Getting place for 1 gallon amber or brown bottles

nsurit · Aug 24, 2016

Any suggestions for where to get amber/brown 1 gallon bottles with good sealing caps for storing chemicals. My assumption is that amber/brown is the preferred color and glass the material. Open to suggestions. I'm not looking for the cheapest, unless that happens to also be the best. Bill Barber

GregW · Aug 24, 2016

Brown glass beer growler. From a place that sells brew your own stuff.

ArgentixCa · Aug 24, 2016

Hi nsurit!

Up here in Canada, I use to get my 1-gallon bottles - and of smaller size - from the home beer- and wine-making stores.
The caps are phenol-type, and tight enough for my liquid stuff.

May not be the cheapest, but the best for sure.

Ronald Moravec · Aug 24, 2016

Cardboard box and clear bottle will suffice.

Tony-S · Aug 24, 2016

Like these?

hacked - sepiareverb · Aug 24, 2016

I got mine from Freund Container.

Loren Sattler · Aug 24, 2016

Bought a one gallon amber glass bottle from B&H recently for about $18.

CMoore · Aug 25, 2016

I bought my bottles from these guys.
Pretty fast and pretty affordable.
http://www.specialtybottle.com/glass-bottles/amber-boston-rounds
Not sure if they have bigger than 1/2 gallon in amber.
good luck

hacked - sepiareverb · Aug 25, 2016

I've used Specialty Bottle in the past as well.

bvy · Aug 25, 2016

If you order from Specialty Bottle, you have to ask for the polyseal caps. They don't show up on their website or online store as options (even though they do have different caps available). This means you have to call the order in, or correspond with someone via e-mail. A minor inconvenience, but they're worth the extra effort. I've kept C-41 developer in (full) bottles as small as 60ml for six months or longer with no degradation. Also, I've found the folks at Specialty Bottle very nice to deal with.

mgb74 · Aug 25, 2016

Mine came (many years ago) from a university chemistry department. Not sure if they still use glass for most chemicals now.

chrisaisenbrey · Aug 25, 2016

mgb74 said:
Mine came (many years ago) from a university chemistry department. Not sure if they still use glass for most chemicals now.

Oh yes of cause.. many solvents still come in glass bottles and they end up in the glass waste when they are empty. However I guess even in the US they are rather in metric size (1l and 2.5l)

I use empty acetonitrile bottles from Sigma. I just leave them open in the hood for some days to remove the last traces of acetonitrile, but we do this anyway before we put them to the glass waste.

darkroommike · Aug 25, 2016

I've bought brown glass bottles from Zoro here in the USA, free shipping on orders of $50 or more last I checked. They list on Ebay from time to time, too.

Maris · Aug 25, 2016

I reckon one gallon bottles are too big. They are heavy, hard to handle, and the consequences of breaking a full one are dire. The contents of a big bottle can spend a long time in contact with air if you are just drawing portions from time to time. I make up gallon quantities of processing solutions but I store them in many small full bottles; easy to handle, safer, minimal oxidation.

JunkyardJesse · Aug 25, 2016

I agree with the beer growlers. Often around here you can find them in a liquor store with a "growler bar" which is becoming very trendy. $5 a pop. I don't know if they're the best but it's a glass bottle with a lid, how much can you improve on that?

I keep my 1L solutions in empty PBR 40's but then again I don't use a stop bath so ya'know.

kreeger · Aug 25, 2016

I have been recycling - I use the 1 Gallon Arizona Tea jugs made of extra heavy duty plastic. Going strong 4 years, and they work great.
When they are empty the first time, I use hot water to let them soak overnight when they are empty to get any remaining product out. Tea won't impregnate the plastic at all.

They are too nice to toss away and they have a nice strong handle and cap that won't leak with some paper seal on it.
I use them for premixed stop bath, F6 and Kodafix fixer, Hypo Clearing Agent, and Tmax RS developer.

They are way nicer than the bottles I have seen at photo stores.

