Save Your Chemistry!

Haven't seen the posted elsewhere; thought I'd share. I also like to do a little woodworking and we use this stuff to keep our finishes from oxidizing. It'll work for your stock solutions as well:

http://www.bloxygen.com/

It's basically pressurized argon in a can. I store all my chemistry in amber glass bottles, with a piece of aluminum foil under the cap. After I pour off some stock, I push the foil over a bit, spritz in the Bloxygen and quickly seal the bottle. Seems to work quite well!

This comes at an opportune time for me. I'll be developing and printing only sporadically for a year or so, and bought some Microdol to go w/ the Microdol replenisher that I have. Combined w/ the product above, the developer should last a good long time. I already get nearly a year out of my Kodak Rapid Fixer.

I assume that to make this work optimally the developer should be stored in glass bottles rather than my usual plastic ones? The fixer lasts a year in plastic, but it doesn't seem to be as sensitive to air as developers.

momus said:

...I assume that to make this work optimally the developer should be stored in glass bottles rather than my usual plastic ones? The fixer lasts a year in plastic, but it doesn't seem to be as sensitive to air as developers.

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I have used amber glass only since day one; IMHO, they are the safest way to store chemistries.

Amber glass bottles are usually fairly easy to find and not terribly expensive--even beer/wine bottles are fine if corked, unless you get picky and want lab-grade borosilicate glass... I bought a case of 12 1L bottles on Amazon for under $36.00 USD and have yet to use more than 4. You can get smaller and larger as well. PF has them at a good price too.

:munch:

Monday317 said:

Amber glass bottles are usually fairly easy to find and not terribly expensive

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It is also worth asking your local dispensing pharmacy (Rite Way, Boots, etc) if they supply bottles - My local Boots will sell the smaller sizes up to 0.5L for pennies.

I buy amber bottles (and clear and blue ones too) from Specialty Bottle -- no minimum order and a variety of sizes. Be sure to request polyseal caps by special order (for those, you might have to contact a customer service agent -- all of whom I found very helpful).

As for Bloxygen, I haven't found it all that helpful. I used it in a 1 liter bottle of Ilford PQ, and I swear the stuff went bad sooner than if I had done nothing. Maybe it works better with glass bottles, but I buy the small bottles (as described above) specifically so I can fill them to capacity.

Well, my favorite are Deseronno Ameretto bottles. The square shapes are easy to hold even with wet hands. They seem to be amber when you get them, but they soon are clear. I don't worry about that because I leave my darkroom dark when I'm not in there, so there's no light affect.
They are 750ml, so when I mix one liter, the first bottle is full, so no air. The second bottle is used first. I have had no problem with my Microphen this way.
The other developer I use is Ilfosol 3. As I use it, I put marbles in the bottle to eliminate the air. Had good luck with this also.
Fixer doesn't seem to be very sensitive - I just keep mine in one gallon plastic jugs. Other things, like toners, bleaches, etc. are kept in the Ameretto bottles or plastic fruit bottles. One thing I found, don't keep sepia toner in V8 bottles. They always crack on me.

Just my two cents worth(or less).

I have always been rather dubious of these air replacement techniques as to whether they are that effective. What you are doing is protecting what is rather inexpensive using something expensive. So where are the savings?. The two best ways to extend the life of developers are to only mix what you will use in a reasonable time and storing it in several small bottles rather one large one.

Certainly using these products is not necessary for solutions other than developers.

I'm far more concerned with oxygen than light when it comes to my chemicals - they all live in closed cupboards in a room with no windows after all. I use whatever is sturdy enough to hold 'em (had a 1 gallon milk jug of Dektol leak on me - stain is till on the floor, as is the eaten up linoleum) and use sizes appropriate to the quantity. We go through a lot of "Simply Orange" around here (kids!!) and those are nice strong bottles.

I've had absolutely wonderful luck with plain old "canned air" (which I understand to be butane). You don't even have to be crazy-paranoid about closing the lid since (as I understand it, again) it's heavier than air and settles to the surface as it displaces the air in the bottle. Squirt some in with the lid over the top, withdraw the straw while you close 'em up.

Regardless of my potentially warped understanding of chemistry, my tray solutions of developer and fix last for week after week this way - I've saved some serious cash since I started doing this. It's been pretty astounding.

I am pretty meticulous about testing the dev and fix at the start of printing though; and I've found whatever fix I use - whether rapid, hand-mixed thiosulfate, or that (awesome) TF-5 - last much longer when I use filtered water. That and the canned air - it's been wonderful for me.

My storage strategy has saved me hundreds of dollars, I need canned air anyway, and I pour far less chemistry down the drain - just my .02, your mileage may vary, etc...

I store stock developer in a cheap plastic drinks bottle (re labelled of course). As you use it, you squeeze in the bottle until there is minimal air space below the cap before replacing the cap.

I have yet to see any benefit from amber bottles as my darkened room is not in the sunny back yard. Like Mr. Koch I make what I can use. The only gas around me comes from me.

I sometimes store stock developer in transparent plastic bottles on a window ledge in full sunlight and have never noticed any difference in performance to the same stored in a cupboard.

I use the black plastic bottles from FreeStyle for years. Some on the expanding bottles were good and some were not.

bvy said:

I buy amber bottles (and clear and blue ones too) from Specialty Bottle -- no minimum order and a variety of sizes. Be sure to request polyseal caps by special order (for those, you might have to contact a customer service agent -- all of whom I found very helpful).

As for Bloxygen, I haven't found it all that helpful. I used it in a 1 liter bottle of Ilford PQ, and I swear the stuff went bad sooner than if I had done nothing. Maybe it works better with glass bottles, but I buy the small bottles (as described above) specifically so I can fill them to capacity.

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Thanks for the information. I keep my alchemy supplies locked up and they rarely see the light of day since I'm a night-time film developer, ergo, amber glass is a little overkill. But not an expensive vice, either. Being OCD, I would prefer not to use blue glass since that would be transparent to the actinic wavelengths some fluorescent lamps emit that might adversely affect potions. Clear glass can be argued for in that, you can tell if your mixtures have gone bad when they discolor and most workers probably keep their stuff out of light as well.

This shutterbug will stick with his OCD-suppressive amber.

cliveh said:

I store stock developer in a cheap plastic drinks bottle (re labelled of course). As you use it, you squeeze in the bottle until there is minimal air space below the cap before replacing the cap.

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Cliveh is correct: PET plastic obviates the need for 'preservers'. Just make certain that there is no air. Some of these clear, plastic bottles can be somewhat squeezed to let out air. With some, you must add glass marbles. - David Lyga

David Lyga said:

Cliveh is correct: PET plastic obviates the need for 'preservers'. Just make certain that there is no air. Some of these clear, plastic bottles can be somewhat squeezed to let out air. With some, you must add glass marbles. - David Lyga

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Yup, marbles work well, so long as you don't lose them...

Seriously, I agree keeping the amount of air between the stocked liquid and cap or cork is a good idea. Marbles work, and I also keep smaller stock bottles about, or mix smaller volumes of more concentrated solutions when home brewing.

David Lyga said:

Cliveh is correct: PET plastic obviates the need for 'preservers'. Just make certain that there is no air. Some of these clear, plastic bottles can be somewhat squeezed to let out air. With some, you must add glass marbles. - David Lyga

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Ever have a gallon jug filled with a chemical and a large volume of marbles? It becomes very heavy.