Teeny, tiny graduated cylinder

[C. D. Keth]

I found this at a flea market today and just thought it was really cool. I've never seen one this small. I also bought one that's 25mL that should be a super useful size.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/486237_10100319292063185_1819166325_n.jpg

[Shootar401]

Is that glass?

I have a few, although not that small. They come in handy when you mix your own chemicals from scratch.

[C. D. Keth]

Is that glass?

I have a few, although not that small. They come in handy when you mix your own chemicals from scratch.

Yeah, pyrex. It's so skinny a bic pen won't quite fit inside.

[Vaughn]

I need to measure out acetone regularly (9 to 18 mls at a time). A bit of a disaster using a plastic graduated cyclinder the first time. Got the acetone out before it actually started to deform. And acetone dissolved away the painted graduations (and numbers) on the outside of my glass pipette (25ml).

But glass is very nice! I have a couple glass ones that narrow size -- no pretty red paint, though!

[Roger Thoms]

I have a 10ml and a 25ml, they come in handy. Looks like a good flea market find. Mine were given to me by a chemist friend.

Roger

[Bill McMannis]

Cool and Made in USA!

[ic-racer]

10ml is a little small for a graduate and large for a pipette. I use a 10ml glass pipette in that range, but having a graduate also would be nice.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/ic-racer/Measuringrodinal2.jpg

[Doremus Scudder]

Of course, you can always use a syringe for measuring small amounts (not to take away from the coolness of the antique graduated cylinder...). I have both plastic and glass in a number of sizes and find them indispensable for measuring small quantities of liquid chemicals.


Best,

Doremus

[welly]

10ml is a little small for a graduate and large for a pipette. I use a 10ml glass pipette in that range, but having a graduate also would be nice.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/ic-racer/Measuringrodinal2.jpg

What is that device you have? It looks like a Jobo of some description but I can't see where the tank would sit?

[evan clarke]

Geez, I weigh all these small amounts and also developer and water when mixing working developer..

[Arne Croell]

I need to measure out acetone regularly (9 to 18 mls at a time). A bit of a disaster using a plastic graduated cyclinder the first time. Got the acetone out before it actually started to deform. And acetone dissolved away the painted graduations (and numbers) on the outside of my glass pipette (25ml).

But glass is very nice! I have a couple glass ones that narrow size -- no pretty red paint, though!
It depends on the plastic whether acetone works or not. For example, PE and PP beakers and graduates are ok with acetone, PMMA is not. On this web site you can check chemical compatibilities: http://www.nalgenunc.com/techdata/chemical/index.asp

[Tony Lakin]

83421:p

[Vaughn]

It depends on the plastic whether acetone works or not. For example, PE and PP beakers and graduates are ok with acetone, PMMA is not. On this web site you can check chemical compatibilities: http://www.nalgenunc.com/techdata/chemical/index.asp

Plastic 35mm film cans are fine, too...and very handy!

[ic-racer]

What is that device you have? It looks like a Jobo of some description but I can't see where the tank would sit?
That is the Jobo tempering box.

[Arne Croell]

Plastic 35mm film cans are fine, too...and very handy!
Yes, they are usually made from high density polyethylene, HDPE, no problem witch acetone. Giving away my age, I even have some old Agfa ones made from aluminum, with a screw top...

[photobymike]

I use pipettes i have a bunch with a pipets and pumps i am selling in the buy sell part of LF .. pipets are so much better for measuring developers. Much better than even syringes. A grad cylinder is ok but for small amounts to measure pipets are best.

[sully75]

yeah I think a syringe might be superior for that, and pretty easy to find.

[evan clarke]

An accurate .01 g gram scales is better..Try a dozen "measurements" vs a scales and then reevaluate the fancy measuring methods. See how accurate pipettes and graduates really are...

[photobymike]

An accurate .01 g gram scales is better..Try a dozen "measurements" vs a scales and then reevaluate the fancy measuring methods. See how accurate pipettes and graduates really are...

scales are accurate for water..... at sea level and 20 degrees cel water roughly weighs 1 gram / 1 ml. (pure water with no disolved solids) I use scales all the time to measure out water for developer.... but it is not really praticale for under 10ml. Cheap scales ...like under 200 hundred dollars are not accurate at the low end.... i guess you could use a jewelry scale....but i have tested and found a good pipette is the most accurate and repeatable....

