Storage bottles dev, fixer

[finny99]

Just wondering if I can store in a dark gallon jug, is it ok for oxidizing and stuff, I really dont want to have to use 4 1 litre bottles, too much storage, was thinking of laundry detergent jug, they come in dark colors, and in one gallon sizes. Thanks

 

[Edwardv]

I would not use a laundry detergent jug for storing chemistry due to the possibility of contamination. Just go to the photo store and buy one. I use 1 liter amber glass/safety coated bottles for all my developers. The stock solutions last for six months if the bottles are full and cap tighten. Really does not take up as much space as you many think. Write on the bottles your favorite developer and label the bottles 1-4.

 

[reellis67]

I use the collapsable brown bottles from the photo shop (or online) for developers that have a short shelf life (I mainly use Rodinal so no worries there!), and for fixer I typicaly just use the empty bottles that previous rounds of TF-4 have come in for the mixed stuff. You can't really mistake the concentrate for the mixed so it works out great.

If you are using powdered mixes, I would second the glass bottles comment, or at least use a collapsable bottle. Developers are, in my experience anyway, more susceptable to oxidation than things like fixer - and stop bath is virtualy eternal...

Never use containers that have had other chemicals in them. Not only are you running the risk of contamination, you could cause an unwated chemical reaction, especialy with cleaning agents.

- Randy

 

[Flotsam]

Those laundry detergent bottles are great. Thick, Opaque plastic. The time that I tried using them, I rinsed and rinsed and never got the suds and smell completely out of them. Eventually I decide against using them.

 

[finny99]

Thanks guys, what about juice bottles ? Thinking of using a 1 litre one for my hypo clearing agent, maybe wrap double sided tape around it

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I'm using...get this...24 ounce Pepsi bottles to store D76 in for use 1:1. I need 10 ounces at a time...so I'm a little off, but it'll still work pretty good.

 

[finny99]

Do you use that with hypo clearing agent as well ? Wanna mix up some chemicals be ready when I get thermometer and photoflo, does the hypo stay better than developer?

 

[srs5694]

Conventional wisdom is that the best way to store chemicals is in glass bottles. If you must use plastic, consult this site. Summary: PET/#1 plastic, which is commonly used for soda bottles, is good for developers; HDPE/#2 plastic, which is commonly used for milk jugs, is not as good for developers but is good for stop baths and other acids. I mention soda and milk for identification purposes only; I wouldn't recommend re-using plastic bottles for storing critical chemistry. Given how difficult it is to get rid of odors, my hunch is that HPDE, in particular, absorbs chemicals and so is likely to contaminate whatever you next store in it. The collapsible bottles mentioned by reelis67 are generally made of HDPE and so may not be the best choice for storing developers.

For best storage, be sure your bottles are full. Some people use marbles to fill the volume as chemistry is poured out. I prefer storing chemistry in small bottles to begin with. (Some people, although not I, use bottles of precisely the size needed for developing a single roll of film, which guarantees they'll have no partly-filled bottles.) I've had good luck so far with glass bottles of various types. Snapple bottles are my mainstay; they hold just over 500ml, which I find to be a convenient volume for film chemistry. IBC root beer bottles hold just over 1l, which is good for longer-term storage of larger quantities and for storing print chemistry. I've got a few others in other sizes that work well, too.

 

[finny99]

Thanks a lot, might go glass for developer and the PET for other chems , thanks

 

[Wade D]

Just posted a reply in the Best Thermometer thread about bottles. Pharmacy glass works great.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

I picked up a six pack of bottled water (250ml) from the local distributor and decanted HC-110. Best thing about these containers is that they are crushable (without cracking) to minimize air.

jmk

 

[nihraguk]

I store my fixer in glass Perrier water bottles. Thankfully no one drinks such premium water in my household.

 

[finny99]

Ah, perrier bottles good idea with the green glass, think i will use those for fixer and hypo, then use something plastic for dev, thanks man

 

[Monophoto]

Recycling bottles is both economical and environmentally smart. But there are some practical considerations.

