Silver recovery

*photolady* · 06-28-2009, 02:30 PM

Is this needed for the home user who only will probably develop less than 10 rolls b/w per month?

*Wheatfield* · 06-28-2009, 03:33 PM

No.

more characters.

*photolady* · 06-28-2009, 04:08 PM

Thanks Wheatfield. I didn't think it was but had to check for sure.

Now I can go order the stuff I need.

*graphicgr8s* · 06-28-2009, 06:50 PM

But don't throw it down the toilet either.

*Wheatfield* · 06-28-2009, 11:18 PM

More on this, if you have a lab in your area that you are on good terms with, you could ask if they would be willing to treat your silver bearing effluent through their recovery system. I had a deal like that with a lab where I am when I was running a custom B&W darkroom out of my home and was generating a fairly large amount of used fixer. It was a win/win situation, they got to reclaim and profit from my silver waste, and I got to feel good that I wasn't dumping heavy metal into the sewer.

For a small user, there really isn't any way to recover the silver. The cartridges that are used by labs are expensive and you'll never use them to capacity, and electrolytic cracking of the fixer is costly and quite dangerous because of the high current that is needed.
For a few films a week, if you don't have a nice lab relationship, then sewering is about the only option. Dump it with a fair amount of water to make certain it gets out of your plumbing and into the waste stream as quickly as possible..

*photolady* · 06-29-2009, 03:45 AM

I doubt I'll develop more than a roll a week. I shoot mostly color as with new technology, one can turn color into black and white. Right now I only have two rolls of black and white film. I was thinking it might save me money to do my own but if the silver is going to be a problem, I'll find a lab that will develop it for me. Although, I really do miss those wonderful chemical smells associated with developing your own film.

*Wheatfield* · 06-29-2009, 07:56 AM

For a small user, there isn't going to be enough silver in the waste to be an issue. If you have an automatic dishwasher you are dumping far worse things than a little bit of silver sulphate down the drain.

foxglove · 06-29-2009, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by photolady

Although, I really do miss those wonderful chemical smells associated with developing your own film.

Blech! I can get pretty nostalgic for a lot of things, but not the smell of photographic chemicals. I really did love watching an image come up, though. Don't recall what I did with my waste, I only had a home darkroom for a while - I think it went to the hazardous waste depot along with old paint, solvents, and the like.

Julie

*Ratmagiclady* · 06-29-2009, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by foxglove

Blech! I can get pretty nostalgic for a lot of things, but not the smell of photographic chemicals.

I love the smell of Dektol in the morning.

*graphicgr8s* · 06-29-2009, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Wheatfield

For a small user, there isn't going to be enough silver in the waste to be an issue. If you have an automatic dishwasher you are dumping far worse things than a little bit of silver sulphate down the drain.

It's not just the silver, of which there isn't much. DON'T dump chemicals down the drain. You could leave the container open, evaporate the water then dispose of the crystals that are left in the garbage. Better still, have a lab do those 2 lousy rolls.

*graphicgr8s* · 06-29-2009, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by foxglove

Blech! I can get pretty nostalgic for a lot of things, but not the smell of photographic chemicals. I really did love watching an image come up, though. Don't recall what I did with my waste, I only had a home darkroom for a while - I think it went to the hazardous waste depot along with old paint, solvents, and the like.

Julie

Now that's the right way to get rid of it!

*photolady* · 06-29-2009, 09:14 PM

Actually I also said I would send it to hazardous waste. On the lab, there isn't one near me to send it to. I've asked. Besides, where is the fun in that!!

lithos · 06-30-2009, 04:19 AM

There are silver reclamation services around, but for the amount of fixer you'll be using on a hobby scale (and fixer lasts aaaaaaggggggeeesss, compared to dev) it's probably not worth it. They might give you ten cents for it.

Try dragging a piece of steel wool around in the exhausted fixer, I think you might be able to get it thinly plated with silver...