Not crazy (I think) adding dye to developer

[machine]

I am planning to mix up XTOL - and therefore will have to stash 5 liters safely, in a small home with kids.

I am planning to use old soda bottles to store the stock solution. I am taking basic precautions, such as ripping off labels, pasting stickers, drawing X with a marker on the bottles.

And... I also want to add a "warning" color to the liquid. Sort of the fluorescent green or bright blue that cleaning fluids tend to use. Therefore - I was thinking of buying a neon food dye, or a bottle of blue printer ink, and add to XTOL, to store.

Easy enough, and I am planning to do as an experiment with one cycle while developing film - to test if it works.

My worry is - will a (~ inert) dye reduce stock longevity? I am planning to test that too, "labeling" one bottle of stock, and letting it idle for a couple months.

Has anyone tried this? I can learn vicariously.

What about fixer? And photo flo working solution?

On the other hand - the stop bath of course already has a (rather appetizing) color of litmus dye which I cannot do anything about.

 

[MattKing]

Don't mix up photo flo working solution until just before use - it is a perfect environment for growing mould.
As for adding colorant, I certainly would not.
Who knows how it might affect things like the pH of the chemicals, or whether it will end up dyeing your film?!

 

[Lachlan Young]

You cannot make any assumption about the photoactivity of any random dyes that you add - you will be better off getting proper chemical storage bottles - ideally ones with child proof lids (Adox use something suitable - I imagine they'll be available in bigger sizes). And I would add that many household cleaning products are potentially far more harmful to children than most darkroom chemistry - and are often considerably more poorly labelled than anything from Adox/ Ilford/ Kodak/ Fuji etc. Basically, use your common sense, don't try and use cheap storage options.

 

[removed account4]

why not just use bottles of sprint chemistry. they are pre mixed stock solutions in containers that are very well marked. get some mr yuk stickers or make your own
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Yuk
you can find them online
I wouldn't add dyes or coloring to any photo chemistry...

 

[Donald Qualls]

Better than trying to dye your chemicals -- on top of what you're already doing to make the bottles look less like they contain a tasty (if health-averse) beverage, perhaps you should store them in a locked cabinet? A simple cabinet lock costs only a few dollars, takes an hour to install if you have to read the instructions several times, and (given the colors that sodas and other drinks come in these days) is much more effective.

FWIW, ink jet ink will color the gelatin on your negatives -- some ink jet papers intended for printing photos are gelatin coated so they take ink better -- and food coloring dyes are likely to do the same; some dyes may also interact with either the silver or the halide you're about to develop (the first orthochromatic films derived from a dye now found in some yellow food color).

 

[machine]

Thanks all. I will drop the idea, and figure out how to store safely, before I mix up the developer.