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?

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.

"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/

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
________________________________
--

Two posts this thread report Microdol X still being
marketed in Europe. I thought Kodak had quite
makeing the stuff. Dan

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

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

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.

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.