First, the bottles have to be clean. If the bottles cannot be completely cleaned, they are probably a bad choice. I have used drink, detergent and bleach bottles successfully. I have not used plastic bottles that originally contained motor oil (although they are attractive). Rinse them out, add some detergent and shake them thoroughly, rinse them several more times, and if necessary, fill them with water and let them sit for a few weeks while the water absorbs any residual of the original contents.

Second, be careful about bottles that originally containted drinkable contents - make sure that there is no way that a young child could mistakenly think that the photo chemical is really Coke. Remove all original labels, add new labels, and if you have small kids in the house, keep the darkroom door locked.

Third, plastic bottles are great, but some plastics can breathe, and developers will oxydize when exposed to air. That said, some liquid concentrate developers come in plastic bottles, and I would be more inclined to think that they can be reused to store developers than, say, household bleach bottles.

It's getting harder to find good glass bottles, and they do have a tendency to wear out suddenly if you drop them. Even so, a good brown glass quart bottle that originally contained beer is a great storage container - and amazingly easy to empty. Easy to clean also. Wine bottles are OK also screw tops are probably better than corked bottles. (And I understand that the wine industry is finally acknowleging that screw tops are better for wine also, but the market is slow to accept that conclusion.)

I've been using some half-gallon laundry detergent bottles to store partially used printing chemistry for some time. They have a large opening with a funnel-like spout that makes dumping trays of chemicals back into them quite easy.

Final though - closures. There are standard 28mm screw closures, and then there are specials. With a few exceptions (eg, the detergent bottles with large funnel-like openings) I try to stay away from specials simply because the closure is the first thing to go bad, and if you stay with standard closures, you can always throw the bad one away and replace it.

 

[pnance]

A good supplier of glass bottles and caps (they are sold separately) is located at www.essentialsupplies.com. Even if you find the right glass to store your developers in, be careful of the cap. No matter how good the cap, it is preferable to use a piece of saran wrap between the bottle and the cap. I cut a four inch square piece. It helps seal the opening and eliminates problems with air.

 

[Gerald Koch]

Unlike developer, fixer can be stored in plastic containers. These are usually found in more convenient sizes than glass containers.

 

[joeyk49]

I'm lucky to be married to a wonderful lady who's nursing career is taking her through a stint as a school nurse, right now. As such, she used to routinely get prescription bottles (brown #1 PETE) containing the usual kid medicines.

When the medicine is gone, she removes the label and I get the empty container. I wash the daylights out of it and rinse till I think the plastic will desolve and presto, recycled chem storage bottle.

I like using the pint bottles, as I usually develope two 35mm rolls at a time. Everything gets clearly labeled (don't use red marker, for obvious reasons...) including dilutions.

I have used soda/beverage bottles as well, mostly for the stop and fixer. I used to use a recycled 1 gal Arizona iced tea container for my batches of Dektol, until my wife reminded me that the dektol solution looked alot like the beverage it replaced.

 

[Dave Morrow]

I use wine bottles with a vacuum pump (like this one:http://tinyurl.com/pch82). If it keeps wine fresh for 2 weeks I reckon it'll work for my chemicals (no problems so far).

Mind you, I haven't poured the wife a glass of fixer yet...

 

[dancqu]

A good supplier of glass bottles and caps ...
is located at \www.essentialsupplies.com.

Good pointer. I loaded up on amber glass Boston Rounds
years ago and don't regret it. Although they are sized
in ounces they are actually those fractions of a liter.
At least as far as the 1oz which is a little more
than 1/32 of a liter.

Caps, as you say, are important. The cone lined Polyseal
caps are the ones to have. They are screw caps with
a PE cork insert. They are likely the surest seal
money can buy. I've A. Thio. concentrate
going on three years in 1/4 liter and
smaller bottles which shows no
sign of deterioration. Dan

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

I'd love to use some boston rounds with good caps. Unfortunately, I keep spending my money elsewhere I've been using 1 gallon juice jugs for print developer, stop bath and fixer. The kind with plastic loop handles. They last reasonably long in there (6 months, atleast with Ethol LPD, Kodak indicator stop and kodak fixer in a paper bag..) and are conveinent.

I use glass for film developers and toners..