A couple of questions for DD-X users

[Peter B]

Ilford's tech sheet on DD-X is quite interesting, especially where it talks about reusing it, rather than discarding it as one-shot. As it will only do 10 x 120 on one-shot, I wondered if any of you have tried reusing it?

Used at 1+4 for one shot processing it will develop 16x135/36 films.
If reuse techniques are used,it will develop up to 50x135/36 or 120 films

My other question is whether you've found it lasts OK when opened, and whether the colour changes over time. I'm assuming it's clear to start with?

Thanks, Peter

 

[FishyFish]

I've never tried re-using it. My understanding is that it should be re-used immediately, rather than being stored for a later date, e.g. if you have more films than will fit in a single dev tank or something, you can re-use the solution straight after the first rolls are done, I think the dev times are extended by 10% for each re-use. note that my inderstanding my be wrong!

Yes, it's clear when fresh. I've always finished the full litre within 2-4 months and not noticed any colour changes. I don't remove the air from the partially used bottles. I have noticed some brownish crystals forming on the seal in the bottle cap on occasion, but none in the liquid itself.

I tend to use it as one-shot at 1+4 dilution (sometimes 1+9 for certain films depending on what MDC recommends). Compared with other developers, it probably is more expensive on a roll-by-roll basis, but I've always looked at it as giving me results I'm happy with for a much lower cost than lab development.

 

[Harlequin565]

Pretty much agree with Nige.

It has a lower cost per bottle, and does fewer films per bottle, so it doesn't need to last as long for me. I tend to order 2 or 3 bottles at a time +bits from Wex to hit the £50 and get free post.

I've never reused it.

 

[Boots]

Peter, I have just reminded myself of the content of this data sheet, though I do not have it open in front of me now (different computer).

It is a rather complex document (in my opinion). The reuse described is for mixing up 5 litres of working strength solution, allowing fifty 35mm films to be developed, though the development times need to be increased after each batch of five films. If only 1 litre is made up, the times need to be extended after each film.

The re-use scenario is only within 24 hours of mixing the solution. Ilford suggests strength solution should not be kept.

In my own case, I have carried out batch re-use successfully several times with great success. I typically develop three films, one after another, out of 400ml of solution. I had, until recently, failed to recognise the need to increase development time at all, let alone by the amount I should.

So, for your scenario, I think you can process ten 120 films from one litre of solution, with a time increase between each film. I think it is a 10% increase each time, but do check that. Of course, you may not have the tanks or time to run ten dev cycles in one day.

 

[Peter B]

Thanks guys. My next developer was to be Xtol again, as I was happy with the results using it replenished a year or so back. It was the first time I had re-used a developer, so I was interested when I saw that DD-X might be used that way. I've got an old unopened bottle of it in the garage which I'll open and see what colour it is, then try 1+4 with an ood film just to see if it still works. Current problem is that I'm hardly shooting any film at all, so no chance of processing multiple films on the same day.