Glass beads and my developer...

[Darius Scott]

The preface:
I am using a Morse tank/hanger negative developing system that holds ~7 liters of chemical in each tank. I generally batch process a large number of negatives with D-76 at 1:1 and pitch the developer/fixer after I am through in order to work with consistent, fresh chemicals. I will be shooting a little differently in the coming weeks and would like to process smaller batches of negatives. This has led me to store my chemicals and re-use them. I have some cast-off amber glass 1 gallon jugs from work that I will be using. They seal nicely, but one of the jugs will only be half full (or is it half empty?). I have heard that one could use glass beads (those little dime sized decorative glass balls used at weddings, etc.) to fill up the volume to eliminate the air in the container.

The question:
It seems the only glass beads I can find have a glimmering coating on them. Does anyone know if that will react with the developer (D-76 at 1:1) or fixer (Kodak rapid fixer)? I really strive for consistency and don't like tossing monkey wrenches into my system.

Thank you in advance for any imput into this issue.

Kind regards,

-Darius

[Pat Kearns]

I would recommend your developer as a 1 shot use then dispose rather than reusing it. That way you will have consistent results. The fixer can be reused until it is saturated with silver. The mixing instructions will give the amount of film that can be safely fixed with it. You can use a coffee filter and funnel to filter the fixer if you are concerned about any matter that gets in the solution. You can use a couple of drops of Hypo Check to test your fixer. I don't know if the sheen on the glass beads is an exterior polish or if it is baked in and glass is buffed to a high luster. I'm sure someone else will chime in with the answer.

[sanking]

The preface:
I am using a Morse tank/hanger negative developing system that holds ~7 liters of chemical in each tank. I generally batch process a large number of negatives with D-76 at 1:1 and pitch the developer/fixer after I am through in order to work with consistent, fresh chemicals. I will be shooting a little differently in the coming weeks and would like to process smaller batches of negatives. This has led me to store my chemicals and re-use them. I have some cast-off amber glass 1 gallon jugs from work that I will be using. They seal nicely, but one of the jugs will only be half full (or is it half empty?). I have heard that one could use glass beads (those little dime sized decorative glass balls used at weddings, etc.) to fill up the volume to eliminate the air in the container.

The question:
It seems the only glass beads I can find have a glimmering coating on them. Does anyone know if that will react with the developer (D-76 at 1:1) or fixer (Kodak rapid fixer)? I really strive for consistency and don't like tossing monkey wrenches into my system.

Thank you in advance for any imput into this issue.

Kind regards,

-Darius

You could use marbles also. However, you might find it more convenient to store the developer in wine bottles and remove the air with a wine pump. http://www.nextag.com/wine-pump-vacuum/search-html

I find this a lot less messy than fooling around with marbles and beads.

Sandy King

[Robert Hughes]

Skip the glass beads. I hear diamonds work much better...

[Jack Dahlgren]

Skip the glass beads. I hear diamonds work much better...

I tried them, but the diamonds scratched my negatives. I've moved on to marine brass balls. They don't corrode or scratch.

[Nathan Smith]

I tried them, but the diamonds scratched my negatives. I've moved on to marine brass balls. They don't corrode or scratch.

What do the Marines think about that? I guess the grunts don't care, but the brass probably have a more vested interest.

[Jack Dahlgren]

What do the Marines think about that? I guess the grunts don't care, but the brass probably have a more vested interest.

I don't think the balls should be kept in a vest.

[Andre Noble]

Forget the glass beads and marbles. Leaves a huge surface area for increased oxidation/contamination. Also pain to clean.

I used 3 year old stock D-76 (stored at room temperature and higher) in a 1 Liter Glass, Grolsch top beer bottle. The developer worked fine. I used Saran Wrap to help perfectly seal the top by stretching it over the mouth of the bottle before closing down on the Grolsch flipper top.

[Nathan Smith]

Forget the glass beads and marbles. Leaves a huge surface area for increased oxidation/contamination. Also pain to clean.

I used 3 year old stock D-76 (stored at room temperature and higher) in a 1 Liter Glass, Grolsch top beer bottle. The developer worked fine. I used Saran Wrap to help perfectly seal the top by stretching it over the mouth of the bottle before closing down on the Grolsch flipper top.

I use a Grolsch-type bottle too (brown, from a brewer's supply store), but as you get half-way down the bottle you do run into the increased amount of oxygen and surface area in the bottle. That's where the marbles would come into play, by adding the marbles it pushes the developer up to the top of the bottle - very little air, very small surface area. I haven't done this yet, but I think it would be a good idea. I haven't needed the Saran Wrap though.

Of course, if I just shot more film I wouldn't need to worry about such things as much.

Nathan

[Darius Scott]

Thank you all very much for your insight, both academic and humorous.

Now, where to acquire all the diamonds I am going to need...