Anyone tried freezing full-strength XTOL for a longer shelf life?

I don't like buying the 1l packs (and I've seen rumours that they may be discontinued) but I don't go through that much film, either (5l could easily last me a year if I didn't ditch the remains when I thought it was too old).

duncan

-- Duncan McRae (duncan_mcrae@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

Most photo chemicals don't like low temperatures because the constituents (sp?) come out of solution. Worse, they don't always redissolve when the solution is warmed. The best you can do is probably to divide the batch into several completely full glass bottles. Agree that 5l is vastly more than some of could use in a reasonable time, especially when diluted. OTOH, they don't recommend diluting it anymore, so maybe there is some twisted logic in discontinuing the 1l packs.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), October 08, 2001.

Obviously, I can't speak for Xtol, but in general, you should never freeze photographic chemicals. First of all, even refrigerating them can cause components to fall out of solution. These may or may not redisolve when warmed up. Also, since the makeup of the solution changes, the solution may actually age faster if the preservatives are knocked out of solution. Secondly, unless you have a freezer dedicated to photographic use, you run the risk of contamination. Remember that when liquid freezes, it expands, which can lead to ruptured or leaking bottles.

A better solution is to get multiple brown glass bottles, and filling each. The aging will be minimized until you open the bottle.

David Carper ILFORD Technical Service

-- David Carper (david.carper@ilford.com), October 11, 2001.