[C. D. Keth]

and you just happen to sell them in the classifieds...

[Vaughn]

Just get me pretty close and repeatable...

[ic-racer]

An accurate .01 g gram scales is better..Try a dozen "measurements" vs a scales and then reevaluate the fancy measuring methods. See how accurate pipettes and graduates really are...

What is the specific gravity of concentrated Rodinal?

[photobymike]

and you just happen to sell them in the classifieds...

no .....Christopher D. i do not sell scales. i should consider selling, its a good idea....but figured that everybody in the darkroom uses them. I was surprised that more "photo darkroom enthusiast" do not use pipettes for measuring. It has made my work much easier with more consistent results; especially with Pyrocat HD. I use appox 400ml dev mix and i use only 4 ml of each concentrate. I tried using a syringe but the needle attached i needed to reach into the bottle held an unknown quantity of concentrate.

Christopher D. Keth send me (paypal) 6 bucks for shipping and i will give and send you a free 10ml glass pipette ... i will do that for anybody who wants one ... You will see that if you use Pyrocat or even HC110 kodak developer how handy it is.... You will need a bulb or syringe or a pump of some kind to use the pipette.... a freind of mine uses a big syringe with a plastic pipe attached to measure....

and back to the point.... a tiny graduated cylinder works fine in the darkroom i have several .... but a pipette used properly will work better. I not a dealer or even a reseller... i had to order a large quantity so i have many left over.

[Cor]

I agree that pipettes are the best for things like PyrocatHD (I actually use plastic ones, rinse them with distilled water after use, and label them, so I always use the same pipette for the same solution). But lately I am using Mytol as well. Mytol is a Xtol clone in a lot of glycol, it's so viscous at room temperature that a pipette almost does not work, and too much fluid sticks/stays behind in the pipette, so I revert to small graduates here and rinse them thoroughly with the water I need for dilution anyway.

Best,

Cor

[evan clarke]

What is the specific gravity of concentrated Rodinal?

1.383 @ 68 deg.

[ic-racer]

1.383 @ 68 deg.

I thought you might respond by asking if it were African or European Rodinal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS8Mg-JWSg

[lenser]

Found amid all the other antique darkroom stuff when I bought my studio in the mid 70's. This one is 3.25 inches tall and is marked for both 1 ounce and for 60ml if I read the ancient engraving correctly. There was a 500mm one to match, but it took a bad fall to a concrete floor.

[C. D. Keth]

Found amid all the other antique darkroom stuff when I bought my studio in the mid 70's. This one is 3.25 inches tall and is marked for both 1 ounce and for 60ml if I read the ancient engraving correctly. There was a 500mm one to match, but it took a bad fall to a concrete floor.

That's an attractive little vessel. With that shape you think it's hand blown?

[Roger Cole]

I have a couple of plastic (don't recall the type now, it's probably marked on them) 10ml graduated cylinders that came with chemistry sets when I was a kid. Today the liability lawyers would positively have cows over the stuff we used to get in those.

[lenser]

I'm not at all sure, Christopher, although it is certainly hand engraved. I suspect that this was actually made for an apothecary and migrated in to
a darkroom at some point in it's career. I'm just quite glad to display it with some of the collection of other photo odds and ends.

[Ari]

That's what I use for doling out HC-110, dilution H.

[Michael Cienfuegos]

For Hc-110 I use a 60 mL syringe with a catheter tip. These are used for enteral feeding, work quite well, but don't fit in smaller containers, just barely fit through the neck of the HC-110 bottle. The glass pipets and pumps are great for small volumes of solutions such as Rodinal.

[Leigh]

...it's so viscous at room temperature that a pipette almost does not work, and too much fluid sticks/stays behind in the pipette...
The solution to that is to fill/empty the pipette with distilled water, as many cycles as required to clear it properly.
Then use that water as part of the final mix.

- Leigh

[Cletus]

I know that many people use improvised measuring gear and inexpensive plastic labware, which I'm sure works fine for them. Me? Quality glass labware, graduates, beakers, syringes, etc., are still quite cheap and I believe equate to better darkroom practices, period. Calibrated pipettes vs plastic film cans and the like makes no sense to me. Especially when spending significant dollars on film (not even touching the expense for cameras, travel and other expense to expose it), quality chemistry and even a darkroom and then skimp out on your general processing practices?

