Brass and darkroom chemicals.. any problem?

[James Phillips]

I was wondering if anybody knows whether brass will react with darkroom chemical s. I have just located and bought these wonderfully cheap funnels that have a ti ny brass filter in them that I would prefer to leave intact. I am now concerned that perhaps developers (both color or B&W), fixers (bleach/fix), or even Pyro t ype developers might be affected by being passed through the tiny brass screen. Does anybody know for sure?

Thanks in advance for any light you may be able to shed on the subject.

[Conrad Hoffman]

There are a bunch of different types of brass- leaded, unleaded, yellow, naval, etc. Brass is ok for water, but I'd avoid contact with developers or fixers. A brief pass through the filter might not do anything, but it's another variable you don't need.

[Julio Fernandez]

James: pretty is not always wise. Leave the cuties on a shelf in the living room and use polyethylene or stainless steel on the darkroom. That brass stuff does not belong there. Copper (in brass) is hardly the thing you want near most of the chemicals handled in darkrooms. It is prone to cause discoloration and play havoc with some of the metal complexing agents that are part of some of the darkroom chemicals. Also, copper is an oxidation catalyst and not good stuff on hard rubber developing tanks. Good luck James.

[James Phillips]

Thanks for the information. I might have misled Julio when I said the funnels were wonderful. They are just the right size and very functional but definitely not pretty. The funnels are constructed of a plastic and it was just the brass filter I was concerned about. I like the idea of the filter catching bits of ingredients that never seem to dissolve properly, but I can live with out that if necessary.

Thanks again.

[dan nguyen]

A suggestion.... use plastic funnel with a paper cone filter that the car painters use... one can find it at the paint store for cars...very cheap...