pyro developer, but which?

[Jay DeFehr]

Brian,

I carry my developer in a small, unmarked bottle. I've never had a problem. I've never even considered trying to carry powders in my luggage; that seems like asking for trouble.

[Andre Noble]

I went back to Wimberly WD2D+ pyro developer after giving Pyrocat HD a go.

I recently printed a WD2D+ developed negative (I believe it was Kodak Tri X) of a portrait shot between shade and direct sun. It had a huge subject brightness range. Once I set the correct exposure in the enlarger and viewed the first test prints, the idea never occured to me that I needed to do any buring to get proper details in the highlights. This does not occur with traditional developers.

Also, although not touted as a developer for rotatry processing, I have gotten beautifully clean wd2d+ negs by in my jobo cpp2 but using slowest rotation speed and replacing the developer mid way through development time with fresh wd2d+ developer.

I have to admit that WD2D+ negatives with their yellowish brown color look kind of 'weak'. But the are a dream to print.

[onnect17]

Remember, "The milk-man did not get caught for adding water to the milk; he just told someone".

Brian,

I carry my developer in a small, unmarked bottle. I've never had a problem. I've never even considered trying to carry powders in my luggage; that seems like asking for trouble.

[Bruce Barlow]

Ok, experts. I hate using gloves. Pyro is toxic, and everyone says to use gloves.

Did Weston use gloves? His volume of negatives will exceed mine (in quantity as well as, most certainly, quality).

What's likely to happen if I don't? Will I shrink, for instance? I'm 6'6". I'd probably like that. Won't bump my head on the doors of my old NE farmhouse.

Ditto amidol, for the informed. What would happen?

Sorry to be slightly off-topic, but I think still relevant, sort of.

[Mark Sampson]

Bruce, if nothing else, contact dermatitis is a very nasty thing. I was lucky, my case cleared up quickly. But everyone is different; and once you're sensitized, there it is. Many people are permanently affected and have to give up the darkroom; I don't think you'd like that. In Weston's day, little was known about the toxicity of common photo chemicals, now we do. Remember that EW contracted, and died of, Parkinson's disease. AFAIK no one has connected that to his darkroom habits but how big a risk do you want to take?
Pyrogallol hasn't been extensively studied because so few modern photographers use it. Metol, on the other hand, is a well-known source for contact dermatitis. (I believe that it was Selectol-Soft that made me allergic to metol.)So since 1985 I've worn gloves to tray-develop sheet film and to print. Not a big deal.
Safe practices are generally worth the effort.

[Vlad Soare]

Did Weston use gloves?

I believe he didn't, but Parkinson's disease is a really nasty thing. Was it related to darkroom chemicals? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know. But why take chances?
Amidol, if nothing else, stains your skin and nails pretty badly.
I also wouldn't be too surprised if some of the chemicals, especially those derived from phenol, had carcinogenic effects on long term exposures. They may not have been proven as such yet, but again - why take chances?
Contact dermatitis is real, and quite nasty at that.

[Bruce Barlow]

Thanks. "get over it," and "get used to them" seem to be the operative phrases. So be it.

[David Aimone]

I'm about to mix up my first batch of Pyrocat-MC in glycol. Considering how important health is, I'm going to wear nitrile gloves and develop in the jobo tank. It's not worth the risk. My skin gets a bit dry and irritated if I don't use gloves with D-76, Dektol, etc.

It was quite a few years ago, but I remember reading a table top book in NYC about artists through the centuries. It documented their work processes, their illnesses and causes of death, and proposed links between the two. It was very interesting! Many were probably at times "mad as a hatter" too!

Of course there are a few individuals around here who could probably use that excuse...

[Pawlowski6132]

Thanks. "get over it," and "get used to them" seem to be the operative phrases. So be it.

Bruce, I was the same way. Horrible contact dermitis resulting from Metol exposure changed my tune fast. I use Pyro and Amidol.

I get the smallest, tightest pair of gloves I can find and, I can pick up a dime or, perhaps more appropriate, pull an 8x10 negative out of the holder. Just be careful and monitor for holes and tears.

I buy 'em boxes from the drug store and leave 'em on my counter. It really doesn't take much to get used to 'em.

[bob carnie]

One of the best darkroom printers in Toronto had to quit the darkroom because of this.
I am no expert but for years I worked with my hands with no protection, I do have some funny marks and scars on my hand. That was enough to scare me.
Also at 5ft 6 I cannot afford to shrink much more so its gloves for me.
and everyone who works in my darkroom.

Bruce, if nothing else, contact dermatitis is a very nasty thing. I was lucky, my case cleared up quickly. But everyone is different; and once you're sensitized, there it is. Many people are permanently affected and have to give up the darkroom; I don't think you'd like that. In Weston's day, little was known about the toxicity of common photo chemicals, now we do. Remember that EW contracted, and died of, Parkinson's disease. AFAIK no one has connected that to his darkroom habits but how big a risk do you want to take?
Pyrogallol hasn't been extensively studied because so few modern photographers use it. Metol, on the other hand, is a well-known source for contact dermatitis. (I believe that it was Selectol-Soft that made me allergic to metol.)So since 1985 I've worn gloves to tray-develop sheet film and to print. Not a big deal.
Safe practices are generally worth the effort.