Disposal of wet plate chemicals

18percentgrey · Jan 11, 2023

I purchased supplies and chemicals to get started in collodion photography over a year ago and unfortunately did not get to use them. Except for dipping tank and plates, I’m assuming all chemicals are no good at this point. How can I safely dispose of the ether& chemicals? My county runs a toxic drop-off day in the spring. Thank you

Kino · Jan 11, 2023

Without knowing exactly what chemicals you are speaking of, I would tend to think they might still be good as long as you didn't unseal them.

koraks · Jan 11, 2023

18percentgrey said:
I’m assuming all chemicals are no good at this point.

Not necessarily. A silver bath in principle doesn't expire, ever. Collodion (not yet mixed with salts) can be quite stable these days. Premixed collodion is indeed FUBAR by now, most likely. When disposing of it, I always poured it into a container (that wouldn't melt due to the ether!) and place it outside to let the ether and alcohol evaporate. The remaining film can usually be peeled off the surface and discarded. If it contains cadmium salts etc., please dispose of them wisely.
Dry chemicals like iron sulfate, sodium thiosulfate generally don't expire, at least not over the course of a couple of years.

Perhaps if you made a list of what you've got we could give more specific advise.

removedacct1 · Jan 11, 2023

koraks said:
Not necessarily. A silver bath in principle doesn't expire, ever. Collodion (not yet mixed with salts) can be quite stable these days. Premixed collodion is indeed FUBAR by now, most likely. When disposing of it, I always poured it into a container (that wouldn't melt due to the ether!) and place it outside to let the ether and alcohol evaporate. The remaining film can usually be peeled off the surface and discarded. If it contains cadmium salts etc., please dispose of them wisely.
Dry chemicals like iron sulfate, sodium thiosulfate generally don't expire, at least not over the course of a couple of years.

Perhaps if you made a list of what you've got we could give more specific advise.

This is the best advice you'll get.
The silver bath remains viable for decades, with maintenance. The collodion (if pre-salted) will be useless now and should be disposed of as hazardous waste in the manner described by Koraks. Dry chemicals will remain viable, for the most part.

18percentgrey · Jan 11, 2023

Thank you, in addition to the dry chemicals, I have the silver bath,collodion mixed(and in mixed),lavender oil, iodine, and ether in a canister.

koraks · Jan 11, 2023

All of it will still be good with the exception of the pre-mixed collodion. There's a small chance that the unmixed collodion has gone bad if it wasn't capped tightly. The rest will be A-OK, virtually guaranteed. You could make someone happy with it - or rekindle your hobby

Sirius Glass · Jan 11, 2023

I have a toxic waste site close by which is open Thursday through Saturday.

18percentgrey · Jan 11, 2023

Thank you, I hope to rekindle my hobby. I’m in New York so the offer of the toxic waste site isn’t feasible.

Donald Qualls · Jan 11, 2023

If you've got plates (or a source of them) and one or more holders for wet plates, it sounds like all you might need to repurchase is the collodion.

removedacct1 · Jan 11, 2023

18percentgrey said:
Thank you, in addition to the dry chemicals, I have the silver bath,collodion mixed(and in mixed),lavender oil, iodine, and ether in a canister.

If the Ether has already been opened, you need to be very careful about handing/using it. Open the container outside (not indoors) and take note if it has changed color: if it turned pink, its not usable and will need to be disposed of as toxic waste. When exposed to air for a long time, ether forms peroxides in it and this can make it very prone to spontaneous detonation when shaken or jostled. However, if the container is TIGHTLY sealed and mostly full, this shouldn't be a problem after just 12-18 months of storage. (I hope it was stored at a fairly cool temperature)

The bottom line is: don't mess around with old, aged ether that has been carelessly stored and exposed to oxygen.

gone · Jan 11, 2023

What Paul said. I would keep it away from sunlight too, this is a dangerous chemical and should be handled w/ extreme caution. If I remember correctly from my OSHA and EPA days, if it's cold stored it always needs to be stored in an explosion proof fridge.

I think our max airborne exposure limit was around 400 or 500ppm and that was over an 8 hr period. If you wear contact lenses take them out when dealing w/ it. I would also use a full respirator if there were any doubts about localized venting.

Maris · Jan 12, 2023

Back when I was a laboratory analyst I would keep a quantity of copper mesh in ether bottles to prevent peroxide formation. This was very effective for fresh ether but would not remove peroxides from old ether.

Disposal of wet plate chemicals

18percentgrey

Kino

koraks

Moderator

removedacct1

18percentgrey

koraks

Moderator

Sirius Glass

18percentgrey

Donald Qualls

removedacct1

gone

Maris

Disposal of wet plate chemicals

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency