stephenlee Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Hi all just to check how is the shelf life of HC-110 after it has been opened? Cause i stop developing abt 6mth to a year ago and recently just shot another roll was wondering if it is still good to use. Regards Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_appleyard Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 It has a shelf life of decades. I have using up two bottles that I rec'd from friends that's who-knows-how-old and it's just as good as day one. Same is true of Rodinal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 as long as it is still the original syrup (ie not mixed with water in any way shape or form)...........yeah, years and years and years. I have personally taken 2 years to finish off a bottle with no noticable loss of strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_s6 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I've had a bottle last about2 years, but also some Rodinal & Studional that I purchased over 6 years ago are still going strong. Never doubt Rodi, but with HC, I would buy new if the negs are important enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Even opened as long as it is a syrup it will last if the cap is put back on longer than your grand children are allowed to breed.. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob F. Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Forever, minus one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc_w Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Contrary to what some have said, it WILL oxidize as more air gets in the bottle. However, if you decant it into smaller bottles, it most definitely will last until hell freezes over. I bought a bunch of brown medicine bottles at the pharmacy into which I pour the contents of a new bottle. That way, there is less air for less time in any one bottle. I understand that an unopened bottle of HC-110 was found in the Great Pyramid of Kufu, still useable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Don Now that was funny. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_johnston4 Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 HC110 has been my primary developer for many years and I have never had a single problem with it no matter how long it has been on the shelf, even if it has been opened - as long as it has not been diluted. In fact, I have found bottles almost empty that I forgot I had for years and the HC110 had blood red streaks in it but it still worked perfectly. It may oxidize as someone else pointed out here, but it has always worked perfectly for me no matter how old it is and even if the bottle was mostly empty and sat for years. In fact, that, and the ease of use (I mix directly from concentrate) are two of the main reasons that it is my primary developer. I get great results withit too. It's wonderful stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc_w Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Tom, this is interesting know. I would never have tried it. Kodak does give a shelf life for partially used bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_brenner1 Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 This just confirms what others have said, but I've had HC-110 for years (my primary developer is Pyro), and I've never seen any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gloom Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 Original concentrate bottle with air inside. 1 year, maybe longer ? one bottle won't last 1 year long to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorge Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 HC-110 syrup from an open bottle will turn first tan and later on reddish. However, I've used some that has been sitting partially filled for up to three years and its strength is exactly the same as a new bottle. Shelf life for unopened bottles is, for all prectical purposes, forever. Judge from this anecdote... Some years ago, I opened a cardboard box that had been stored for almost thirty years, containing some old darkroom trinkets from my college days. Among them was an unopened bottle of HC-110 purchased in 1970 or earlier. I tried it with some reserve on a test roll and found out to my rejoice that it was as good as a recently purchased one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono1 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 <p>I just developed some film with some HC110 that I had mixed to the stock solution almost exactly a year ago and it worked fine. I had stored it in a plastic soda bottle that I had squeezed so there was literally no air in the bottle. It had been sitting in a cabinet under my kitchen sink for the whole year. Not sure if this will keep much longer, but it worked for my first batch.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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