Can you reuse developer?

Andysnap

Andysnap

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Andy Grant
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Yes
As in the title, can you reuse developer?
 
Yes, as long as the developer isn't one shot. The bottle/packaging should make reuse clear.
 
Ah of course... read the instructions.... Why do I never think of that. :facepalm: Thanks FC2, I will away to the kitchen and read the instructions and if I get lost on the way I will ask for directions. :D
 
i had 2 rolls of 120 with different iso's that i used rodinal for in separate batches and it was fine, same with the fixer and stop. Although i used it immediately after the first roll was dev'd Not sure how good it would of been in the fridge for a week in between uses.
 
It depends.

That is to say that some developers are completely exhausted in one usage, some can be reused and may even have documentation explaining the variance in development times, and some are designed to be reused and replenished with a % of new solution after every batch. The latter were mostly designed for use in labs with large dip and dunk tanks.

Which developer were you thinking of?
 
When it comes to reusing developer that is meant to be one-shot - for experimentation, sure, but bear in mind that the film costs significantly more than the cost of developer!

Peter_Hartland said:
Yes but you may need to adjust the developing time slightly
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This is indeed the case for T-Max Developer - you can use it several times at the same time, and then as it reaches exhaustion you add time. It makes developing very economical.
 
My thoughts were that I have 2 rolls of 120 to dev and (at the moment) only one reel so I would use the same developer to do both films with a slight adjustment in times for the second, does that sound ok. Its Ilfotech LC29 by the way and it would appear that from the instructions this would work.

Cheers

Andy
 
ilford say lc29 should only be used as a one shot at 29 to 1 , but 9 to 1 and 19 to 1 can be re-used if you're a tightwad :D
 
donut said:
ilford say lc29 should only be used as a one shot at 29 to 1 , but 9 to 1 and 19 to 1 can be re-used if you're a tightwad :D
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That would be me then....:D(y)
 
i was only quoting from their website ,,,,sortov
 
Andysnap said:
My thoughts were that I have 2 rolls of 120 to dev and (at the moment) only one reel so I would use the same developer to do both films with a slight adjustment in times for the second, does that sound ok. Its Ilfotech LC29 by the way and it would appear that from the instructions this would work.

Cheers

Andy
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You should be able to put 2 rolls of 120 on the same reel.
 
Would you not have issues with the developer being over worked doing that? You'd have twice the area of film being worked...
 
I recently developed 5 rolls of 35mm and one roll of 120 using the same mix of one shot R09 by just adding a bit of extra time as I went along (30 seconds max). I've got a Paterson tank that holds 2x35mm or 1x120 so that was 4 rounds of development in a 1:50 mix.

The dev looked like strong black coffee at the end but worked perfectly :0)
 
Lunatic ^^^^ A shower pah! You'll be telling us next that the sink where I dev my negs can be used to wash dishes or summink. :thinking:
 
I'll have to take a read of thé lc29 bottle label as ive never user if as a one-shot développer.......
 
Have a look here ( page 8)

http://ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2011427124733149.pdf

I don't know how when the recommendation for using lc29 as a one shot developer was brought about, but originally it was listed as remaining "good" in it's dluted state for approx 1 week iirc wether 1-9, 19 or 29 solution along with further info on the storage properties / duration of the concentrate.

i haven't used my lc29 for a while now but when i do I'll continue to use the solution for more than one film.
 
Thanks Asha, I shall peruse that in a bit.

Andy
 
Asha said:
Have a look here ( page 8)

http://ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2011427124733149.pdf

I don't know how when the recommendation for using lc29 as a one shot developer was brought about, but originally it was listed as remaining "good" in it's dluted state for approx 1 week iirc wether 1-9, 19 or 29 solution along with further info on the storage properties / duration of the concentrate.

.
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lc29 @1+29 is described as a one shot developer and not recomended for re-use , ( page eight from the link you posted )
 
donut said:
lc29 @1+29 is described as a one shot developer and not recomended for re-use , ( page eight from the link you posted )
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yes i know.....it wasn't always the case.

I haven't read the bumph on the bottles etc in a long time as having used LC29 for years, I just continued as I've always done .....using the dilute solution for more than one film regardless of ratio.
 
steveo_mcg said:
Would you not have issues with the developer being over worked doing that? You'd have twice the area of film being worked...
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Given that a 36 exposure 35mm film is about twice the length of a 120 film and about half the width, the volume of developer per square inch would be about the same.
 
StephenM said:
Given that a 36 exposure 35mm film is about twice the length of a 120 film and about half the width, the volume of developer per square inch would be about the same.
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As I understand it, the surface area of 120 is the same as 36exp of 135. So if you put two lots of 120 on the reel you'd be risking exhausting the developer, wouldn't you?
 
Hence my point about the width. Because 120 film is wider, it goes higher up the tank and needs more developer to cover it. If it's twice the width then it takes twice the volume of developer; the length is irrelevant in terms of solution required because you don't get tanks with a smaller diameter for shorter films. The width is more than twice that of 35mm, slightly; but the extra height created by stacking two spirals means that that more developer is needed.

From the base of one of my System 4 tanks, 120 film uses 17.5 fl oz, and two 35mm films (about the same area of film) 20 fl oz. Hence, in normal one film on spiral use, 120 film uses twice the amount of developer for a given surface area as 35mm; putting two on a spiral uses about the same.
 
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