How to clean Chemical Flasks

kjevans

kjevans

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Hi,
I have just bought a job lot of second hand film developing equipment and among it all are a number of chemical storage flasks, (the collapsible type), obviously they have been used in the past but I would like to continue using them.

The one that was used for developer has a dark brown residue inside it and the one that was used for fix has what looks like very fine metal filings inside.

I have tried rinsing with both hot and cold water but I guess a lot of the muck is stuck within the folds of the bottle.

Is there anything I can use that gets rid of all the old chemical before I reuse them or does it not really matter as I will be using the exact same chemicals as have been used in them before?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards

Kirk :help:
 
Cor, never thought I'd have to dredge up these old memories ... :LOL:

If you've got "bits", then that can be worrying as they can cause blemishes on the film during development (that is, prevent contact of the chemical developer to the film surface or even scratches) Most of the dark staining is likely to be permanent (silver stain) so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Personally I'd continue rinsing (better still, leave a running tap in to keep flushing out for half hour or more) but if it is still a concern, I wonder if a dilute acidic soak (like very dilute hydrochloric acid) might be worth considering, followed by lots of rinsing afterwards?

The other thing might be water quality - if you have "hard" water in your area, then this can leave water marks on film and containers, so perhaps do a final rinse with distilled or deionised water (sorry if you are already aware of this ... but after fixing and rinsing the developed film, do a final rinse with the distilled/deionised water for the same reason)

Hope it works out okay (y)
 
You could always try denture cleaning tablets - their fizzing action quite often removes difficult residues. Might be worth soaking them for a while beforehand. Also warm water helps the tablets fizz more vigorously.

Worth a try !

Make sure you rinse well after using them.
 
paintedlady said:
Cor, never thought I'd have to dredge up these old memories ... :LOL:

If you've got "bits", then that can be worrying as they can cause blemishes on the film during development (that is, prevent contact of the chemical developer to the film surface or even scratches) Most of the dark staining is likely to be permanent (silver stain) so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Personally I'd continue rinsing (better still, leave a running tap in to keep flushing out for half hour or more) but if it is still a concern, I wonder if a dilute acidic soak (like very dilute hydrochloric acid) might be worth considering, followed by lots of rinsing afterwards?

The other thing might be water quality - if you have "hard" water in your area, then this can leave water marks on film and containers, so perhaps do a final rinse with distilled or deionised water (sorry if you are already aware of this ... but after fixing and rinsing the developed film, do a final rinse with the distilled/deionised water for the same reason)

Hope it works out okay (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks P/L, I will try out your suggestions. :wave:

bigbigblue said:
You could always try denture cleaning tablets - their fizzing action quite often removes difficult residues. Might be worth soaking them for a while beforehand. Also warm water helps the tablets fizz more vigorously.

Worth a try !

Make sure you rinse well after using them.
Click to expand...

Thanks BigBlue, denture cleaner does sound like a possiblity. (y)

bigbigblue said:
But NOT if you are on a water meter - ouch!
Click to expand...

Yep! I am one of the unlucky ones that are on a meter. :sulk:

Cheers

Kirk
 
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