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#1
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Microdol-X.
Hi Keith, I use and enjoy Microdol-X. It is a fine grain speed reducing
developer. I'm familiar with it and have been using it for years. It is still available in the U.S. I never bought it in cans, but that may be a difference between availability in the US and in the UK. And 5 liters of it is a lot, at least for me being "only an amateur". I buy the 1 quart packages, and it lasts for 60-90 days in dark brown bottles. I use it as a one-shot, mixing it 1:3. On the average, out of 4 quarts, I'll use 3 of them before they go bad and ending up have to throw away a quarter to half a bottle because it has expired. Or I'll use it to test a new lens or technique, where negative development isn't so critical. I found that I get good highlight and shadow detail with Tri-X. The big knock on Microdol-X is that it kills speed: I expose Tri-X at 250. Once you open the can, you're committed to using the entire contents. Even the powder will oxidize unless you keep it in a really tight container afterwards. Good luck, -- Mark "Keith Tapscott" wrote in message ... I was given a can of Kodak Microdol-X, but I dont know if it is still useable. The CAT#501 0780 is to make 5 Litres of stock solution. On the bottom of the can reads: 86 02 and below that 3252. The condition of the can seems to be good, but its the condition of the constituents that bother me. This developer hasnt been sold in the UK for many years. Would it be worth trying to mix it to a stock solution, or should I throw it away? |
#2
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Jeremy The Wicked wrote in
: Keith Tapscott wrote: Would it be worth trying to mix it to a stock solution, or should I throw it away? Usually if it is a powder (not yet in water solution) there sould not be any *use before* date, so *no expiration* untill you prepare the stock solution. HIH, Jeremy Someone suggested that the packaging might be a uniquiely "limey" kind of thing - not so. Kodak regularly used cans to package chemicals in the distant past. In this case, I think the fact that it is in a can merely reflects its age. The main problem with dry chemicals would be if there are exposed to humidity while stored. The fact that this is in a can rather than the ubiquitous bag/pouch probably means that it is more protected. |
#3
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"Keith Tapscott" wrote
I was given a can of Kodak Microdol-X, but I dont know if it is still useable. It is possible to tell even without opening the can. Shake it and listen - if it is good it should shakes freely with a fine 'chiss' sound. You should be able to feel the powder flowing freely from one end of the can to the other. Checking the powder flow was a valuable skill when all developers came in cans and often the dealer had a dud can or two on the shelf. The same test for caking should be done when purchasing bagged processing chemicals. If the powder doesn't flow the developer is definitely bad. If it does flow there is a finite possibility it is still bad. Open the can. If its a fine bright white powder the stuff is as good as new. If very lightly tan and it mixes to a very slightly tinted solution it is still good but the mixed stock may not keep for long. If the powder is brown (and usually cakey) (or mixes to a brown when dissolved in water) then chuck it. Any ordinary 'MQ' (Dektol/MX/D-76/ID-11...) developer that has gone darker than a light straw color has passed it's use by date. Chemicals in cans should, in theory, keep until the can rusts through. In practice Kodak wasn't very good at canning - they should have taken lessons from the Campbell Soup company. Mixed MX stock can keep for several years if you use distilled water and boil the water before use. When the level in the bottle gets low a spritz of Dust-Off can be used to chase the oxygen out of the bottle before capping. I use in 1-shot at 1:3 dilution. This gives a very fine and very regular grain pattern. Used FS with TMAX-100 the negatives are close to grainless - so much so that the resulting print looks a bit out of focus when a 20x24 print is made from a 35mm negative and examined under a 10x loop. Tech-Pan holds up very well under this scrutiny. For best results keep _all_ chemicals and the wash water at the same temperature ( +/- 1F) and be sure not to overexpose the negatives. -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/ |
#4
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On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:21:57 -0000, "Keith Tapscott"
wrote: I was given a can of Kodak Microdol-X, but I dont know if it is still useable. The CAT#501 0780 is to make 5 Litres of stock solution. On the bottom of the can reads: 86 02 and below that 3252. The condition of the can seems to be good, but its the condition of the constituents that bother me. This developer hasnt been sold in the UK for many years. Would it be worth trying to mix it to a stock solution, or should I throw it away? mar1705 from Lloyd Erlick, Even if you open the can and use the contents, keep the empty! It's a great memento of a bygone era, and makes a dandy pen holder. If it's left unopened, its function as a paper weight will be unimpaired, and it will hold its future value as an antique. Your heirs will thank you for a life of ease. regards, --le ________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ -- |
#5
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Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being
marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite makeing the stuff. Dan |
#6
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wrote in message ups.com... Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite makeing the stuff. Dan A phone call to Kodak would find out authoritatively, but its too late today and they won't be open again until probably Tuesday. -- --- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA |
#7
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wrote in message ups.com... Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite makeing the stuff. Dan A phone call to Kodak would find out authoritatively, but its too late today and they won't be open again until probably Tuesday. -- --- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA |
#8
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As of two years ago, I never saw Microdox-X in France.
Richard Knoppow wrote: wrote in message oups.com... Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite makeing the stuff. Dan A phone call to Kodak would find out authoritatively, but its too late today and they won't be open again until probably Tuesday. |
#9
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As of two years ago, I never saw Microdox-X in France.
Richard Knoppow wrote: wrote in message oups.com... Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite makeing the stuff. Dan A phone call to Kodak would find out authoritatively, but its too late today and they won't be open again until probably Tuesday. |
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