New Xtol

[dave4242]

Hi all,
I got a packet of the newly packaged Xtol from Freestyle.
When I mixed it up it wasn't clear but kinda milky white.
the powders were dissolved separately so no residue was in my beakers but unlike the old packages the liquid wasn't crystal clear after all the mixing was done
has anyone else had this happen to them or do you know what I did wrong?
been mixing Xtol for a while now and didn't do anything differently other then the new formula
thanks!
cheers
David

[m00dawg]

Ah oh. I bought two bags. I hope they work with XTOL Replenished because I have a nicely seasoned batch currently.

[dave4242]

@m00dawg lemme know if you have any troubles mixing the new formula, thanks!

[m00dawg]

Yup I'll try to remember! I've got about 1/3 to go with my stock solution before I'll need to mix more.

[Duolab123]

What are you using for water? Even the original XTOL didn't like really hard water or even water from a water softener. I think the mixup with the new XTOL was some packages went out with two bags of part A, not A and B.
Anyway the new XTOL I've used , 2 packages of 5 liters, works great, not cloudy, I use deionized water to mix. My tap water is very hard, we have a water softener, which converts the Calcium carbonate to sodium carbonate, which messes with XTOL.

[Duolab123]

Also the powders need to be mixed in sequence. Mix part A, after A is dissolved, add part B and dissolve. You shouldn't dissolve part B separately.

[m00dawg]

Ah that's a good point. Yeah I use distilled water in jugs from the grocery store. I actually also had one of the bad batches but was fortunate enough to have caught it. It was a certain batch number and noticed my bags matched the known bad batch before I used it. Kodak was kind enough to send me replacements though I have yet to try them out yet.

[Duolab123]

Ah that's a good point. Yeah I use distilled water in jugs from the grocery store. I actually also had one of the bad batches but was fortunate enough to have caught it. It was a certain batch number and noticed my bags matched the known bad batch before I used it. Kodak was kind enough to send me replacements though I have yet to try them out yet.

I had the suspect batch lot number, mine was fine. Kodak Alaris still sent me another package. I'm lucky to have a excellent variable speed mixer, with a stainless steel propeller on a 12 inch shaft. This makes mixing super easy, even fun. I've had magnetic stirrers for years, I got this stirrer, nos off Ebay, mounts on a lab ring stand.

[m00dawg]

I had the suspect batch lot number, mine was fine. Kodak Alaris still sent me another package. I'm lucky to have a excellent variable speed mixer, with a stainless steel propeller on a 12 inch shaft. This makes mixing super easy, even fun. I've had magnetic stirrers for years, I got this stirrer, nos off Ebay, mounts on a lab ring stand.

Huh whoa that's sweet! I mix mine in one of those cheap plastic paint buckets from the hardware store and a wooden spoon :P

[Willie]

What are you using for water? Even the original XTOL didn't like really hard water or even water from a water softener. I think the mixup with the new XTOL was some packages went out with two bags of part A, not A and B.
Anyway the new XTOL I've used , 2 packages of 5 liters, works great, not cloudy, I use deionized water to mix. My tap water is very hard, we have a water softener, which converts the Calcium carbonate to sodium carbonate, which messes with XTOL.

I checked with a friend who was more familiar with Sylvia Zawadski who came up with Xtol. He is familiar with it from when it first came out and tested some with Kodak at the time. Initially it was "any water, anywhere" and even came with directions for 1:3 dilutions. Something changed in the formula that she came up with and apparently it is much less robust than what it was supposed to be. Who knows why? Maybe something as silly as the containers they mix it in - as Azo Silver Chloride paper would change characteristics from something so simple - or Kodak changed ingredients or the order they add them - or who knows?

The infamous failures happened to more than just the small packages but Kodak somehow kept it quiet. A good developer - actually supposed to be a universal Developer especially or places where water quality was not good - has changed.

[tgtaylor]

I've used Xtol for years now initially mixing with tap water which, in my case, is very good water as it comes directly from Hetch Hetchy (Yosemite National Park snow melt). But over time I noticed the tendency of a black stringy precipitation to appear in the developer as it ages. I switched to using distilled water and that no longer occurs. It's important to completely dissolve Part A before adding Part B. To check dissolvement I shine a strong "Mag Lite" down in the solution and look for particles in the solution. Only when all particles are completely dissolved do I add Part B and continue stirring until all particles of it are completely dissolved.

Thomas

[alt.kafka]

I had the suspect batch lot number, mine was fine. Kodak Alaris still sent me another package. I'm lucky to have a excellent variable speed mixer, with a stainless steel propeller on a 12 inch shaft. This makes mixing super easy, even fun. I've had magnetic stirrers for years, I got this stirrer, nos off Ebay, mounts on a lab ring stand.

I had one from the suspect batch, but it worked just fine. I used a non-heated magnetic stirrer, which requires minimal intervention to make sure everything is completely dissolved. A few degrees warmer would probably go smoother. I only used distilled water for my chemistry. It's just too cheap not to.

[dave4242]

Thanks everyone

[jrileystewart]

Try this as an alternative to Xtol:
https://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/VitC/vitc.html

Been using it over a year. 5 minutes to prepare a batch of the Original recipe. Single use is less than 15 cents / L after buying stock Na Carbonate, Ascorbic acid, and phenidone (lifetime supplies).

[dave4242]

Thanks