Staining vs. Non-staining Negative Longevity

[jlkphoto]

If one develops two rolls of Tri-x, one in 510-pyro and the other in D-76, will

there be a difference in archival quality & longevity if both are stored

identically?

[chris_waller]

All other things being equal, I would expect the negs devved in pyro to last longer since pyro tans the gelatin and thus hardens it. This, together with the natural antibacterial and antifungal properties of silver, should increase the life of the negs.

[conrad_hoffman]

Properly washed negs just don't have a longevity problem if reasonably stored, regardless of what they were developed in. I have a lot of negs from the '30s and earlier, some of which were likely developed in pyro. The storage conditions weren't great over much of their life, the envelopes and glassines are yellow and disintegrating, but the negs themselves are in pretty good shape. I'd worry more about washing, the surrounding materials, and the storage conditions, than about the developer, though at some level that probably makes a difference.