Following recommendations on this,and other forums , I recently used Butane on some stock Dektol,which was a light brown color. Within a few days the Dektol had oxidised to dark brown.
Am I wasting my time? Any experience with using Butane?
In the past a CFG was used because they typically have a specific gravity much heavier than air. Being heavier than air allowed them to easily displace the air in the bottle. Butane having a Sp Gr of 2.0 may not be heavy enough.
The main source of oxidation with plastic bottles is from oxygen passing thru the plastic not the small amount trapped when the bottle is capped. Then too one has to consider the cost of the butane vs the cost of the developer. All in all it's a waste of money.
There is an old saying that "fishing lures are designed to catch fishermen." This is based on the fact that fish are color blind. They cannot tell that difference between a red plastic worm and a purple one. So too are several darkroom "conveniences." They attract the unwary photo enthusiast.
I was looking online for something like this the other day, best i can tell every day "air duster" is near on the same as Protectan and a fraction on the price, can even get it in the pound shop!
A balloon would be better than nothing. But over time the air inside will diffuse until there is a new pressure equilibrium.
Then you still have less air volume on top of the fluid, but under higher pressure!
NO No carbon dioxide which would change the pH of the developer.
The best solution is to mix only enough developer to meet your needs within the recommended storage life. Then store the developer in a glass or PET bottle.
I've always used dark amber glass bottles with glass marbles to displace all air... the last marbled is very carefully dropped in so the fluid is rounded at the top and the cap screws down to displace everything so there is never even a bubble in the bottle. The only trouble I've had with this method is when the cap seals are not made of waterproof material.
In the past a CFG was used because they typically have a specific gravity much heavier than air. Being heavier than air allowed them to easily displace the air in the bottle. Butane having a Sp Gr of 2.0 may not be heavy enough.
The main source of oxidation with plastic bottles is from oxygen passing thru the plastic not the small amount trapped when the bottle is capped. Then too one has to consider the cost of the butane vs the cost of the developer. All in all it's a waste of money.
There is an old saying that "fishing lures are designed to catch fishermen." This is based on the fact that fish are color blind. They cannot tell that difference between a red plastic worm and a purple one. So too are several darkroom "conveniences." They attract the unwary photo enthusiast.
And there you have the reason that chlorofluorocarbons don't destroy the ozone layer... they are heavier than air: Nitrogen would be a good choice. You could generate nitrogen fairly cheaply by inflating a number of balloons with air, and allowing them to go soft over time: oxygen will have diffused out first, leaving a higher concentration of N2
What about if your developer was very warm when top applied and then when it cools down wouldn't there be a vacuum or at leasrt less air in the bottle....
For me it's bottles and marbles.
Once remember watching a program about how a flour factory went skywards when a spark ignited the place,self raising or not.
What about if your developer was very warm when top applied and then when it cools down wouldn't there be a vacuum or at leasrt less air in the bottle....
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