Which graduated cylinders for a beginner?

[sterioma]

Hi,

I am in the process of setting up a small darkroom (in my bathroom), to develop BW negatives (no printing - yet?).

As of today I only shoot 35mm.

I have a question about graduated cylinders. How many do I need and how big?
I was thinking about 50cc + 300cc as suggested by Ilford tutorial from the web site.

What do you guys use?

 

[John Koehrer]

I use anything from 50cc to 1000cc. Bigger is better for thorough mixing but it really depends on your usage. Smaller is good for more accurate dilutions of chem like Rodinal, big is for mixing up stock solutions of Hypo etc. You can always start w/ilford recommendations & add as you go on.

 

[titrisol]

I use a 500ml
For measuring Rodinal and other small quantities I use syringes ($1 or less from drugstore) which are more accurate

 

[Loose Gravel]

I use a 10cc and a 50cc. Everything else is measured in pyrex measuring cups.

 

[rjr]

I use a ball pipette for measuring Rodinal - it has a 10ml scale with 0,1ml incriments and is much better to use than a syringe.

More exact, I can put it deeper in the bottle and I can clean it MUCH better. And those things arent much more expensive than a single-use syringe.

For the rest - glas graduated cylinders, 10ml, 25ml, 100ml and a cup for the full liter.

I usually use either Rodinal (5-10ml) or A49 (50ml), but sometimes E6 is in the game, too... and for one-shot use I only need 150ml in the Jobo, which makes up for very small amounts of concentrates.

 

[Jon King]

I use a 10ml, for Rodinal and alt processes, a 50ml that doesn't get much use since I got the 10ml, and a 250ml, used mostly for diluting liquid concentrates. Measuring cups work fine for most other things (4c/1qt/1l), and they have the advantage of doubling as beakers to mix dry chemicals. Even better, they are cheap! (I picked several up at a dollar store).

 

[rogueish]

What ever is cheap and easy to read. Be carefull of red ink printing on the sides of what ever you decide to use. It tends to flake off and unless the markings are raised, it makes impossible to read.
I have a 50ml, a 650ml, and 2 - 1000ml plastic beakers with raised measurements in both standard and metric on the sides.

 

[Adrian Twiss]

Personally I have about 5 1 litre graduates, a couple of 600ml 3 2 litre jugs 2 25ml and 2 50ml and a big 3 litre for mixing bulk chemicals. I also bought a couple of 5 cc medicine syringes for using with Dixactol. They have rubber bungs in the end that fit into the bottle.

 

[Joe Symchyshyn]

As noted above, the closer you can get to the size you require, the more likely you are to get acurate results...

One thing not discussed is LARGE quantities...

I have a 1 gallon jug that I remarked very accurately with a scratch into the side and marker embedded into it. I found it in the automotive section or a local hardware store and has a 2 part lid that opens up to avoid splashing... I think it's for mixing antifreeze or something like that. I use it for Dektol, Hypo clear etc... Anything that needs to be made up to 1 Gallon quantities.

Hope that helps,

joe

 

[Nige]

a std bucket is useful also for mixing 3-5litres of whatever (Dektol, D76, XTOL, etc). I use mine to hold all the other bits'n'pieces for film developing (tank, measuring jugs, etc)

 

[sterioma]

A lot of replies and opinions, I couldn't ask for more... thank you guys!

It looks like that those 50cc and 300cc size are appropriate. If I should make chemicals from stock, then I might need something bigger.

 

[Monophoto]

It's convenient to have a selection of "graduates" to work with ranging from fairly large to fairly small, but you can also spend a lot of money buying them. Some suggestions:

1. I have a couple of 1 liter (1 quart) graduates. One is a pyrex measuring cup , while the other is polyethelene and came with the collection of formula bottles that we bought when our first son was born. He's 27 now so we don't need it for that purpose anymore.

2. I also have several 4 ounce plastic graduates. These originated as drinking glasses dispensed during the hospital stay when that same son was born.

3. I have a bunch of one ounce graduates - used originally as pill dispensers during the same hospital stay.

(Hey - they hospital treats this stuff as one-short, throw away.)

4. Over the years I have also purchased a couple of 2 zounce glass graduates at garage sales. These were originally intended for scientific mixing of cocktails. Is that an oxymoron, or what?

5. Finally, I have a really neat 6 ounce glass graduate that I bought at the famous Marine Specialties (Army-Navy) store in Provincetown, MA. It was originally a military grade urine collection container.

 

[Monophoto]

I forgot - - -

I also have a syringe that I use for micromeasurement. Here in NY you require a prescription to purchase medical syringes, but you can buy syringes that work very well for photographic purposes at computer fairs. They are intended tor refilling cartridges for ink-jet printers.

 

[ThomHarrop]

I like to use Pyrex or Kimax brand Ehrlenmeyer flasks for mixing and storage. You can get them at a science supply. If you don't get the heat resistant grade of glass they are not that expensive. The nice thing about them is that you can mix chemisty without sloshing it all over and they contain chemical powders better than open containers. I have them in 250ml, 500 and 1 liter.