Curious: Developer and Technique for 35mm

[Deleted member 65559]

I used PMK for more than 5 years, and as a mountain guide, I've got lot's of photographs with snow & clouds in them. The quality of my printing especially in highlights improved dramatically. For the last 5 years though, I've been using Pyrocat HD in glycol, and have equally good quality negatives & ease of printing in the highlights.....with less concerns of toxicity.

 

[Moto-Uno]

Something about "being stuck with hc-110 and HP5+" kinda gave me a slap , I use those
more than any of the others I've tried ! ( one mans' heaven is another's hell I guess )
Peter

 

[roscoetuff]

Moto: Refs include - "stuck happily" and "meanwhile I'm stickin' to HC-110, HP5+ and 35mm" and these aren't comedowns... 'cept of course how and when I use them. :0

 

[x-ray]

Where are people finding merit in using of this weird developer. And where are people using poison to make photo emulsions. And where are those in gloves and goggles making selenium toning.

I don't think those people are doing it because they likes to walk on the edge of the cliff, but because they liked the view. Particular view.

There are a lot of poison chemical in photography. Just take care in using them and keep them locked up away from children. I've seen people on this forum saying they use food containers to store chemicals. NEVER do this.

I'm one of those folks that make emulsions and use dangerous chemicals. I have a degree in chemistry and microbiology and feel safe in handling them and use great care when doing so. I do collodion photography and use cadmium compounds and potassium cyanide. It has nothing to do with walking on the edge. It's all about the look of the image.

Just exercise care and if you don't know how to handle chemicals either stay away from ten or lear from a competent source ho to do so.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^^ Glad to hear it ! Peter

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . I've seen people on this forum saying they use food containers to store chemicals. NEVER do this. . . .

Why not? A bottle is a bottle. The important thing is to remove all labels, and add new ones, to avoid any possibility of confusion. Also, avoid bottles that are normally recognized by shape or size, rather than by label.

And yes, I am familiar with dangerous chemicals. I just take bloody good care with them (as I was taught by very good chemistry and biology teachers even in my teens). It's not really all that difficult.

Cheers,

R.

 

[x-ray]

Metol and Hydroquinon allergy is most often encountered while use liquid developers it is caused by contact with the skin.

I use nitrile gloves now when I work with certain chemicals. Over the 60 or so years of processing and printing I've developed a sensitivity to sulfites. I theorize it's due to absorbing sodium sulfite in the skin and has resulted in a sensitivity that causes benign cardiac arrhythmia's. It may or may not be due to absorption but the end result is unpleasant so I use more caution when handling and mixing chemicals with sulfite.

It's interesting to look at other uses of chemicals used in photography. Sodium Thiosulfate was used at one time to treat ringworm and is an antidote for Potassium Cyanide. Hydroquinone is currently used in cosmetic creams to bleach age spots. It can be purchased in cream form over the counter at cosmetic counters. Propylene Glycol is used for wetting agents for film and used to make medical compounds more soluble and used in vitamins. It's also used in human and dog food to make it more moist. Ethylen Glycol is toxic and used in photo flo 600 and stronger concentrations and is the primary ingredient in antifreeze for your car. Sodium sulfite is one of the key ingredients in developers, hypo clearing a gens and other photo compounds. It retards oxidation and is a silver solvent to reduce grain. Sodium sulfite is most often used as a food additive to reduce oxidation wine.