Arklatexian · Aug 25, 2016

nsurit said:
Any suggestions for where to get amber/brown 1 gallon bottles with good sealing caps for storing chemicals. My assumption is that amber/brown is the preferred color and glass the material. Open to suggestions. I'm not looking for the cheapest, unless that happens to also be the best. Bill Barber

I have only kept developers in amber/brown bottles. Clear "white" glass has always worked for me to keep "hypo", etc. in. As one of this group recommends, I had rather keep my developers in 1 qt/1000 ml amber glass bottles than in gallon size containers. With fixer, I do use gallon size containers. Do you think Shiners would have "growlers" for sale? I would not mind having to empty the growler from there before converting it to darkroom use...Regards!

silveror0 · Aug 26, 2016

bvy said:
If you order from Specialty Bottle, you have to ask for the polyseal caps. They don't show up on their website or online store as options (even though they do have different caps available). This means you have to call the order in, or correspond with someone via e-mail. A minor inconvenience, but they're worth the extra effort. I've kept C-41 developer in (full) bottles as small as 60ml for six months or longer with no degradation. Also, I've found the folks at Specialty Bottle very nice to deal with.

I'm in the process this week of putting an order together with Specialty Bottle, and communicating with them via email so far they've said that the largest polyseal caps they can provide are size 33/400; they fit the 32oz Boston round glass bottles. The polyseal caps must be requested with the order. Larger size bottles take the metal plastisol lined cap; they've never had a customer complaint about these caps leaking. It's nice having them close enough for a walk-in order and avoid shipping costs here in Seattle. I've used them before and have been very pleased. For the 32oz and 64oz sizes I prefer the ones with the handles near the neck to allow a good hold and lessen the chance of a drop.

Paul Howell · Aug 26, 2016

I get mine at a local water store. We have few in my area, not all carry the glass, the one I go to carries both glass amber and plastic brown. Not cheap, but last just about forever. I use the 1 and 1/2 glass for developers, clear for fix and stop.

nsurit · Aug 26, 2016

I'm thinking of mixing 1 gallon of dektol at a time. Split into 4 quarts should work. Clear gallons for the stop and fix and mix the hypo clear as needed. Thanks to all. Bill Barber

nsurit · Aug 26, 2016

I'm thinking of mixing 1 gallon of dektol at a time. Split into 4 quarts should work. Clear gallons for the stop and fix and mix the hypo clear as needed. Thanks to all. Bill Barber

nsurit · Aug 26, 2016

I'm thinking of mixing 1 gallon of dektol at a time. Split into 4 quarts should work. Clear gallons for the stop and fix and mix the hypo clear as needed. Thanks to all. Bill Barber

Old-N-Feeble · Aug 26, 2016

I'm not sure I'll ever build another darkroom but I'm preparing for it nonetheless. I bought quart, pint and half-pint bottles... all wide mouth amber glass. I also bought glass marbles to add to partially filled bottles to displace the air. As I empty the larger bottles the liquids will be moved to smaller ones. The marbles wash clean in hot water. Not that it's important but I always keep used marbles separated to reuse with the same chemistry. This is what I always did before and it works well. The wide mouth bottles are easier to clean and the marbles go in and come out easier than the narrow neck versions.

Ronald Moravec · Aug 26, 2016

gallon is too big. developers should be decanted into smaller bottles so as not to expose to oxygen.

Paul Howell · Aug 26, 2016

Depends on what develop and how much film you shoot. Now the summer is coming to an end I will be shooting 4X5 I can go through a gallon of D76 in a few weeks. (right now I have MCM in a 1/2 gallon bottles, but due to cost will move to D76).

Photo Engineer · Aug 26, 2016

I too use Freund.

PE

scheimfluger_77 · Aug 27, 2016

http://www.freundcontainer.com/boston-round-plastic-bottles/p/3371B13-BGRN/
http://www.freundcontainer.com/wide-mouth-plastic-bottles/p/312185-32/
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-20593/Jars/Amber-Wide-Mouth-Glass-Jars-32-oz
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=74953&catid=661

Here are 4 wide mouth products I have pinned, haven't made a purchase yet but everything from ~$1-$9 each. Only one in the list is glass.

Getting place for 1 gallon amber or brown bottles

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