Good but cheap graduates / beakers?

Shawn Rahman · Mar 16, 2007

I've (finally) decided to develop my own film at home, and went down to Freestyle today to pick up supplies. Superb place, but I am SHOCKED at how much graduated cylinders and beakers are going for there and in photo stores. I am looking for cheap but good alternatives.

$10+ each, even for smaller ones, for something that seems like it should cost $2-$3 each. I haven't checked 99 cent stores or Wal-Mart, but what are apug.ers using?

Thanks!

David Brown · Mar 16, 2007

American Science and Surplus and a number of other web based suppliers.

Nick Zentena · Mar 16, 2007

You only need high accuracy for the small ones. Bigger ones the error gets lost.

For 5 and 10 mls get kids medicine droppers. Mine even have stepped stoppers to make filling from bottles easier.

For 50ml to say 250ml it's either the new Pattersons/Jobo etc or used.

Bigger then that you can use the stuff aimed at home kitchen use.

jim appleyard · Mar 16, 2007

I get plastic, 1-liter, kitchen-cooking-type beakers at the dollar store for....$1.00. They work as well as the $10.00 kind. Some things in photography are over-inflated.

David A. Goldfarb · Mar 16, 2007

You can buy one good graduate (or a couple if you need different sizes) and then get a bunch of large clear plastic cups or pitchers, and calibrate them in the amounts you use regularly (the amount of solution to fill your development tank or for a print drum or for the amount of developer you use for printing, etc.). Just put a line on the cup or pitcher with a Sharpie, and write what you need to measure next to it. Once you do this for the solutions you make most often, it makes mixing chemistry very quick and easy.

Mike Richards · Mar 16, 2007

Not very sophisticated, but I use "measuring cups," bottles or what have you from the local grocery or discount store. They stack nicely for storage. Got one small beaker (25cc)for high concentrate one-shot developers, e.g. HC110, Rodinal.

Sparky · Mar 16, 2007

Just watch ebay - if saving that few bucks is expensive for you. My preference is for 'nalgene', which is a material/mfr much like pyrex... except that it's a really good plastic. Really good. Used in chem labs a lot. Basically polypropylene I think. I'd use pyrex labware if I weren't so damned clumsy.

Lee Shively · Mar 16, 2007

Go to the kitchen area of any big discount or department store. You can find all kinds of things there that will be useful in the darkroom. I own one small photo graduate that measures up to 4 ounces in milliliters. For everything else it's Pyrex or Rubbermaid measuring cups in 32 ounce/1 liter sizes.

Processing film and photographic paper is a lot like cooking. You follow recipes, mix ingredients, add a little TLC and cook up something nice. You can use all kinds of kitchen utensils besides the measuring cups--scales, timers, storage containers. Just don't mix them up.

Monophoto · Mar 16, 2007

I have a lot of graduates, but in 30+ years of darkroom experience, I suspect I've spent less than US$10 in total for this equipment. For example, a one quart Pyrex measuring cup cost about US$3 at K-Mart. I have another one liter polyethylene graduate that came with the baby formula kit we bought when our older son was born (he's 30 now and doesn't need it any longer). I also paid about a buck for a 6 ounce glass "graduate" that was intended for urine collection in a drug testing program. I have several 4 oz plastic graduates that were handed out as water or juice containers when my wife was hospitalized for the birth of our two sons - also a large collection of one ounce plastic "graduates", pill dispensers from the same hospitalizations. I have a plastic syringe that I purchased at a computer sale for a couple of bucks - originally intended for refilling ink jet printer cartridges. And a 2 ounce glass graduate that I found at Nautical Supply, the famous 'army/navy' surplus store in Provincetown, MA. I bought a graduated shot glass at a garage sale for ten cents. And finally, the pharmacist at Target gave me a graduated syringe for dispensing children's medications.

Many of the accessories you use in the darkroom can be purchased at either the photo store or the home center. The price at the photo store will always be higher.

Jeremy · Mar 16, 2007

Check eBay for glass or high-quality graduated cylinders. There are lots of people selling off laboratory surplus.

laverdure · Mar 16, 2007

Mason jars, measuring cups, things out of the recycling... I suppose there are reasons you might want a good beaker, but I wouldn't know because my mind just kind of shuts down when people talk that way. Just make sure you don't reuse whatever it is for food.

bdial · Mar 16, 2007

1. Use the tools you are comfortable with, whatever the source.
2. Consistancy is more important than absolute accuracy.

Roger Hicks · Mar 17, 2007

I have to agree with Sparky. Even if half a dozen new graduates costs $75, you've got them pretty much for life -- I'm still using graduates I bought when I took up photography in 1966, and my oldest Paterson graduates (which are very good and come in a wide variety of sizes) must be at least 25 years old. Kitchen measures are sometimes very accurate, sometimes very sloppy. To me, the aggravation of searching for cheap and reliable graduates, spending maybe hours trying to find them and days waiting for them to arrive in the mail, isn't worth the money I'd save.

Having said that, if you go to camera fairs anyway, look in the bins that so many vendors have under their tables, and for $10-15 you should be able to pick up all you need, and to spare.

Cheers,

R.

Snapshot · Mar 17, 2007

I went to a "dollar" store and picked up all sorts of measuring cups, medicine and eye droppers. For the larger graduates, I picked up some cheap ones at a science store.

