tank life of glycin developer

[Jan Nieuwenhuysen]

I am trying stand development with a very dilute glycin-soda developer containing only a small amount of sulfite. I don't have a proper tank for 4x5 so I use a paint bucket that holds 7 liters of developing solution. This works, but I would like to keep the solution for a couple of days so that I can use it for some more negatives than just the 6 or 8 4x5s I develop per day. So, does anyone has an idea how long I could keep this developer? BTW: the tank obviously does not have a floating lid but I suppose I could put clear plastic wrap over it (like you use in the kitchen) or something like that if necessary.

[Henry Ambrose]

Generally glycin lasts pretty well in solution. Keeping oxygen away from the solution is a good idea. I suspect it will last for a few days but you will have to test this for yourself. I suggest that one week from now you run a test sheet to see what happens. If it is unaffected in one week I think you can trust it for a few days.

[Jan Nieuwenhuysen]

Thanks for the reply Henry. Seems to be the only way to find out. The solution is turning into a very dark color now (as Ph. Formulary predicted it would). It will be interesting to see if it still works. I will expose two negatives for some photos and develop one in old and the other in fresh solution and then print both to compare.

[Henry Ambrose]

What is the name of the developer you are using? I'd like to hear your test results.

[Bill_1856]

I have (accidentally) let Ansco 130 sit in open 11x14 trays and found it still perfectly usable after several weeks. The prints were slightly warmer, but developing times seemed unchanged.

[Wayne]

Which film developer formula are you using? Like Bill says, some glycin (print) solutions last almost forever. But others, like the Formulary's BW 65, craps out literally overnight even if you bottle it.

[Ole Tjugen]

I've had Ansco 130 sitting around for months, doing a little printing every few weeks (it's been a busy winter, just not in the darkroom). I have also had FX-2 sitting in an open beaker (clear glass) in my darkroom for two weeks before I got around to using it. Everything still worked fine. I guess it depends on what else is in your mix?

[Jan Nieuwenhuysen]

I am using an old recipe from Eder, with Bergger BPF 200. I have just finished translating what he has to say about glycin developers and glycin stand developers. If anyone is interested I will mail the word document to you. The recipe is: 1.5 g sod. sulfite (cryst.), 25 g sodium carbonate (cryst.) 1.5 g glycin per liter. Develop @ temp. = 15 C (sic!). N should be about 30 minutes. First results for Bergger 200 (rated 100, you have to start somewhere)) are very soft, a bit unsharp negatives. I took a picture of the building I have my darkroom in. It was a rather dull day. There is one interesting thing though: a hood of one of the cars on the parking lot is half in the shadow, half in the light. The car is metal painted, so very glossy. The separation between the dark and the light part is suddenly very sharp, so there may be something in Eders claim that this developer is only suited for high contrast scenes. Henry: I will post my test results but you will have to wait a bit. I managed to trip the paint bucket with solution over today... one of those days... If I do this again I will start looking for nitrile socks; stand development suddenly gets a new meaning this way!

[Wayne]

This sounds like it should be a very long-lasting developer. When glycin developers do run out of gas, its often because of the other reducing agents-of which there are none. Now if only glycin would keep in dry form...