Need A New Thermometer.. Do You? Suggestions?

B

bwcolor

Veteran
Local time
1:25 AM
Joined
Jul 26, 2009
Messages
2,346
Ruined my first ever rolls of E6 before realizing that my one year old Kaiser digital thermometer was toast. In retrospect, I think that it may never have been right, but now it is at least fifteen degrees off. The fifteen degrees difference occurred during rolls five and six after struggling with the first two grossly underexposed positives.

Can someone suggest a cost effective, but dependable digital thermometer?
 
While the debate between digital and analog cameras rages on and on, in the thermometer world the winner is clear cut. There are few instruments as reliable and as simple as an analog thermometer. Bimetalic dial thermometers are the easiest to use, and the mercury bulb type is the most reliable. If you get a mercury thermometer, get the kind that has a metal cage to protect it from breakage.
 
I've been searching for thermometers and ordered a 12" one, but where do I find one that is appropriate for E6 and has a metal cage?
 
bwcolor said:
I've been searching for thermometers and ordered a 12" one, but where do I find one that is appropriate for E6 and has a metal cage?
Click to expand...

I would think that they stopped making the mercury ones without a cage, I would have to look at the lab supply sites to see if you can buy mercury thermometers new, am sure someone will chime in, ;-) .

A dropped thermometer closed down a lab for a month or so until they cleaned it at no small cost.

I also found a dozen or so in a not so often used drawer in my class room, and we had to pay to get rid of them. The bottles of mercury were made of plastic coated glass.

I keep one old one in a safe place to check the other thermometers, am pretty sure the last Kodak glass thermometer I had was not mercury, but you had to keep it vertical or play around to get it to re-consolidate the liquid.

If you stick with electronic, keep two to make sure they agree.

My Jobo slot processor thermostat has stayed spot on, but I check it.

Flinn Scientific has always been reliable, and I believe they sell to the public if you pay in advance, their page of thermometers is:

http://www.flinnsci.com/store/scripts/ck_prodList.asp

Interesting the liquid thermometers are not only not mercury, but the contents are "bio degradable" --




Regards, John
 
Last edited:
is analog ok, too?

is analog ok, too?

I just picked up a plain and simple faverware thermometer that looked a lot like this one: http://www.kegworks.com/instant-rea...e&siteID=wc3s_1xwIEA-CnsEY1cG7E2gPGVilpjKGg&=

Is something like this not sufficient for developer temperature check? Only that I wished there were Celsius indicator as well as Fahrenheit, but besides that, are there really other essential properties one should look for?
 
For the past few years I have been using a digital aquarium thermometer bought online.
It was as cheap as chips & very reliable. One of my best darkroom purchases.
Regards, Jonathan
 
Get a Peterson B/W Thermometer, by far the best thermometer I've ever seen in forty years of lab work. It's analog, and ecological (alcohol not mercury). When I discovered it, I bought two at once (for backup, after all, it's glass). Still using the first unit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom