Kodak Chemistry

[John Olsen]

I used to make my own selenium toner. it required simmering poisonous chemicals for several hours. i did it outdoors on breezy days. when i went ot to check on it, i wore a gas mask. it isn't worth tryng if one isn't a trained chemist.

Glad I didn't live downwind of you. I read up on selenium at one time for a work project and it scared the heck outta me.

[jnantz]

Glad I didn't live downwind of you. I read up on selenium at one time for a work project and it scared the heck outta me.

I knew of someone who claimed selenium was harmless because it's found in the ocean and in multi vitamins, she claimed she was a "chemist" .. I found her to be passing off deadly dangerous "information"

[Michael R]

The dose makes the poison. So yeah, claiming something is harmless because it is a necessary part of the diet is really bad information. The dietary amount is minuscule in comparison with the amount one would be handling in making selenium toner.

It is also important to consider the process, which can be dangerous. Historically the really bad part in making selenium toner (T-55 for example) was the boiling of selenium powder in the sulfite solution to dissolve it, which gives off the horrendous smelling, and dangerous selenium dioxide. Even the commercial makers like Kodak moved on from that process by instead starting with the sodium selenite salt which dissolves easily.

I knew of someone who claimed selenium was harmless because it's found in the ocean and in multi vitamins, she claimed she was a "chemist" .. I found her to be passing off deadly dangerous "information"

[Drew Wiley]

Concentrated selenium is a big no-no around water - it's a terrible mutagen to wildlife. I think one would need special paperwork to even get it shipped here. Let somebody else, properly equipped, make the toner. Look up the history of Kesterson Wildlife Refuge; it's infamous.
Besides, if you want to do something irresponsible and reckless even to your own health, there's more money in meth.

[jnantz]

The dose makes the poison. So yeah, claiming something is harmless because it is a necessary part of the diet is really bad information. The dietary amount is minuscule in comparison with the amount one would be handling in making selenium toner.

It is also important to consider the process, which can be dangerous. Historically the really bad part in making selenium toner (T-55 for example) was the boiling of selenium powder in the sulfite solution to dissolve it, which gives off the horrendous smelling, and dangerous selenium dioxide. Even the commercial makers like Kodak moved on from that process by instead starting with the sodium selenite salt which dissolves easily.

exactly, I know. ... she was kind of a ( dare I say it ) nitwit for saying that stuff, and I find leaving information like that posted and readily readable by the public to be a breech of responsibility seeing people read stuff and believe what they read, just because you know, it's on the internet and people are lazy, and common sense isn't very common and oh yea kind of a large can of Darwin ...

[Michael R]

Jerry Koch used to do his best to dissuade people from doing certain things. Ron too.

Anyway people are probably slightly safer these days because it seems to me the catalogues of easily obtainable ingredients are shrinking. Formulary for example has a significantly smaller catalogue than it did say ten years ago and certain chemicals seem to have disappeared entirely like “english amidol”. Etc.

exactly, I know. ... she was kind of a ( dare I say it ) nitwit for saying that stuff, and I find leaving information like that posted and readily readable by the public to be a breech of responsibility seeing people read stuff and believe what they read, just because you know, it's on the internet and people are lazy, and common sense isn't very common and oh yea kind of a large can of Darwin ...

[neil poulsen]

Glad I didn't live downwind of you. I read up on selenium at one time for a work project and it scared the heck outta me.

I guess I have some left in my cabinet, but I no longer use Selenium Toner. I don't care for what it does to the print. I was looking at a well-known photographer's prints one time, and I couldn't quite make out what I found disturbing about them. It finally dawned on me, it was his Se toning.