shalom_septimus Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 <p>Somehow, my bottle of HC-110 developed a pinhole in the base of the bottle, and all of it (about half a pint was left) leaked into the dishpan where I kept my chemistry. Haven't had an opportunity to develop stuff lately, so I don't know how long it's been sitting there, but I found an entirely empty bottle sitting in a congealed puddle of goo. Thank goodness it was in the pan, or it would have been a much bigger mess.</p> <p>Of course now that it's only available in liters, the price is up to about $35.00. My nearest supplier is Unique Photo, who have it listed for that. (About $7 cheaper at B&H, and closer in terms of distance too, but add in the $14.00 toll at the tunnel and it's not competitive anymore, and they won't ship it. If I was in the city anyway, it might have been worth a trip.)</p> <p>So I'm going to pick up another bottle, but I was wondering, two things. One, how did that happen? Does HC-110 develop pressure while standing? Because if not, I can't see how this thick stuff came out of that tiny opening, especially with the lid screwed on tightly, simply because of the vacuum that ought to have been in the bottle. And two, I don't suppose the goo is salvageable at all? Especially since I have no idea how much it's concentrated by evaporation. I suppose I could scrape it up and re-bottle it, but I have no way of knowing how to dilute it back to its original concentration. Is there anything useful I can do with a half-pint of congealed HC110, or should I just rinse it all down the drain?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I'd be tempted to shoot a test roll of photos I wouldn't miss, just to test the theory that HC- 110 concentrate lasts forever, even when scraped up after a leakage. Take some photos as you go, of the spilled goo, etc. It'll make a helluva story if the photos turn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 <p>I would have washed it down the drain without asking anything, poured the remaining in the punctured bottle into a good bottle, rinsed the punctured bottle and examined the puncture. If the puncture is at a production seam I would assume it is a manufacturing defect otherwise it inadvertently was set on a sharp piece of debris.<br> I had a bottle if Ilford Rapid Fixer concentrate that would leak 1/4 ounce every 7 to 10 days, a production defect in the plastic bottle so it happens.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 <p>If you want smaller order this. It is the exact same stuff made in the same plant.<br> http://www.freestylephoto.biz/10190-LegacyPro-L110-Liquid-Film-Developer-1-Pint-to-Make-2-Gallons</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 <p>About 45 years ago, I had a bottle of HC-110. I used it once, squeezed the air out, and put it away. <br> Next time I knew, it had started to leak, and I ended up throwing it away, possibly after washing some down the drain. This was when my darkroom was in a bathroom, and so it had soaked into the bathroom cabinet. It wan't so hard to wash off, though.<br> After that, it wasn't until last year that I had another bottle, and haven't tried using it yet.<br> Anyone else have leaky HC-110?</p> -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom_septimus Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 <p>Lex - I might do just that...</p> <p>Charles - if it is a manufacturing defect, what do you suppose the chances are of getting any kind of reimbursement on it, given that Kodak don't even make that size anymore?</p> <p>Larry - looks interesting. It's half the quantity at 1/3 the price. I wonder though, if it really is the same stuff, as there's a note that says "<em><strong>Note that LegacyPro L110 does not have the same yellow color or viscosity as Kodak HC110.</strong></em>" This thread <a href="/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00XET5">http://www.photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00XET5 </a>speculates that it's actually Ilford's version. Although to tell the truth it doesn't actually matter to me which one, as long as they work the same.</p> <p>I'm also worried that once I start ordering from Freestyle, there goes my savings, as I'm probably going to order a batch of other stuff as well...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteenthumbs Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <blockquote> <p>Charles - if it is a manufacturing defect, what do you suppose the chances are of getting any kind of reimbursement on it, given that Kodak don't even make that size anymore?</p> </blockquote> <p>NO. If it was a recent purchase then the retailer you purchased it from would probably make good on it. </p> <p>Beware that Freestyle has a $25 minimum for orders.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrydressler Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <p>Same stuff less dye. Believe me I have been using it now for a few years. Looks different. but same dilutions. and last well.<br> Dyes from new Glycol and safer so thinner.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <p>Larry, thanks for the link. Just curious: the website for L110 says it does not have the same viscosisty as HC110, but doesn't elaborate. I'm I right in assuming it's freer flowing?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <p>The goo is garbage and no you're not going to get a refund from anybody. Clean up the mess, wash it down the sink and move on. If money is an issue, switch to D-76. It's $6 or $7 a gallon, comes as a powder and is shipped wth no problem. Not sure how many gallons the $35 liter of HC-110 dilutes to but you can get probably five galons of D-76 for that price. The powder lasts forever until mixed, so you can buy that many or more at a time and save on the shipping or tolls into the city.