Diluted D-72 Shelf Life

i have 1.5L D-72 working solution (1:2) but only developed 2 8x10
papers so i dont want to throw it. i've put the solution in a open jar
for 24 hours then in a closed bottle for another 24 hours, my question
is, is it safe to reuse it this night?

thanks.

-
woody

The only way to be certain would be to test it but I will save Dektol in a
open tray by floating another tray on top of the developer, but only if I
plan to use it withing 24 hours and then only for contact prints of other
non-critical use. 1.5 liters of working solution is 0.5 liters of stock
solution.

Mike

"Steven Woody" wrote in message
oups.com...
i have 1.5L D-72 working solution (1:2) but only developed 2 8x10
papers so i dont want to throw it. i've put the solution in a open jar
for 24 hours then in a closed bottle for another 24 hours, my question
is, is it safe to reuse it this night?

thanks.

-
woody

In article .com,
"Steven Woody" writes:

i have 1.5L D-72 working solution (1:2) but only developed 2 8x10
papers so i dont want to throw it. i've put the solution in a open jar
for 24 hours then in a closed bottle for another 24 hours, my question
is, is it safe to reuse it this night?

My experience is that Dektol and E-72 are both good for at least a week,
and probably two or more, after being diluted and used for a few prints,
if kept in a sealed and nearly-full glass bottle. I've never used
home-mixed D-72, though. For your specific situation, I'd suggest you just
try it. The worst-case scenario is that you'll waste a bit of time and a
sheet or two of paper.

If you want to keep careful track of developer activity over time, I
suggest you locate a convenient negative that's not very important to you
but that's got acceptable density and a good range of tones. Print it on
your regular paper, write the relevant settings (f-stop, filtration,
exposure time, etc.) on the back of the paper, and develop it with the
freshest possible developer. You can then set it aside and, if you want to
be sure your developer is still good in the future, you can make another
print from the same negative and compare it with your first print. (Be
aware of the dry-down factor, though -- compare the prints when both are
dry.) This should enable you to spot even a small loss of activity in the
developer.

--
Rod Smith,
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

ok. thank you. because what i am doing is print test strips, it's not
a critical image, but might be a import print.


Rod Smith wrote:
In article .com,
"Steven Woody" writes:

i have 1.5L D-72 working solution (1:2) but only developed 2 8x10
papers so i dont want to throw it. i've put the solution in a open jar
for 24 hours then in a closed bottle for another 24 hours, my question
is, is it safe to reuse it this night?

My experience is that Dektol and E-72 are both good for at least a week,
and probably two or more, after being diluted and used for a few prints,
if kept in a sealed and nearly-full glass bottle. I've never used
home-mixed D-72, though. For your specific situation, I'd suggest you just
try it. The worst-case scenario is that you'll waste a bit of time and a
sheet or two of paper.

If you want to keep careful track of developer activity over time, I
suggest you locate a convenient negative that's not very important to you
but that's got acceptable density and a good range of tones. Print it on
your regular paper, write the relevant settings (f-stop, filtration,
exposure time, etc.) on the back of the paper, and develop it with the
freshest possible developer. You can then set it aside and, if you want to
be sure your developer is still good in the future, you can make another
print from the same negative and compare it with your first print. (Be
aware of the dry-down factor, though -- compare the prints when both are
dry.) This should enable you to spot even a small loss of activity in the
developer.

--
Rod Smith,
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking