What is replacement from Protectan

Since Tetenal discontinued Protectan spray, does anyone know whether

there is an alternative?

Protectan, I've heard, is nothing more than gussied up butane. I use an old propane torch to dispense that gas into my partially full bottles of developer. All you need is a heavier than air gas to displace air from the bottle. It works like a charm. If you don't have one of these things, go to your local home improvement center and pick one up, with a tank of gas, for about $12. When it comes time to replace the gas (in a year or two depending on use) you can get a repacement canister of propane for less money than a small can of the now discontinued Protectan.

Compressed Nitrogen gas in a small tank. See if you have a local welding-supply house in your area. Also if you search for 'nitrogen' here on photo.net you should get a few results, mostly for using compressed nitrogen as clean source of compressed air, but also as an inert gas suitable for purging air out of containers.

Gas lighter refill bottles. Use a 1~2 sec swosh with a thin tip.

 

Warning: Butane IS flammable! Be careful!

I just bend the straw of a canned air duster into my glass bottles, give a few slow bursts to displace the air in the bottle and seal with a little piece of plastic wrap over the neck of the bottle before tightening the cap. Works fine - the canned air isn't "air" but is "tetrafluoroethane" (any chemists reading this?) and the plastic wrap will not let air permeate into the bottle through the cap. I've kept developers in half empty bottles for months this way with no oxidation.

I have not heard that Protectan has been discontinued. Its still available from dealers here in Germany and I can see hardly a reason why Tetenal would drop a product that has been making them money for well beyond half a century and whose contents are less dangerous than any aerosol can of paint..... Its a mixture of Butane and Propane gas and should it really have been discontinued by Tetenal then a visit to any "<cite>Lighter Shop</cite>" or tobacconist would reveal hidden in the contents of cigarette light gas.....

Edward

 

AFAIK it's no longer for sale in the US.