Why use improvised, plastic measuring devices of questionable accuracy and repeatability (not to mention less durable and difficult to clean) when quality, accurate borosilicate glass stuff is so abundant and inexpensive?

To each their own and I'm sure there are 25+ year practicing photographers who use home made gear to much better effect than I do. I just don't see the point.

[photobymike]

Well said Cletus .... I know photographers that spend thousands on a lens and skimp when it comes to a 8 dollar filter for the front...."penny wise pound foolish" A really great photographer (jungle Joe Fillingham) taught me that being consistant in darkroom technique is the most important. I personally dont see how you really can be consistant on the cheap...... The first chemistry class i had in college was not about chemistry ...it was about how to measure... the most important lesson i have learned about how to be a darkroom tech.

By the way tip of the day..... 1 gram of water is equal to 1 ml close enough to use your postal scale to measure your water for your developer

[Roger Cole]

Well now, all my measuring equipment except for a few glass pippettes is plastic. But it's accurate, or at least more than accurate enough for darkroom work, and doesn't break when (not if) I drop it on occasion. I'm with you on the "why use a film can or teaspoon when measuring equipment is so cheap" but I don't see that glass is necessary.

[photobymike]

Roger ..you have a point if it is a good quality plastic. Obviously using glass has it problems, but it does last longer. I develop sometimes one hundred rolls/sheets a week. I have several clients that demand the best and more importantly consistant results from one week to the next. I really dont like the fact that glass breaks when dropped DUH..... but i cant afford to use disposable plastic .... although i am considering using plastic pipettes, only because they are manufactured to high standards for lab use. I use disposable beakers to hold chemicals for for film processing, not to measure. A good scale does a better job on water.... I guess i am a film darkroom nerd...."I take pictures so i can have some film to develop" Doing it in the most precise way is what i do..... After 47 years thats what i enjoy the most.... i have several 10ml grad cylinders but my friends and i drink shots of Tequila or Crown Royal from them.

[cyrus]

A large-ish syringe is also quite useful for measuring and dispensing liquids as long as they're not too viscous.

[Cletus]

Roger - I wasn't knocking you if you took it that way. I guess I didn't so much mean plastic vs glass as improvised vs "the correct tool for the job". I agree, glass does break and I actually do have quite a few plastic beakers, pitchers, etc.. I use glass graduates and pyrex stuff for critical measuring and for heating on hotplates and such. Someone said something in this thread about using acetone in a plastic grad (didn't work too well!) and someone else using film canisters for measuring. I guess that's what I was getting at. Frankly, a film canister is probably fine too, as long as your using it consistently for whatever you're doing. I think I might have sounded a bit critical of others' practices in my last remarks - I was only trying to make the distinction between using the right tools and inaccurate improvised methods.

And yes, I know that 0.0001 precision is not necessary in the darkroom. Hell, usually 1.0 is good enough for most things! :)

[Roger Cole]

Well yeah - I don't have plastic because I made a conscious decision to go with plastic so much as plastic because I bought from photo places and that's what they had! And I'm not heating anything, not above 100-110F anyway, so that's not a concern, nor have I worked with anything yet in photography that dissolves plastic. If I wanted to do so, I'd certainly get glass. My photo chemistry is pretty much limited to mixing purchased pre-formulated powders and liquids. I do have a jar of sulphite and a jar of ferricyanide though. ;)

[Cor]

The solution to that is to fill/empty the pipette with distilled water, as many cycles as required to clear it properly.
Then use that water as part of the final mix.

- Leigh

Leigh,

That is exactly what I do (I am a molecular/biochemistry researcher by trade..:)..). I used to use the red pipetting balloon I think IC racer posted, but last week I obtained an old surplus electric pipette manifold (http://www.montreal-biotech.com/Products/?link=Midi+Plus+Pipetting+Controller) (much less fancy as the link, but it works), makes pipetting up and down fluid so much easier than the balloon..

Best,

Cor

[evan clarke]

While everybody else is doing all this measuring, I will have weighed, mixed and started developing with a perfect ratio.:)