Fomopan 100/R09 disaster

[barnacle]

Quite.

R09 =/= Rodinol

I've found a few threads on the interwebs that indicate this is a known problem with R09 - which does not apply to Rodinol. The threads I have found suggest that six months is a practical maximum for a part-filled bottle, and that testing with the diluted solution is a practical solution.

Fortunately I have in my cupboard another three small bottles (120ml) still sealed, as well as the one I opened yesterday. But if the developer works well with Fomopan - as might reasonably be expected - then I'm likely to use it again. But in the small bottles

At least the lesson was learned *before* I came back with a couple of boxes of exposed negs to brew.

Neil

[koraks]

Ah, I ever knew r09 had limited keeping properties compared to adonal/rodinal/Rodinol! Lesson learned...

[plaubel]

But it's a wrong lesson, Koraks, as "Foma forgets to bring the glob to the film" is a wrong idea.

All the "new" stuff has limited keeping properties compared to the original stuff.
As far as I know from an Ex Tetenal worker, it all comes out of the same barrels, produced from Tetenal.
I don't believe in wonderful formulas and the 25th improvement of the Rodinal substitute, but I know that this developer is great.
By the way, you could buy barrels of Tetenals soup and you could sell it as Koradinal or Korakinol :-)
Of course, you could order some extra drops creating your special formula, but for making a developer keeping longer, you will need expensive adds which are the most expensive component in each developer.

For a longer-life-attitude, I refill my fresh developers into smaller bottles.
Since I give my developers RO9, RHC ( which is an excellent paper developer), XTOL an extra shot of Butan/Propan before reclosing the bottle, I never have had problems with missing emulsion or bad developers during periods of one year.

I buy RO9 in a 3000ml kanister, and if I am in fear concerning further stability of the developer, I use it highly concentrated (1 plus 10) as a one-way- paper developer until the bottle is empty.

I have found that creating blank film or muddy prints is always a disaster out of my hands.

Ritchie

[koraks]

Well, the lesson I take from this is certainly not that foma somehow forgot some crucial step in their process
I was skeptical about the difference between the various rodinal variants, but it seems some are a little lower on developer and higher on hydroxide (activator), while others are the other way around. The difference seems to be within a few percent, but maybe this affects its keeping properties in half empty bottles. I also know that Adonal in a nearly empty bottle easily survived a year of sitting around without apparent loss of activity. Frankly, I'm still a bit surprised at the loss of activity in a half full bottle of R09 over the course of just a few months - it seems to be a rare occurrence, but who am I to say that it can't happen? The evidence seems pretty convincing. And perhaps it does have to do with slight variations on formulation, even though it still seems to me that the different names are more of are marketing and trade name protection issue than a technical one. I just can't argue with someone's convincingly reported experiences, that's all!

[Leigh]

I also know that Adonal in a nearly empty bottle easily survived a year of sitting around without apparent loss of activity.

Adonal is real Rodinal.

The odd name is the result of a trademark problem.
Somebody (not the manufacturer) trademarked the Rodinal name here in the US.

- Leigh

[barnacle]

Here's a sensible approach to packaging: available at a limited number of shops in the UK:



Search for 'Rodinal softpack'.

Neil

[plaubel]

Adonal is real Rodinal.

20 years ago Agfa Germany gave up and made a kind of "SALES"-action.
Some fomulars changed the owner; the recipe of Rodinal has gone 50/50 to Mr Bödecker and to Mr Otto Mahn (Maco), so they went to Tetenal giving the order to produce something like Rodinal.
Please tell me one reason for saying Mahn " make it mostly unoriginal and totally different, especially shortliving!"

Here in Germany today and from government/law it is nearly impossible to produce chemical products, except yo do exactly this since decades.
If you start up with a new product, it has to be somehow healthy, more than being poison.
A friend of mine who has sold this Rodinal-thing for Maco Company told me that they have had to substitute some components, and I have absolutely no reason not to believe him.

Compard company bottled barrelwhise this new Rodinal for you, and me, until Matthias's dead not so long ago.
I know that his wife continues the business but I haven't any contact to her and so have nothing new to say.

Ritchie