HC-110 longevity

[Joseph O'Neil]

Hi all;
A local camera store is closing it's downtown location for one in the suburbs. Interestingly the mall they are transferring everything to is perhaps the last location in the city where local customers buy & use film and film cameras more than digital.

I got to go through some of the "junk" in the basement (which is all going on sale in a couple of weeks) and came away with a box of older, but not too old, Kodak chemistry - about 24 bottles in total. Wooopie!!!. :)

Now the Photoflow I am sure lasts forever. Indicator stop bath - I'm pretty sure that stuff stays good forever too - basically it's vinegar with dye, and if it doesn't work with film/paper, maybe it'll go good on my fries. (Those of you outside the UK and Canada may not get that one. :) )

But the dozen bottles of HC-110, all still sealed, I am wondering if there is a time when that stuff actually goes bad. I've been using HC-110 for 25 years now, and never had a bottle, even half full go bad on me. I should point out I always use it direct from syrup, and in that form it seems to last forever.

There is no expiry date on the bottles (which would make them pre-1996 I think), and some bottles are the newer round style, some the older "cube" style.

I do plan on testing before i use it, but i've not seen any references on the web about the syrup going bad. IN any event, the whole box cost me less than the price of one new bottle of stop bath, so who's to complain?
thanks
joe

[Mark Sawyer]

It's probably all still good, and should be for a long long time. HC110 is suspended in a glycol-based solution, so it's very stable; it won't hydrolize or oxydize as long as it stays as a bottled concentrate. It will eventually discolor, but I've used it fairly brown with excellent results. But once you mix it with water, it has a fairly limited lifespan.

[CG]

HC-110 syrup will still be good when the cockroaches are long gone.
C

[Kino]

Forever..., I think only Rodinal lasts longer.

[Kevin Crisp]

I agree that HC110 seems to last forever. But Rodinal? Even when kept in the fridge, in a factory closed bottle, after 3-4 years I've noticed the color goes from purple-ish to brown and if you try using it you will get thin negatives.

[rippo]

yup, i've used HC-110 that was old and brown, a trade for something else old and brown as i recall (a camera, perhaps?). it works a charm.

[Harold_4074]

The concentrate should last approximately forever.

In 1991, I had occasion to make up a bottle of stock, and then didn't have access to a darkroom for about nine years. On a whim, I developed a roll of Plus-X in the old HC-110
(remember, this was the "stock" dilution and not from the original syrup) and found it to be perfectly satisfactory! The bottle wasn't completely full, it had not been stored in a "cool, dark place", and I had made no special effort to purge oxygen from the bottle. About the only thing going for it was that the syrup was originallyl diluted using distilled water.

I've gone through a few bottles of HC-110 since then, but I'm keeping the old '91 vintage to see how long it can still be used. I think that I'll test it again in 2008...

[rippo]

Harold, you should consider selling this 'vintage' HC-110 for big bucks. "Complex tanins, a hint of oak, and superior highlight retention." :)

[GSX4]

Be aware though that HC110 can thicken up even more asit ages. I have a bottle that has clear evidence of the syrup thickening in the bottom corners of the bottle. I wonder if this dilutes the remaining syrup in the bottle or not? I used it on some test sheets and it was okay, but I wonder if I should get a new bottle. This one is only about 6 years old.

[gregstidham]

Hi all;
A local camera store is closing it's downtown location for one in the suburbs. Interestingly the mall they are transferring everything to is perhaps the last location in the city where local customers buy & use film and film cameras more than digital.
thanks
joe
Which store is moving and what is the new location? Thanks

[Joseph O'Neil]

Which store is moving and what is the new location? Thanks

McKittricks (spelling?) downtown London is the one that closed, and everything is no almagamated with the store in the Cherryhill Mall.

In fact, I think starting this weekend, or just after the weekend, they are having an unadvertised clearance sale. All sorts of "junk" from the basement going onto tables. Not sure of exactly will be on sale, but I did see a pile of slide projectors - but 35mm, no 4x5. :(

joe

[eddie]

WHOA! that hc110 is bad already......i will take it and dispose of it properly just send it to eddie 249 old........

i iwll even pay the shipping:) :)

eddie