Shelf life of Ansco 130 powder

[cdholden]

I found a box of this stuff that I bought from B&H when I was in NY about 2 years ago, but never used it.
I've searched and see all the comments saying to mix it soon and store it. I wish I knew that then.
Should it behave predictably by compensating though longer/shorter development times, or is it not worth wasting on paper at this age?

[Jim Noel]

The glycin in the developer usually oxidizes to the point of not being usable within a few weeks.
My suggestion is that you prepare to dissolve it, pour (slowly and carefully so as not to get powder in the air) into a clear glass container. Look at it. There should be a light grayish cast. if the color cast is black, or near black, the developer is probably beyond use. If light gray, mix it and use it to determine if it is still good.

[Henry Ambrose]

I assume you mean Photographer's Formulary 130?
It is almost certainly fine to use.
If the glycin is still light tan/beige just mix it up and enjoy, if its dark brown it may be gone.
As a mixed stock solution stored in full to the top glass bottles it will last for months and months.
This is my favorite paper developer by far.

[jnantz]

hi chris

i can't speak for dry powder, as already mentioned glycin is the only thing that kind of goes bad ..
but once mixed it will last for a long long long time. until a few weeks ago i was using stock i mixed over a year +1/2 ago.
as it ages it gets better and better as a FILM developer as well as a paper developer.

have fun !
john

[cdholden]

Thank you all for your input.
Yes, I was referring to PF's Developer 130. I used the incorrect product name in my original post.
The glycin is a tan, light brown color. Since definition of color could differ, I'm going to mix up the batch and look for color cast as mentioned above. I'll post a follow up after I know more.

[Bob Farr]

Hi,

I often buy Glycin from Photographers Formulary. It's always a fresh batch, am always informed that the powder is good for 30 days and when mixed as a developer into a liquid it should be good for 6 months. My developer of choice is Ansco 130.

Cheers,
Bob

[cdholden]

The end result turned a really dark brown, which isn't anything close to light gray. I'll try ordering some fresh glycin from PF another time. I think I have everything else to try again later.
Assuming no other distractions, I'll see what else I can cook up today.

[Jerzy Pawlowski]

I had an old large package of PF 130 more than 2 years old. It is nicely packed with each component separately. I threw out the bag with Glycin and replaced with fresh glycin from the package purchased from the Formulary, the rest should be OK (I did not like color of metol so I replaced by my own, just in case). Obviously you need scale to get 11, 22, or 44 g of glycin depending on the package size.

[cdholden]

I had an old large package of PF 130 more than 2 years old. It is nicely packed with each component separately. I threw out the bag with Glycin and replaced with fresh glycin from the package purchased from the Formulary, the rest should be OK (I did not like color of metol so I replaced by my own, just in case). Obviously you need scale to get 11, 22, or 44 g of glycin depending on the package size.

That's probably what I should have done, but I'm patient and obviously willing to gamble when there is only a little to lose. :)

[Henry Ambrose]

Don't throw it out - use it.
What it ought to look like mixed is like slightly watered down Coca Cola after the ice melted a bit.
It will work great, I promise.

Glycin is good until the powder goes really dark in color.
If I made it I'd tell you it was only good for the first few hours after you opened the package <grin>.

[Drew Wiley]

Glycin is interesting stuff. I generally keep a reserve totally unopened bottle in the freezer, which seems to keep the powder fresh. Then I time my printing with the opened
bottle based on the image color I want in the print. When the glycin in very fresh (light
tan powder) there is very little image stain in the highlights using 130. With some papers it can even be used for a distinct cold tone. Then as the glycin ages toward cocao, the effects get quite interesting, and I choose negs suitable for this kind of treatment. When the glycin powder gets deep brown it will still work, but will stain the entire print brownish itself.

[Vincent Malaud]

I confirm, I had an PF130 batch unopened and stored for 4 years, mixed it a week ago and the developer couldn't be more brown... It still works fine though.. As previous poster said, the print shows a light brownish tint to the unexposed white base of the paper.
Although the post is from 2012, it might still be of interest...

[Liquid Artist]

I don't know if it's anything like your question, but around 18 months ago I bought some old Kodak 2 part powder developer that hadn't been made in over 30 years just to try on some spare sheets.
Although the film grain was a little more noticeable, I had several beautiful images turn out with it. Plus it lasted around 4 months after mixing.

So I think it's worth trying old powder chemistry. At least when you've shot duplicates.

[Drew Wiley]

Glycin has some unique characteristics, just like I suggested in that old post above. I think of it like aging a wine for particular nuances.

[paulr]

I usually got a few months shelf life from glycin in powder form. Definitely more than 30 days, but less than with other powdered developers. Interesting, its shelf life in solution is longer than most others.

I found over the years that the color of the powder from the formulary was quite inconsistent. When I asked them about this, they admitted that they manufactured it themselves, and their process was pretty low tech. It involved drying the stuff out in the open on wooden slats (I don't know if they still do it this way).

I never had printing problems because of it, as far as I could tell.