The 2013 New Year Lecture...

 Working with old developer

This won't be a nice, in-depth tutorial, because it is still very much work in progress, but nevertheless...
You all know by now that I love to use old stuff: cameras and film, but also chemicals. (I use that word because I once had Russian seventies фиксаж... hà!)

Normally I use reliable Rodinal, at the moment "Promicrol" (the q.m. because it's not real Promicrol any more, alas), but if I can get it: Tabloid, Реактив (great stuff!), Montauk - the older the better.

Yes, there are some problems.
Fluids, like Tetenal Neofin, tend to disappear into thin air - and they don't work.



But the powders - the only problem, sometimes, is to get them out of the tube, or the envelope. When that is difficult, I just put everything (yes: developer, activator, glass, paper and stoppers) in the water, wait (leave it covered in the dark) and filter it. Works.

Wòrks? Yes, they work. Young seventies РЕАКТИВ or a century old   
Eastman, they will develop your film. The solution can be clear, cloudy or dark brown - that doesn't matter.

Developing time: I follow the decades old instructions. (! That's not me...)

Mostly I make 500 ml, and use that for let's say 4 or 5 films, but it dies rather suddenly - and in fact I am happy when I get one or two films out of it.

Dating: yes, that ìs a problem. The Ucrainian stamp it on, nice. Sometimes there is a manual with names of film, or the firm still exists. Often it's just educated guessing.



But always: surprise, satisfaction. Admiration, too. FUN.