chemical storage in #1, #2 plastic bottles

Murray@uptowngallery · Oct 28, 2007

I have a couple brown glass reagent bottles for chemical storage.

#1 (soda) and #2 plastic that we recycle look tempting also.

I have made lens hoods of some of them.

What, if any, chemicals used in b/w processing have any of you successfully stored in recycled containers?

I believe Rodinal and HC-110 come/came in plastic bottles, but have no idea what kind (could be the mysterious #7, 'Other').

Thanks

Ian Grant · Oct 28, 2007

I store all my chemicals in recycled containers, with no problems plasic or glass.

My best containers are translucent and black 2.5 litre that I used to buy hydrochloric and sulphuric acid in, purged well with boiling water they are excellent for fixer and developer stock solutions. (I also purge the ones I use for developer by leaving spent dev in for a day or so).

Rodinal bottle are excellent for small quantities of developer or toners, likewise Ilford, Kodak and Agfa chemical bottle. I never use recycled fix bottles for developer. The newer Ilford 1 litre bottles aren't as strong and don't last as well.

Ian

mexipike · Oct 28, 2007

Brown hydrogen peroxide bottles work really well. At .89 cents a bottle you can just throw the hydrogen peroxide out.

John

Ian Grant · Oct 28, 2007

mexipike said:
Brown hydrogen peroxide bottles work really well. At .89 cents a bottle you can just throw the hydrogen peroxide out.
John

Or bleach you hair first

Better still try the etch bleach process it is amazing with RC papers, particularly if you redevelop after the etch part . . . . .

Ian

Monophoto · Oct 28, 2007

It is a far better thing to recycle than to purchase new storage bottles.

I user or have used -

glass wine bottles
glass beer bottles
glass soda bottles
glass concentrated lemon juice bottles
plastic shampoo bottles
plastic laundry detergent bottles
household bleach bottles

and the exotics - - the container that I use for desilvering used fixer is a rectangular plastic pail that originally held deck screws.

and I store the used fixer in the bottle that was supplied with the medicine used the night before a colonoscopy - you know, add a gallon of water, chill, drink an 8 ounce glass every twenty minutes, and - - -well, we won't go there.

tim_walls · Oct 28, 2007

Monophoto said:
and I store the used fixer in the bottle that was supplied with the medicine used the night before a colonoscopy - you know, add a gallon of water, chill, drink an 8 ounce glass every twenty minutes, and - - -well, we won't go there.

Not...

<shudder>

...Picolax?

I know people who've been through it, and heard the stories... After a treatment with Picolax, they seem to have this look as though they've been to a dark, dark place only a select few people even knew was possible

Photo Engineer · Oct 28, 2007

Locally, they call that "GoLightly". AAAAAAAAAaaaaaa, what a misnomer!

PE

srs5694 · Oct 30, 2007

Ryuji Suzki has a Web page with information on the characteristics of various plastics and how those characteristics impact plastic bottles' suitability for use in storing photochemicals.

Photo Engineer · Oct 30, 2007

The best storage bottle on the market is made by Jobo. If you can get the Jobo bottles use them. Solutions seem to keep very well in these heavy duty bottles.

PE

Mike-D · Nov 3, 2007

Colored plastic bottles can cause problems

I've had problems with colored #1 plastic bottles. In one case I stored a borax solution in a light blue water bottle and the borax turned brown and the bottle became clear. I believe that brown juice bottles caused me problems with developers.

Clear bottles stored in the dark work just fine.

Mike D

fschifano · Nov 3, 2007

I use the plastic soda bottles for just about everything. Never a problem. Eventually, the caps do wear and don't seal as well as when new. That's when they get replaced.

John Kasaian · Nov 4, 2007

I 'm still working on a stash of 1 gallon Robitussin brown glass bottles (I think they are all plastic now) I scrounged from a local pharmacy back in the 70's. These have hard plastic---almost bakealite like caps unlike those cool ground glass tops the old reagent bottles have.

No problems!

Murray@uptowngallery · Nov 4, 2007

I read Ryuji's page. Good info, thanks for the link.

I guess gas permeability is relative. They probably put carbonated soft drinks in #1 for that reason, although a guy stocking shelves told me for best quality (of carbonation) they have rather short limits for shelf life before the carbonation gets thru the bottle, cap, etc enough to cause deterioration in the carbonation esthetic. I guess they make enough money one it they can dump it. I guess beer costs too much to put in brown plastic under the same shelf like rule (although someone was telling me glass beer bottles are a glass-plastic composite now - I didn't believe him).

My recycled solvent bottles have those bakelite-looking screw-on caps John referred to.

Mike Wilde · Nov 4, 2007

look for essential oil sellers

They often sell 'amber boston rounds' in small sizes, perfect for developers. Polyseal caps are the best ones that I can currently find.

Then on the recycled front, I re-use yeast jars, once the yeast is used up in the bread machine. They are amber glass, with a steel cap with a good gasket. They hold 227mL of liquid - just enough for a 35mm reel in my stainless tank. I mix up D-19 a gallon at a time (long story - it's military surplus when in dry form from 1964, and still works fine) and store it in about 15 or so that I have stored up over time. When I need high contrast for reversal title masks for head shots, etc, it is all ready to go.

gordrob · Nov 5, 2007

I also use the brown glass bottles I got from a pharmacy back in the 70's - everything from 450ml up to 2 litres. The wide mouth on the bottles make it easy to pour from than the one with a narrower opening. To ensure that I don't have any cross contaminations from the caps if they get mixed up or to reduce the chance of a poor seal I put a liner of Parafilm over the mouth of the bottle - wax paper would probably work as well. I threw out most of my plastic containers and use mainly glass in the darkroom since I find it easier to keep clean .

Gord

chemical storage in #1, #2 plastic bottles

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