Alan Shapiro
12-Jan-2001, 00:51
I have come across a product in a well know woodworking and tool store in Toront o (Lee Valley Tools) that could prove useful in the darkroom. It is an aerosol c an containing a blend of nitrogen, argon and carbon dioxide - two of which gases are heavier than air. It is sold as a finish preserver - you shoot a quick blas t into, say, an opened shellac container and then quickly cap the container. Th e gases displace the oxygen with inert gases and prevent oxidation. Apparently i t is based on (or is the same as) sprays used to keep wine fresh in opened bottl es.
So why could it not be used to slow down oxidation of developers and fixers? Is anyone out there already using something like it? It would certainly be more con venient than decanting liquids into smaller containers or adding marbles to elim inate air space.
Cost wise, the price is $13 CDN which is about $8.66US and the description says it will seal about 37 gallon sized containers or 75 quart sized containers and w ill provide over 150 seconds of discharge.
The answer to chemical longevity?
So why could it not be used to slow down oxidation of developers and fixers? Is anyone out there already using something like it? It would certainly be more con venient than decanting liquids into smaller containers or adding marbles to elim inate air space.
Cost wise, the price is $13 CDN which is about $8.66US and the description says it will seal about 37 gallon sized containers or 75 quart sized containers and w ill provide over 150 seconds of discharge.
The answer to chemical longevity?