In summary - my replies to everyone so far
Well it seems that this thread has had a fair amount of input - so thank you to all those who replied with their suggestions. As the thread originator, I wanted to respond to everyone's questions and comments in one go, so please read on down if you had a particular interest in this thread.
"I go with glass and fill up the space with glass marbles."
Thanks Jim, I also use marbles to evacuate the air in my containers. I can buy them for about US$0.75 for 100pcs.
"....a lot of developers have ingredients that will fall out of suspension below a certain temperature and that may be difficult to redissolve. Thus, refrigerating developers is generally not recommended."
Thanks srs5694, see my reply to Clarie's below for how I intend to address this problem.
"Glass with marbles and refrigerate if you have a separate refrigerator for paper & chemicals. I would be very cautious about storing chemical with the family's food. Label your bottles with CARE. Get an MSDS for these chemicals and store for reference. One negative comment regarding glass: It breaks and plastic does not."
Good points Claire. I plan to get a purpose-bought thermoelectric fridge for the darkroom anyway. These fridges draw less power and are nice and small in size. In addition to this, I hope to modify it to hold the temp at 5degC rather than letting it cool to the coolest it can get (which might be lower). Without going <4degC, I shouldn't have to worry about precipitates since the MSDS's of the AGFA chemicals I bought say to store the chemical down to 40degF (4.4degC),
"Make sure and check the bottle lables for recommended storage temps, I know some chems will not store well in a refrigerator and could cause them to go bad, most lables show a recommend range of storage temps."
Thanks Dave, see above for my solution to this.
"My favorite container for photographic solutions is recycled soda pop bottles. The plastic used for these is impermeable to gasses,"
Thanks nworth. I also use soda bottles to put my chemicals in once I mix them up, these are made from 'PET' (Polyethylene terephthalate).
"I havent read the replies yet, but I will tell you this: I hadnt used my darkroom in a few years. I recently went in and picked up a bottle of Agfa Neutol that I had used a small amount of several years ago, squeezed the air out, and resealed. Well the bottle was empty, having drained out through an area near the base that had slightly creased and weakened when I squeezed it."
Thanks Wayne. I use marbles rather than squeezing my bottles, but thanks for the advice. I'll most likely transfer the Neutol Plus to glass bottles.
"So is it the PC composition that appeals to you, or something else? If something else, as I said, perhaps somebody can suggest an alternative. If it's just the PC composition, I don't know of any other commercial PC paper developers."
Hi srs5694,yes it is the PC composition. Without Metol or Hydroquinone the PC dev. is less toxic, more environmentally friendly and when exhausted doesn't give off unpleasant smells (c.f. hydroquinone). Refer to Ryuji's notes here
http://silvergrain.org/Photo-Tech/print-dev-recommend.html
"I know of only one developer that recommends increasing storage life by placing it in the refrigerator. That developer is Ethol TEC. As a preservation method I would not recommend storing any other developer, particularly a highly concentrated one such as Rodinal, in the refrigerator. It is highly likely that certain constituents will crystallize out and be very difficult to redissolve."
Hi Gerald, a lack of recommendation doesn't necessarily mean that it won't extend the life. In fact all chemical reactions I know about are slowed down by decreasing the temperature. I will probably keep the chemicals at 5degC for now (since the lowest storage temp on each of the their MSDS's is 40degF (4.4degC)). w.r.t. crystallisation, I would hope that AGFA have verified storage at the lower temperature (I might email them to check this)
"PETER, Though I preferred Agfa Neutol Plus, you may want to try the commercially available Edwal Platimnum II paper developer. Edwal P II does not contain metol, comes in liquid, and is a neutral developer."
Hi agGNOME, unfortunately this Edwal dev. has Hydroquinone. Refer further up this reply for why I am using and prefer PC developers.
"Check the storage temps, Ilford specifically says not to store fixer concentrate below 4C."
Thanks Craig, refer to my above posts - I will store them at 5degC.
regards
Peter
