Cheap Chemical Storage

[Anscojohn]

Not as cheap as freebies, but for large quantities I for years have used heavy duty one gallon plastic gas cans; taking out the pour spout then glueing the plastic gasket in the mouth with silicone cement. They store on the shelf nicely; are impervious to anything; and have conventient pour handles. For freebies I use one liter dark green bottles from a German mineral water I like. A replacement plastic screw top works fine.

[TA-Reiland]

...for large quantities I for years have used heavy duty one gallon plastic gas cans...

Wow, John - thanks for that! Sometime last year I had wondered if new plastic gasoline containers could be used to store photo chemicals. Can't remember now why I had decided against 'em.

It's probably not a good idea to try used gas cans for that purpose, though. There's probably no way to wash them out well enough. They're inexpensive - buy new ones.

TR

[BetterSense]

Personally, I am suspicious of plastic gasoline cans' permeability. I used to race motorcycles and the finicky motors would not start on gasoline if it had been stored in a plastic jug for more than 2 weeks or so...or in the plastic motorcycle gas tank, for that matter. You also had to drain the carburetor float bowl and let fresh gas in if they had been sitting more than a few days in any case. After realizing the jugs were letting my gas go "bad" (everything else ran fine), I switched to metal gas cans and never had any trouble again, even on gas stored over the winter.

Now, water-based photochemicals are a far shot from whatever volatile hydrocarbons were diffusing out of my plastic gasoline jugs back in the day, but it's enough that I wouldn't go and spend money on new gas jugs for the purpose. I figure you can do just as well for free, with so many PETE juice and pop bottles that are thrown away every day. I've looked at the Blitz plastic gas containers at Walmart (they are an attractive shape), and I can't find a recycling symbol anywhere on them, although they feel like HDPE to me.

I actually store film and paper developer stock solutions in empty wine boxen--the kind with a mylar bladder inside and a pour spout. They take up very little space, hold 5 liters, and don't let air in contact with the solution, even as you draw arbitrary doses. I can't speak to their keeping properties on any scientific grounds, but it has been working for me and you can't beat the convenience.

[fschifano]

Pop bottles are fine. For me, they work as well as glass. They cost nothing, and won't shatter into hundreds of tiny, sharp shards if you drop one. Clear or colored, that's your choice. I think the amber thing is overblown. Don't store your chemistry on a sunny window sill and you won't have a problem.

[pentaxuser]

If you'r a wine drinker or know people who are and 3 ltr wine boxes are available in the U.S then the dispenser in the silver winebag can be removed after the wine is finished and the silver bag flushed out and filled with chems. Squeeze the bag until the liquid is at the neck, replace the dispenser, put bag back into the box and you have a light proof, shatterproof and air proof container that can dispense liquid in very accurate and spill free quantities.

pentaxuser

[Anscojohn]

Wow, John - thanks for that! Sometime last year I had wondered if new plastic gasoline containers could be used to store photo chemicals. Can't remember now why I had decided against 'em.

It's probably not a good idea to try used gas cans for that purpose, though. There's probably no way to wash them out well enough. They're inexpensive - buy new ones.

TR

*******
Some are heavier than others. Mine are much heavier plastic than the gas can I bought at the hardware store last week. I have stored film and paper developer in the same gallon-size cans for going on twenty years now. Greatest discovery I ever made. I retired my sole, remaining brown, gallon-size dark glass photo chemical darkroom bottle to the corner of the darkroom. I broke all the others over the years and want to preserve at least one. I have gallon plastic photo chemical bottles, too; but the gasoline jugs have handles.
Of problems with chemicals: since I store nothing in them more volatile than D23, Ansco 103, and Eastman F-24 fixer, and AC water, I don't have that problem. I certainly believe they are at least as well-suited for darkroom chemistry storage as the empty Dr. Pepper bottle.
And, besides, the red color looks kinda purty, too.

[naeroscatu]

For film solutions I re-use 1 and 2 liter brown bottles of wine. I feel better using glass than plastic for chemical storage. Dark is always better than clear for developer solutions. Yes, I drink the wine, wipe out the wine label and replace it with a new one reading developer type and date.
Oh, for smaller quantities of developer I drink the beer and re-use the Grolsh 330 ml bottles because the cap is tied up to the bottle and has a good rubber gasket. At the end of the day I'm a happy camper even if my photography goes blur...

[BobNewYork]

When we go to our local brew pub we buy Growlers of our favorite beer from them and when its empty(which doesnt take too long) I wash them out and use them for chemicals. They are dark brown bottles that hold about a gallon of chemicals.

As my son now lives in RI, I need to get up there to put together a generous supply of empty Growlers.

Bob H

[pesphoto]

As my son now lives in RI, I need to get up there to put together a generous supply of empty Growlers.

Bob H

For sure... I get mine at TRinity Brewhouse, downtown Providence. The Best burgers,brews and growler bottles!
http://trinitybrewhouse.com/ontap.php

[BobNewYork]

For sure... I get mine at TRinity Brewhouse, downtown Providence. The Best burgers,brews and growler bottles!
http://trinitybrewhouse.com/ontap.php

Yup - got to arrange "Operation Growler" soon. Thanks!!

Bob H