How can I tell whether an unopened bottle of ILFOSOL 3 is still usable?

Asked 4/5/2020

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I have two bottles of ILFOSOL 3 and I’m not sure how old they are. One bottle has already been opened, so I assume that one is risky. The other is still unopened and has been stored in a cool, dry basement. I only see a batch number on the bottle, not a manufacture or expiration date.

Ilford lists about an 18‑month shelf life, but can unopened ILFOSOL 3 still work beyond that? Are there practical ways to check whether it is still usable before developing important film?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

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Sounds like your real question is: Can I use this developer?

The answer, of course, is a question: How important are the images to you?

If this film is critical and the loss of any images meaningful, then go get new developer; the stuff isn't that expensive.

If, however, you are okay with the risk, then read on.

Are there precipitates in the liquid or crystals growing in the bottle? If so, chuck it.

How's the color and odor as compared to what you know as fresh? If it is significantly off, chuck it.

If, however, it's color and odor looks and smells new and there are no precipitates or crystals, then conduct a test.

Expose a scene with a good range and then snip those few frames and the leader and load into the tank in the dark. Process normally using the developer. Your film leader should be a deep, opaque black while your scene should develop as you expect it to. Frame numbers should come out along with any other edge markings.

If the leader is not opaque or something looks off about the test images, then consider your developer junk and chuck it. Conversely, if all looks good, then load up your full developed role and process.


As an aside, one of my favorite films is PanF+ in DDX. But, PanF likes to be developed immediately and DDX doesn't have the longest shelf life in the world. When I shot a lot, this mattered little. Now that I'm shooting a bit less, I keep a bottle of Rodinal on hand since it will probably outlive me and use that for one off roles of PanF+ or other films. If I'm looking to develop in something else, I'll toss the exposed rolls into an air tight container filled with far too many silica packets and store in the fridge. Develop when there's enough rolls to use up a small bottle of DDX or similar or 6 months go by, whatever comes first.

I've never tested for latent image degradation. Also haven't noticed a problem, either.

Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user67377

6y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

If the film matters, the safest advice is to use fresh developer.

If you’re willing to test it, first inspect the bottle: if you see precipitate, crystals, or the liquid has gone noticeably dark compared with fresh developer, discard it. A strong change in odor can also be a warning sign.

A simple activity test is to cut a small piece from the film leader and dip it in a small amount of the developer in normal room light. If the developer is still active, the film piece should darken/blacken within a few minutes.

An even better check is to run a short test roll or sacrifice a few frames with a full range of tones and process them normally.

So: unopened ILFOSOL 3 may still be usable past the stated shelf life if it has been stored well, but there’s no guarantee. Visual inspection plus a quick film test can tell you whether it still has activity, but for critical images, don’t risk it.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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