Tray Processing Film: Gloves or No Gloves?

[Jim Noel]

After more than 50 years of no gloves, I had to begin using them when I started teaching at the college in order to set a good example. I use disposable Nitrile on one hand, and keep the other hand dry.
A good many years ago a dermatologist who who was an amateur photographer told me the dangerous one for dermatitis was the developer. This is because of the metol which causes dermatitis in some people.His solution was to process his hands like a piece of film or paper since the nature of our chemistry is to neutralize the previous chemical.
AS for pyro being more dangerous that is true, but hudroquinone is just as bad. Pyrogallol (pyrogallic acid) is the more dangerous. Pyrocatechol (pyrocat) is less harmful than hydroquinone. It is interesting to note that Pyrogallol and coffee are extremely close cousins on the benzene ring. That is why "caffeenol" works. By the way brewed coffee which has been allowed to sit on a warmer for a few hours does a very nice job without the addition of any other chemicals.

[SergeiR]

Gloves. Totally. This also will save you from having nice fingerprints on negatives.

(i use gloves when taking film out of tubes to hang b/c of too many times leaving fingerprints on yet soft emulsion)

[Jim Jones]

I never use gloves for tray processing film or prints in common chemicals, and have a few stained prints to show for it.

[Maris Rusis]

No gloves, ever.

In absolute darkness the sensitivity of bare skin will instantly register what I'm touching; what's on my fingers, have I been splashed, do my finger tips carry contamination? Develop feels slippery, fixer is "grippy", dry fingers can touch dry film, wet fingers can touch wet film, notch codes are easy to feel, dark-slide bumps are obvious. My darkroom sink has a big fingerbowl of clean water where I rinse fingers. When they feel clean they are clean. The well laundered darkroom towel lets me dry my hands immediately.

When the safelight is on I use tongs instead of gloves. Decades ago I decided I wouldn't touch paper chemistry and determined to become as dexterous with tongs as a Chinese child is with chopsticks. Now I reckon I could do a day's worth of gelatin-silver in the darkroom while wearing a white tuxedo and not get a spot. No, not unusual intelligence, just practice.

Years ago I was a salesman for Eastman Chemicals and also the local telephone hotline guy for darkroom accidents. Two "glove" disasters come to mind. The first was a complaint of red-raw itching hands but the fault was not with darkroom chem. The unfortunate victim had latex allergy and was wearing latex gloves. The second was with nitrile gloves that had got an unnoticed splash of developer inside at the beginning of the darkroom session. Hours later the mixture of sweat and developer had chewed away at the victim's palms, ouch.

[jp]

Harbor Freight had some super good deals on nitrile gloves, including some very thin ones. Good idea for tray developing. When using the patterson tank, I get some drips (because it's British), but I rinse my hand off quickly when that happens.

[Tin Can]

I pretty much do exactly what Maris does. I always have a fresh dip tank ready and use as often as needed. Tongs are kept clipped to another dip tank.I never touch printing paper once wet. Stainless tongs with rubber tips.

A few chems I do use with one hand in nitrile. I have sink top exhaust ventilation.

I always have my big eye glasses on and was really glad I did the other day while cooking dinner!

I worked in either a chem or mechanical lab all my life. I am sensibly careful, but have seen co workers die from liver problems from solvents. They would not listen to my warnings, especially about trichloroethylene.

I keep clean cotton towels close by and have fresh paper towels stuffed in all pockets, just in case.

Mop and bucket in the darkroom.

I almost never spill anything and I know how to pour liquids. Most people don't.

No gloves, ever.

In absolute darkness the sensitivity of bare skin will instantly register what I'm touching; what's on my fingers, have I been splashed, do my finger tips carry contamination? Develop feels slippery, fixer is "grippy", dry fingers can touch dry film, wet fingers can touch wet film, notch codes are easy to feel, dark-slide bumps are obvious. My darkroom sink has a big fingerbowl of clean water where I rinse fingers. When they feel clean they are clean. The well laundered darkroom towel lets me dry my hands immediately.

When the safelight is on I use tongs instead of gloves. Decades ago I decided I wouldn't touch paper chemistry and determined to become as dexterous with tongs as a Chinese child is with chopsticks. Now I reckon I could do a day's worth of gelatin-silver in the darkroom while wearing a white tuxedo and not get a spot. No, not unusual intelligence, just practice.

Years ago I was a salesman for Eastman Chemicals and also the local telephone hotline guy for darkroom accidents. Two "glove" disasters come to mind. The first was a complaint of red-raw itching hands but the fault was not with darkroom chem. The unfortunate victim had latex allergy and was wearing latex gloves. The second was with nitrile gloves that had got an unnoticed splash of developer inside at the beginning of the darkroom session. Hours later the mixture of sweat and developer had chewed away at the victim's palms, ouch.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Unpowdered nitrile gloves for me. Better for my negs, better for my hands. My tray processing tends to be ABC pyro.

[Robert Kalman]

Many thanks for all the suggestions and advice. I ordered some nitriles today :-)

[kintatsu]

I only use HC-110, Eukobrom for paper, Tetenal Super fix, and Tetenal Stop. Because I only develop 1 sheet at a time, and rinse hands between trays, I don't use gloves. When I develop 4 sheets in a night, that amounts to about 8 seconds total time in the developer. Fixer, both traditional and rapid, is used in the medical field to treat certain conditions, so is almost harmless, although if you have a cut, you will notice it. Stop bath is just diluted acid.

The undiluted chemicals are bad for you, though. When my daughter is in the room with me, we both wear nitrile gloves and rinse in a tray of water between submersion.

[Bruce Barlow]

I didn't use gloves until I started using Pyro film developers and Amidol print developer. No black fingernails. But I really, really don't like gloves

Otherwise, no gloves for 25 years, without fingerprints or scratches, ever.