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <p>But you have to mix the powder all in one go, no?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 <p>If you manage to use it up, HC-110 is a pretty good deal.<br> For the popular dilution B, 1:31, the 1L bottle makes 32L, or about 8.5 gallons.<br> The unreplenished capacity is 20 8x10s (135-36 or 120 rolls) per gallon, for a total of 170 rolls.<br> The capacity is pretty much proportional (or inverse if you look at it that way) to the dilution, such that the bottle capacity is pretty much 170 rolls.<br> For D-76, the recommended unreplenished capacity is 16/gallon for stock and 8/gallon for 1:1. As above, that is 8x10s, 135-36, or 120 rolls. <br> A 1L bottle of HC-110 is equivalent to about 10 gallons of D-76. To get the full use out of D-76, you increase the development time after every four 8x10s by 15%. But for 8oz tanks for 135-36, that is four rolls per quart, or one roll per 8oz. And 1/2 roll per 8 oz at 1:1. They do allow for two rolls in a 16oz tank with a 10% increase in time. Seems that should work for one roll in 8oz. </p> -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcofer1 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 <p>Thought I was the only one to have this happen. Half-empty bottle, fortunately sitting in an old 11x14 print tray. What a mess...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 <p>The latest time I bought HC110, a 16 oz bottle, I also got (4) - 4 oz brown glass bottles, transferred it over. Thinking to improve longevity, but also, they're not gonna leak.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 <p>"But you have to mix the powder all in one go, no?"<br /><br />Yes, as with all powdered developers. But IMHO that's not a problem. It's officially rate for 2-3 months once mixed but I've used D-76 that's six months old without a problem. I use a tank with a floating lid so that helps hold down on oxidation.<br /><br />I don't replenish, I don't usually dilute and I don't extend time after a certain number of rolls (I use it one-shot), so I dont' have to worry about all the math of how many ounces to a roll, etc. Given the small volume of film that I do these days, it's more an issue of using up the gallon before it goes bad rather than trying to maximize the number of rolls I get out of it. But again it's $6-7 so i don't worry if it goes bad before I finish it. It's still far cheaper than paying anyone else to develop my film.<br /><br />Sounds like the economics of HC-110 might work out better than D-76 if you do enough volume to use it up. And it's a good developer so I can't argue against it. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 <p>Thanks for the comeback. Yeah, with my spotty usage, it's pretty much gotta be a liquid concentrate.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 <p>The reason I bought a bottle of HC-110 is that it is supposed to be better with old film.<br> Not that I have had bad results with Diafine, but HCc-110 is supposed to be better.<br> Tbe newer 1L bottles might be a different plastic, so maybe less leaks?</p> -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_wilson1 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I'm late to the party. I have had sometimes container shrink in and seam split. Just last week I cleaned out and rinsed away the last of my mixed chemicals, my black and white 120 use is down to almost zero at this point. Nothing leaked but HC110 was all brown and no good container was sucked in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotohuis RoVo Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 The 1 ltr. HC-110 I have using up half and squeeze. Then I take a few glass bottles to split it in 3x150ml. If it takes 2-3 years it is not any problem at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpo Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 <p>I had a similar leakage and its origin was the deformation of the bottle produced by the partial vacuum produced by the oxygen been absorbed by the remaining developer. The plastic bottle did not stand a sharp edge produced by this shrinking and got a small crack...</p> <p>BTW HC-110 and Ilfotec HC are very similar, but not the same. Ilfotec requires times 10 to 20% longer.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen_h Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 <p>The new bottles are a softer plastic, and round edged instead of the sharp edge I remember from 40 years ago.</p> -- glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wblynch Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 <p>Funny, I had this happen too. A half-used bottle of HC-110 sprung a leak at the bottom and drained some into the plastic bowl it was sitting in.</p> <p>Being the cheapskate that I am, I scraped up a spoonful from the bowl and used it. It worked perfectly.</p> <p>To keep the rest from draining out I stored the bottle upside down until I finally used it up.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpo Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 <blockquote> <p>The new bottles are a softer plastic, and round edged instead of the sharp edge I remember from 40 years ago.</p> </blockquote> <p>In any case, my comment was alluding to the modern, rounded, bottles.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now