Rolleiflexible · Mar 17, 2007

I'm amazed only one person spoke up for American Science & Surplus -- they sell surplus glass labware at dirtcheap prices:

http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?subsection=4

They are great people. And once you buy, you get their catalogues, which are fun to browse.

Sanders

BWGirl · Mar 17, 2007

I agree with American Science & Surplus. We have one in Milwaukee and you could spend days in there looking at all the stuff! The other possible source could be a hospital. They have great graduated measuring devices.

I also use cheap-o plastic measuring cups from Wal-Mart. I checked them against my graduates I got with my darkroom stuff & if they are off, it sure can't be by enough to make a difference. I also use those kid's medicine measuring things. Great for measuring rodinal!

PatTrent · Mar 17, 2007

Lee Shively said:
Go to the kitchen area of any big discount or department store. You can find all kinds of things there that will be useful in the darkroom. I own one small photo graduate that measures up to 4 ounces in milliliters. For everything else it's Pyrex or Rubbermaid measuring cups in 32 ounce/1 liter sizes.

Processing film and photographic paper is a lot like cooking. You follow recipes, mix ingredients, add a little TLC and cook up something nice. You can use all kinds of kitchen utensils besides the measuring cups--scales, timers, storage containers. Just don't mix them up.

A few years ago I also found some handled pitchers that hold 64 oz each, and are marked in liters and ounces, etc. They are still serving me well. The extra large size comes in handy when mixing 1-gallon size working solutions of Dektol, D-76, etc. They have proven to be accurate enough for that purpose.

pnance · Mar 17, 2007

Mountain Home Biological

www.pelletlab.com/lab_supplies_plastic.htm

Has pretty good prices for plastic graduates. Just checked and it was 1.35 for 10ml to 8.35 for 1000ml. They have glass ones, but I feel the plastic are likely to last longer around me.

Ole · Mar 17, 2007

bdial said:
2. Consistancy is more important than absolute accuracy.

Hear, hear!

I use everything from plastic beakers from the supermarket to +- 0.1% accuracy pipettes depending on what I measure. And the main reason for the pipettes is not the accuracy, but that they're long enough to suck the last few drops out of a 2 liter bottle of concentrate

Mark_S · Mar 17, 2007

For smaller volumes I use syringes - 5ml can be had for free at the pharmacy - they are called baby oral syringes and are used for giving medicine to infants, I also get larger ones at the feed story - if I remember right, 35ml and 50ml graduated syringes are less than a buck a piece.

Medium volumes I use glass graduated cylinders that I have picked up over the years.

I have two large stainless measuring cups, graduated in both cups and litres, one is 4L the other 5L - great for mixing Dektol and D-76. I think that I got one at goodwill, not sure where the other came from.

Sparky · Mar 17, 2007

Okay - well, I'm going to have to take the 'snob' approach on this one - I looked at the american surplus site. For most common lab chores - like mixing up D76 or what-have-you... that labware SHOULD do okay. It ain't the best though. Using something labelled a 'plastic graduate' or 'chinese student grade' glassware SIMPLY WILL NOT have the same imperviousness that Nalgene or Kimax labware will. If you're doing anything SLIGHTLY alternative - like mixing bleaches, prepping toners or coatings for custom emulsions - please understand that 'plastic' labware WILL retain residues from previous admixtures that WILL affect the results of whatever you do after. Additionally, and as proof that plastic will absorb, plastic labware will go cloudy after not such a long time, and that makes it hard to work with. Again -if you keep a dedicated graduate for, let's say, hydroquinone-based developers and another for fixers, and another for toners, or whatever - you'll be okay. But that could get expensive. Why not get a GOOD 1000ml graduate, say, for $10 and be able to use it for everything? I think that just makes good, practical sense.

I wonder what Donald Qualls has to say on the subject...

Lee Shively · Mar 18, 2007

In theory, special formulations of plastic should be more impervious to chemicals. In practice, standard kitchenware items do just as well. I'm still using Pyrex and Rubbermaid measuring cups I bought in 1973 when I set up my first darkroom.

Nick Zentena · Mar 18, 2007

Sparky said:
Why not get a GOOD 1000ml graduate, say, for $10 and be able to use it for everything? I think that just makes good, practical sense.

.

Because it tends to be cheaper to buy a whole bunch of non-photographic ones then one labeled for photo use. At least in the bigger sizes like 1litre.

haris · Mar 18, 2007

So, I went into pharmacy store in my neigbourhood and bought 4 glass graduates 100ml for 5 EURO piece, 6 brown glass botlles for 1 liter for 2 EURO piece. No thinking are they acurate or not or are they chemistry resistant, or anything else, because it is certified medical/pharmaceutical laboratory equiment.

That is best way by mine opinion. Yes it is glass and it can broke easier than plastic, but for 2 EURO for bottle, I really don't care . And as it is certified chemical laboratory equipment there is very little chance to be wrong. And it is less expencive than "photographic" stuff.

zenrhino · Mar 18, 2007

If anyone is looking for beakers/grads, etc in the Twin Cities they should head over to Ax-Man. The location on University has the best selection.

Good but cheap graduates / beakers?

Shawn Rahman

David Brown

Nick Zentena

jim appleyard

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

Mike Richards

Sparky

Lee Shively

Monophoto

Jeremy

laverdure

bdial

Roger Hicks

Snapshot

Rolleiflexible

BWGirl

PatTrent

pnance

Ole

Moderator

Mark_S

Sparky

Lee Shively

Nick Zentena

haris

zenrhino

Good but cheap graduates / beakers?

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haris

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