Where to buy bags of cheap marbles for chemical bottles?

[rustyair]

I was looking for bags of cheap marbles for c-41 chemical bottles to take out all the air and found these on ebay and amazon.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-5-8-INCH-MARBLE-KING-RAINBOW-MARBLES-IN-ORIGINAL-50-PK-BAG-/160919710532?pt=Marbles&hash=item25778feb44

http://www.amazon.com/Panacea-Cobalt-Blue-Marbles-Count/dp/B000UJC8JC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1353803078&sr=8-7&keywords=marbles

Is this safe to put in the chemical bottles?

Thanks!

[John Kasaian]

Glass marbles? Probably so. Check out the local Dollar Store or clone.

[lenser]

Hobby and art shops have them by the bag for a very low price. Multi colored if you care.

[Peter Lewin]

I've wondered about using the vacuum pump and rubber stoppers they sell for wine bottles, instead of the marbles approach. Has anyone tried this approach? Since I switched to PMK years ago (a one time developer that keeps forever as stock solution) I haven't had the need to try it.

[photobymike]

I have used dry ice to purge air from my chemicals. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air so when it stops bubbling seal it up with most of the gas still in the container. Just a half inch square works.... the real problem is where to buy.... in my neighborhood... my local grocery store sells it... cost only a couple of bucks .... but it really preserves the developer. of course marbles are cheaper ..... My wife and use it to perserve beans and rice...ect... yea my wife and i are also "Preppers" For marbles try the Dollar Store or even Walmart has marbles

[C. D. Keth]

Check aquarium supply places, too. Some people put those in their fish aquariums instead of pebbles.

[sully75]

I bought these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040B1RBQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01

[Bob Salomon]

http://www.moonmarble.com/p-322-fancy-mix-58.aspx

[frotog]

Another option is hollow plastic (ptfe) balls in the 8-12mm range. Minilab supply used to carry these. I can't find them on their current site but there are other venues.

[rustyair]

Where to buy cheap anything: Walmart.

Stupid question.

This guy is everywhere saying rude things. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Oh......Detroit. Now makes sense. I feel bad for you.

[C. D. Keth]

This guy is everywhere saying rude things. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Oh......Detroit. Now makes sense. I feel bad for you.

Come now, there are lovely, polite people in Detroit, too.

[photobymike]

Thanks Kirk.... This is actually a good question. Sometimes there is a complicated and sometimes a deeper answer to a simple question. A better question would have been; How can i keep my valuable chemicals from oxidizing? Or is there something i can use to put in my chemical storage container to get the air out? This type of question has been around photographers since they noticed their developer was going bad after awhile. After 45 years i have tried it all. My perfect answer would be use a developer system that you only mix what you need. Or use your D76 within 2 or 3 weeks after you mix it... which reminds me i have a buch of chemicals i have to dump. Which begs another question: Safe disposal of photo chemicals; sewer, septic tank, pour on the ground, or call fire department hazmat PHMSA ....... well maybe another thread

[rustyair]

Come now, there are lovely, polite people in Detroit, too.

I know but definitely not this guy. Added to Ignore List.

[photobymike]

Everybody has left Detroit ...but they forgot to turn out the lights..... i really dont take anything serious here.... my mother always told me "sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you"

[Bruce Watson]

Vacuvin (http://www.vacuvin.com/270/Vacuum_Wine_Saver.html). Just sayin'.

[j.e.simmons]

I've tried most everything over 45-years, too. I've come to the conclusion that keeping chemicals in glass bottles rather than plastic does more good than anything else. If you think about it, the surface of the chemicals inside the bottle, and the air inside the bottle, is far less than the surface area of the outside of the bottle. I think the chemicals absorb more oxygen through the sides of a plastic bottle than they do from the exposed surface inside a glass bottle. But I'm not a chemist and don't know how to test this theory.
juan

[Ian Gordon Bilson]

Using Carbon Dioxide is a really BAD idea.You will get a reaction that will acidify your chemistry.
Butane gas would be my go-to choice.

[photobymike]

Using Carbon Dioxide is a really BAD idea.You will get a reaction that will acidify your chemistry.
Butane gas would be my go-to choice.

Better not smoke in your darkroom....LOL LOL