Developing an expired Kodak recording

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I developed a roll of expired Kodak Recording in Rodinal 1+25; the result came out severely fogged. How can I avoid this with my second roll? Would it help if I add some restrainer to Rodinal (potassium iodide or bromide)?

Regards Xosni email preferred

-- Xosni (xosni@gega.net), November 03, 2001

Answers

Xosni:

The best way to avoid this problem again is to make your second roll TMax 3200!

-- Ken Burns (kenburns@twave.net), November 03, 2001.


I take it this is Kodak 2475 recording film?
That stuff hasn't been made for 'yonks'. It's going to be fogged, full stop, from chemical deterioration, and from exposure to background radiation and cosmic particles. Nothin' much you can do about it. Maybe rate it a LOT slower, and develop it with some added restrainer in the dev.
I bought a whole batch of close dated 2475 myself some years ago. It was disappointingly short of its 10,000 EI claim, in fact nowhere near. I don't even think it was a true 1000 speed. I ended up chucking it away after a couple of years because it just got foggier and foggier.
As the above post said, if you want a fast film, your best bet is P3200. That looks like it has a true ISO rating of about 1200. (Unlike Neopan 1600, which is just a 400 speed film in a box with 1600 printed on it!)

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), November 05, 2001.

It all depends on the degree of deterioration or fogging. Rodinal is not a bad choice, since it is clear working. "Classic" Rodinal Calbe/Classic/Foma R09 would even be better, since it is clear working without restrainer due to a different formulation (AGFA Rodinal already contains potassium bromide). My suggestion in your case would be to add a "pinch" of benzotriazole to the developer. Benzotriazole gives much better results than potassium bromide if the film is severely fogged. Stick to Rodinal or another clear working formula. You will sacrifice film speed though by adding restrainer. In combination with potassium bromide (as already contained in AGFA Rodinal) benzotriazole may not be as effective as if it were the only restrainer in the developer. Very small quantities of benzotriazole will already work and will not affect the effective speed that much, but you probably will have to extend the developing time beyond what you normally would expect. I cannot give you an exact quantity of benzotriazole to levy your problem.

-- Volker Schier (Volker.Schier@fen-net.de), November 11, 2001.

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