio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:17:42 +0100
Hi Elias,
I don't have sediments, maybe due to the fact I use demineralized water to
prepare the stock solution.
One time I had a very strange behaviour, "something" developed in suspension
inside the bottles. This "something" looking like "glass curtains" floating in
the developer that break into smaller crystal-like flat particles if you shake
the developer.
I developed once a film without filtering the solution before and these
particles got "imprinted" in the gelatin, probably due to a difference in the
development.
I had it in one batch only but I'm always filtering (coffee filters) the
developer before use since then.
Regarding the replenishment and Xtol storage topic, I prefer to work one-shot
with film developers and Xtol in particular.
I mix the 5 liters with demineralized water and store them in 4 1-liter brown
glass bottles and the rest in 100ml bottles. For both I use pharmacy bottles
that are pretty cheap.
I pay a particular attention to fill the bottles completely as to avoid any air
in them.
Once all the 100ml bottles are empty, I open a 1-liter, fill up to 8 bottles
and use the rest for the development I have to do.
Because the bottles can store slightly more than their nominal capacity, you're
never able to have round multiples and you end up in losing some volume.
Xtol being pretty cheap, I'm not that picky ...
Why 100ml bottles ? Because it's the minimal quantity chemically required to
process a 135-36, 120 or 8x10". As I develop by rotation and dilute it 1+1 this
quantity is more than enough to wet all film during processing.
To dilute 1+1, I just fill the bottle with water again, so no need to measure
volumes ...
A friend of mine uses a slightly different approach: he puts exactly 100ml of
stock solution abd completes with water. At dilution he completes with water as
to obtain 200ml.
Some boil the water to outgas it (I don't do it because I prefer to avoid that
Xtol comes in contact with metals) and try to avoid to put air in the solution
while stirring.
I store then the bottles in a dark cupboard.
This way, I'm able to keep Xtol for more than 2 years routinely. I did some
tests over 4 years and it was active. I still have some Xtol dated March 2003
(mixed to develop my daughter's birth films) stored this way and I'll soon
check it's activity.
Claudio Bonavolta
http://www.bonavolta.ch
----- Message d'origine -----
De: Elias Roustom <elroustom@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 21:41:51 -0500
Sujet: [pure-silver] Sediment in my XTOL, and another question.
À: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
My XTOL isn't that old. I use about 450ml per roll of either 120 or
135. I fill the working bottle (full strength stock) with 70ml fresh
unused stock, then I pour the developer I just used back into the
working bottle until it fills to the top, and I dump the rest. So I'm
replenshing my working bottle. So far so good, I've developed a half
dozen films so far - it's been about a month or so, and the bottle is
filled to the top and closed tightly. It's got sediment along the
bottom. Does this mean anything to anyone? Should it mean anything to
me?
Using marbles to fill fresh stock bottle, to keep developer level up
to the top: the bottle if full of marbles, and since there's plenty of
room between the marbles, the liquid inside isn't going to the top
anymore. Should I worry about oxidation when the bottle is half full
of liquid, but full of marbles? Or can I assume that the marbles are
cutting down on the air in the bottle enough to keep the developer
good for three months?
Elias
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