Kodak XTOL trade concern announcment

[Auer]

I have not yet mixed the stock solution. I do also plan to use replenished stock, as all reports I've seen are that (aside potentially tuning the replenishment rate) it works the same and replenishes the same, and I've gotten to quite like replenished Xtol. I did buy a wine box (with extra bags), so when I mix it, it'll go into a single sealed container from which I'll pour the working solution (2L because my sheet film tank takes 1.6+ L to cover 4x5) and each replenishment. I might, however, need to acquire a 100 ml graduate; the syringe I have that's large enough isn't marked finer than 5 ml and is hard to fill from something like a wine box/bladder.

What wine box did you buy?

 

[Donald Qualls]

Unfortunately, it was long enough ago that Amazon won't show me that order any more, but it was 5L capacity, four or five bags but only a single box, listed as oxygen impermeable. I'd have to look when I'm home to see if there's a product code or more complete description on the (unopened) packaging.

 

[focus_on_infinity]

What wine box did you buy?

I'm using these for XTOL:
https://www.amazon.com/Astropaq-Wine-Eco-Friendly-Bottle-Alternative/dp/B01EYWX81C

I also just ordered a pair of 10L for RA4

 

[MattKing]

Sino Promise should add a line of 5 litre wine boxes to their product line .

 

[Donald Qualls]

Sino Promise should add a line of 5 litre wine boxes to their product line .

You could probably make a good case that doing so wouldn't make business sense.

Only those who either use very little developer (not "important" customers) or those who replenish at much lower than intended usage levels (also not "important" customers) would be the market for wine bags/boxes from a photo chemical source. The few commercial labs that use replenished Xtol any more probably go through a 5L in a week or two -- they don't need wine bags and probably already have 5L polyethylene box jugs with taps -- and don't care about the air space inside because they go through the stock solution fast enough it doesn't change activity even with that much air exposure.

Now, it would make sense for a retailer like Freestyle, Adorama, Glass Key, or B&H to carry a couple sizes of wine box/bags, sized to match the most common developer makeup sizes -- but they probably can't make minimums (either in product diversity or in simple dollars) for the manufacturers of those items to give them wholesale pricing. Overall, the fact we can buy this stuff from Amazon instead of having to find a local brew store is pretty good...

 

[mshchem]

I processed some 70mm Plus-X Sunday night I used 1 liter made in September of 2018 and 1 liter made 1 year ago kept in zero airspace PET bottles, worked perfectly well. Stored at 68°F in the dark. This is all Tetenal produced stuff, I was cleaning out my shelves.

I need to print. New XTOL next up to try, probably will set a liter back for aging trial.

 

[warden]

I'd be very happy to give the Adox product a try -- when it's readily available in the USA. Shipping photo chemicals from Germany just isn't going to happen....

Me too. The shipping cost for a few packs of developer are very high (which is not Photoimpex's fault) so I'll wait until I can order from a US distributor.

 

[whitezo]

Hi,
I see replacements are arriving in the US. I wonder what the packaging says about where they're manufactured.
I'm still waiting for mine without any recent replies in Hungary.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hi,
I see replacements are arriving in the US. I wonder what the packaging says about where they're manufactured.
I'm still waiting for mine without any recent replies in Hungary.

They are arriving in Canada, as well. Mine say, made in the USA for sino-promise.

 

[mshchem]

I found a couple of packages of the original Kodak XTOL from 10 years ago. I mixed it, looks like it always did, I may just use as a test.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I found a couple of packages of the original Kodak XTOL from 10 years ago. I mixed it, looks like it always did, I may just use as a test.

FWIW, the Xtol I mixed when I started processing film again last year was 2002 expiry. Worked fine, but I've gotten into the two liters of replenisher that were weaker than the rest due to a measurement error, so I'm going to discard it and start over -- apparently with EcoPro, since the two packages of Xtol I bought last year were "trade concern" packages and I still haven't gotten the replacements (emailed in February of this year and got an acknowledgment then).

 

[mshchem]

FWIW, the Xtol I mixed when I started processing film again last year was 2002 expiry. Worked fine, but I've gotten into the two liters of replenisher that were weaker than the rest due to a measurement error, so I'm going to discard it and start over -- apparently with EcoPro, since the two packages of Xtol I bought last year were "trade concern" packages and I still haven't gotten the replacements (emailed in February of this year and got an acknowledgment then).

Yes, I've found properly stored XTOL powder or mixed stock solution to be nearly eternal. I was developing a long roll of 70mm and I needed 2 liters. I used 1 liter mixed 1 year ago, and, at the back of the shelf, I found an overlooked liter, 3 years old. Both stored in full PET bottles. Worked perfectly well.

 

[focus_on_infinity]

Hi,
I see replacements are arriving in the US. I wonder what the packaging says about where they're manufactured.
I'm still waiting for mine without any recent replies in Hungary.

Made in USA.