It only illustrates where the liquid flows - it goes "everywhere" - so that's partly why I don't pour things down the flat darkroom sink, I carry them over to the deep laundry tub. Seeing where the Photo-Flo goes makes me think the water in the sink may not be clean enough to dip fingers in before sticking them into developer... Since there may be some fixer in it... So I always rinse my fingers off under running faucet before going back to developer.
When I started out I purchased separate trays and graduates for developer, stop, fix, hyop clear and bleach which I generally adhere to. However after reading Ansel Adams statement that he no longer found it necessary to keep dedicated trays for the different chemicals I will allow, for example, the "bleach" graduate to be used for mixing something else but I will not use the developer trays or graduates for anything but developer. The trays and Jobo bottles become stained with developer which can be cleaned with sulfuric acid but I make it a point to always keep those separate and dedicated to developer only. Immediately after each use I rinse thoroughly with hot (125F+) water and never use a soap.
Thomas
I meant to add that toweling dry sounds like a way to introduce lint, which wouldn't be a good thing.
Ditto.Originally Posted by Winger
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
Soap eventually leaves residue especially on plastic so I just rinse using warm water. Once they're rinsed there's no real chance of cross-contamination.
I keep separate trays, at least in general categories. I have developer trays, fixer trays etc. I don't have different trays for different developers, just rinse. I've never kept separate mixing vessels either and as long as you rinse thoroughly and don't let things dry in them (and even then it can be removed - stains can't, at least not easily and not from all material, but don't seem to hurt anything) I don't really see the point.
Those who do this, do you do it because it just seems the best thing to do, or because you've had real problems from not doing it? I've been doing darkroom work off and on for a few decades and never really had a problem with this.
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Most blest is he who lives free and bold
and nurses never a grief,
for the fearful man is dismayed by aught,
and the mean one mourns over giving.
- Hávamál verse 48
Rinse only. And generally I do not worry so much about what beaker or tray has been used for what.
I rinse my beakers and trays under hot water, then wipe them off to remove as mch water as possible. I give the darkroom sink the same treatment. Not because it won't dry naturally, but because I don't want to raise the humidity in the darkroom any more than necessary, as I don't want to encourage fungus growth on my enlarger lenses (my darkroom is an enclosed space in a large unheated metal shed). Not sure if this is really helping but it doesn't take very long and I find it a useful discipline.
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