How to store chemicals

piedy gonzales · Feb 24, 2015

Hello hello ,

my first post!

I've build a dark room last week.
I left the chemicals in the basins during weekend.
Is that a good or bad idea?
And now i tried printing but the results are pretty GREY.
I can't get clear black or clear white.
Is my developer worn out?

Cheers,

Pieter

vintagesnaps · Feb 24, 2015

Probably, sounds like you'll need to rinse the trays and make a fresh batch. You can only do so many prints before you won't be able to get a good quality print anymore.

From now on I'd suggest you rinse the trays and tongs after use and don't leave the chemistry sitting, the vapors to me seem to get strong. (I've used a shared darkroom where a couple of times I walked in and the chemistry had been left out in trays and the odor was really strong.)

photoguy99 · Feb 24, 2015

Don't do that. Get good quality photo chemical bottles, and store chemistry in them.

Your developer and/or fixer may also be worn out. The packages should have some information about the capacity of the chemicals, which you can use as a rough guideline to start with. Get some hypo check to monitor your fixer solution anyways, and be conservative.

Any time you start to get strange looking results, mix up new chemistry. That's the first step. For all you know the cat got in and peed in all the basins, and there's no point in even trying to work out if the developer is spent but the fixer is OK etc. Just toss is, remix, and see if the problems go away.

480sparky · Feb 24, 2015

Your developer has gone bad. Whenever you're not in the darkroom printing, put it in an air-tight container.

I recall Ilford saying right in the instructions that the developer I use has a 24-hour open-tray life.

vintagesnaps · Feb 24, 2015

I meant this batch sounds like it's done. I agree with Sparky, if you want to store what's left that you didn't use, do so in appropriate containers made to hold photo chemistry. Then rinse your trays and tongs.

480sparky · Feb 24, 2015

There are corrugated containers (think of a bellows or accordian) that are used to store chemicals that can vary how much liquid they can contain. They are based on the principle that you have as little air in them as possible. Supposedly they will keep your chemicals usable longer. But I don't have any experience using them. I just use hard-sided containers and keep them fairly full from the get-go.

Designer · Feb 24, 2015

piedy gonzales said:
I left the chemicals in the basins during weekend.
Is that a good or bad idea?

Keep air away from your chemicals as much as possible.
Use fresh chemicals at the proper strength.
Count the number of rolls or prints going through each batch.
Do not mix used chemicals with your new chemicals.
After the recommended number of rolls or sheets, discard the batch.
Never contaminate your developer with your fixer or anything else. (Don't use the same tongs or fingers without first rinsing them very thoroughly.)
Don't handle fresh film or paper with any chemicals on your hands.
Mark each container legibly with the name, date, and number of rolls used.
Before pouring in fresh chemicals, rinse each container and cap thoroughly.
Change the labels right away so you don't forget.
Always use the same trays for the same chemicals, even though you will rinse them after each session.
Mark them too.
Keep paper away from your developer, including the vapors.
Learn how to keep each pair of tongs away from the wrong trays.
Develop good work habits to keep everything clean and well separated.
Keep notes about the temperature of the chemicals and your room.