Expired FP4+

[Greg]

Ilford FP was introduced in 1968 and replaced by FP4+ in 1990. Last year I took out my last box of FP4 and used it. Unfortunately all my ZONE System film processing data was for using Edwal FG-7 in a 9% Sodium Sulfite solution. Now down to my last box of frozen 11x14 Bergger 200, and now experiencing the same feelings when I used my last box of SUPER-XX. Still have a box of a dozen 4x5 Eastman UNIVERSAL PLATES with "3015 17 19" stamped on the back... this year will get a 4x5 glass plate holder and see what I get, but not all that optimistic about even getting images on those glass plates.

[Drew Wiley]

Times for FP4 versus FP4+ shouldn't be significantly different, provided aging itself hasn't introduced another variable. My old notes imply that. Unfortunately, all the old FP4 sheets I've still got were never frozen, so probably no good for much of anything, especially testing. The original emulsion was also rather soft, so came with paper inter-leafing between sheets. Bergger 200 was a wonderful film for 8x10 work, but my stash of that is long gone. I did run into a single 20 year old sheet of ACROS 8x10 in a paper safe I thought was empty. So I did a what the heck shot with it that involved some tricky dodging/burning plus red dye to balance out fbf aging hot spots; but the final image was remarkable - a semi-solarized sun disc amidst partially veiling clouds, almost eclipse-like, with equally surreal shadows in the foreground. No normal piece of film would have done that.

[MattKHardy]

was the bag open when you bought it? Or was the bag inside the boxes intact with original seal?

Box still had the stickers intact. Can't remember if the bag had a sticker...

[Drew Wiley]

Sealed inner bags are not a universal custom. Some films were simply put into folded-over black poly bags before the outer clamshell box, and therefore not totally immune from moisture intrusion if stored incorrectly. That might have been the case with original FP4. I can't remember.