Reasonably priced thermometer

S

Stelios

Guest
I just broke my thermometer last night after I finished developing some film. This is the 3rd in a 2-3 years. I'm sick of spending 12pounds (at least) for new ones.
Any cheaper, reliable alternatives (in the UK)? Seems I tend to break them in a year...
 
cheapo waterproof digital probe thermometers can be had from around £10. They don't break but the batteries run out instead. Best policy is not to break them but you seem to be making habit of it.
 
In the traditional 'wet' darkroom, temperature control is very important. At the very least you need repeatability; ideally, you also need accuracy as well. Then you need durability; an affordable price; and legibility.

We strongly recommend a 'master/slave' approach, with at least two thermometers. The master is the most accurate and repeatable thermometer you can afford. The 'slave' is a cheaper thermometer, repeatedly checked against the 'master'.

From http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/thermometers.html. Try a rotary dial thermometer as a slave and a mercury-in-glass or spirit-in-glass thermometer as a master.

Cheers,

R.
 
I bought a couple of "propagating" thermometers (spirit-in-glass) in the gardening section of the local hardware store. I checked through their box to find three that matched. :) Cost was about $6 each.
 
Thanks for the info everyone.
And thanks for the article Roger, have read that before but I was never too fussed about temperature, as bad as it sounds. I like things being a bit loose sometimes.
I just needed someone to point me to some store which carries cheaper thermometers (seing that I'm prone to breaking them). I'm sure I can standardise my process again with a single thermometer. As long as it remains constantly off by the same amount.
Maybe I'll try some hardware store. I hadn't thought of the gardening section..
 
Now that looks interesting (and cheap!)
I'll look for one and compare it to several in the uni darkroom to see any major differences in temp.

Thanks everyone
 
Stelios said:
Now that looks interesting (and cheap!)
I'll look for one and compare it to several in the uni darkroom to see any major differences in temp.

Thanks everyone
Click to expand...

The better versions of this type are easy to calibrate; there is a nut on the back of the dial (surrounding the stem) and a wrench molded into the plastic case.
You'll need a glass/beaker/container packed with ice and just enough water to cover the ice. That will be freezing or slightly above. I look for my thermometer to read 33 or 34 deg. Fahrenheit. 0 or 1 degree C for centigrade, I think.
If my therm does not read that temp, I use the wrench to hold the nut and gently turn the dial until it reads correctly.
You can do this with boiling water as well but it requires much more caution and, in my kitchen anyway, takes too long.

Rob
 
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