Do you wear gloves when you do tray processing?

[mervynyan]

I managed to navigate in completely darkness but the result wasn't great at the first run. The sheet tends to stick at the bottom of the tray most of the time. I have to constantly of pull it up. It all messed up. Ilford fixer has strong smell as well, maybe I will get some kitchen gloves next time.

Any helpful tips?

[Ole Tjugen]

Always wear gloves.

Use trays with ribbed bottom.

Enjoy the smell of fixer - that means you've remembered to put fixer in the tray. :)

[John Bowen]

ditto

I use Nitrile gloves.

[Mark Sampson]

Gloves are vital. Fixer smells bad (although there are some kinds that don't) but the real culprit is developer. Many people can become sensitized to metol (an ingredient in most developers) and become allergic to it, causing nasty (and in some cases incurable) skin problems. Be safe and stay healthy!

[Louie Powell]

I also prefer gloves - in addition to the reasons mentioned, they also help prevent fingernail scratches on the film.

I use a slosher to process film - the film is processed emulsion-side up, and rocking agitation forces liquids through the holes in the bottom of the slosher, gently lifting the film away from the bottom.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, nitrile, to reduce chemical exposure to my hands and the need for excessive hand washing, and to reduce risk of damage to film in the dark from fingerprints and fingernails.

[Brian Ellis]

Are you using the kind of trays that have several slots on the bottom running the length of the tray? Paterson made trays like that, I'm sure other companies did as well. The slots make it easy to grip the bottom sheet of film even with gloves on. If your trays just have a flat bottom then you're going to have a difficult time with tray processing.

[Ralph Barker]

I agree that ribbed trays are almost essential. And, as others have said, gloves are important, too. Kitchen gloves, however, are probably too thick to be able to feel the film.

Many folks prefer the nitrile gloves for greater protection, but if you're not latex-sensitive, you may find the latex, surgical-style gloves at your drug store to be less expensive and adequate. That's what I have used for years, and haven't suffered any adverse effects, adverse effects, adverse effects. ;)

[D. Bryant]

I managed to navigate in completely darkness but the result wasn't great at the first run. The sheet tends to stick at the bottom of the tray most of the time. I have to constantly of pull it up. It all messed up. Ilford fixer has strong smell as well, maybe I will get some kitchen gloves next time.

Any helpful tips?
Regardless of whether you used flat bottomed trays or ribbed trays you can prevent film from sticking together by using a water pre-soak prior to the developer. I used plain tap water with a pinch and I mean a pinch of sodium carbonate added to the water. Actually I put the sodium carb in the tray first and then add water.

So when I'm ready to process I hold the film fanned like a deck of cards in my right hand and with the left hand I place the film into the pre-wet tray. I place the right hand edge of the film in the tray slowly until it gently touches the bottom of the tray. I then release the film into tray and it will slowly sink into the water. Repeat until all of the film is in the pre-wet tray. Be sure to keep your left hand dry.

After all of the sheets are in the tray slowly inter-leave the sheets for 5 minutes. The film will not stick together from there out, although once the film is in the stop and fixer the film has more of a tendency to stick to each other and the tray.

This sounds a bit complicated but it's quite easy. Try it in the light with scrap film to get a feel for the process.

And yes I wear nitril gloves on my hands.

To be honest your best bet is to forget the trays and use some type of rotary processing. Your film will never look better with rotary processing.

Don Bryant

[Kirk Gittings]

Don, Why Sodium Carbonate? If I remember correctly it acts as an accelerant in a developer? But in the presoak? This is new to me.

[gevalia]

No glove, no love.

Sorry - couldn't resist.

[Mark Sampson]

I learned to use a 1% Kodalk (Kodak Balanced Alkali) solution as the presoak from Hutching's "Book of Pyro". Kodalk works fine with non-pyro developers as well. I didn't notice any difference in developer activity or process time, but then I've been using the technique for 15 years, so it's well integrated by now. Never thought of using cabonate.

[D. Bryant]

Don, Why Sodium Carbonate? If I remember correctly it acts as an accelerant in a developer? But in the presoak? This is new to me.

Kirk,

I use such a small amount - like a match head per liter. The purpose of the of sod. carb is to make the water slighly alkaline, it prevents the sheets from sticking together. As another poster mentioned Kodalk can be used. I use sod. carb becuse it is handy. It has no effect on film development at such a diluted rate. Just remeber an alkaline solution feels slippery, thus the non sticking effect on the film. The pH of my tap water is just slightly acidic.

Don

[Ken Lee]

No gloves - But I only develop film a few times per month, at most.

If I lived in the darkroom, then I'd be more cautious.

[Kirk Gittings]

Kirk,

I use such a small amount - like a match head per liter. The purpose of the of sod. carb is to make the water slighly alkaline, it prevents the sheets from sticking together. As another poster mentioned Kodalk can be used. I use sod. carb becuse it is handy. It has no effect on film development at such a diluted rate. Just remeber an alkaline solution feels slippery, thus the non sticking effect on the film. The pH of my tap water is just slightly acidic.

Don

Got it. Thanks.

[Bruce Barlow]

I agree with Ken, and only use gloves when Selenium toning or with pyro developers...which has caused me to not use them...

I just don't think I do enough often enough to have dire consequences.

Anybody want to follow up with the septic system question?

[Ben Calwell]

I dunked my bare hands in HC110 for 20-plus years (not everyday, though) with no ill effects (that I know of).
I did wear gloves, however, when I had my brief fling with PMK. I disliked the extra precaution and stopped using pyro.
Although I've got my eye on a D80, I've gone back to HC110 (last darkroom session about eight months ago) and naked hands in the tray.

[Jim Ewins]

No, even with PMK, but wash fequently.

[reellis67]

I don't use gloves with film in trays and I don't have any problems, but that's no reason for you not to :) I worked in a hospital for 10 years and I really, really dislike the feel of gloves now.

As others have already stated, trays with deep grooves in the bottom make life so much easier - you can slip a finger under the stack and pull very easily and they never stick, at least not for me.

- Randy

[Maris Rusis]

Never gloves. With bare hands I can FEEL the slightest contamination, developer is slippery, fixer is "grippy", and I know to wash and dry my hands before picking up the next exposed sheet.

Bare hands also betray whether they are dry or wet with a sensitivity that I cannot get while wearing gloves. A guiding principle is that dry film can be handled safely with perfectly dry hands, wet film with wet hands; never the other way around.

[Shen45]

BTZS tubes. And they are now available in 10x8 size as well.
The advantages of the individual tubes are numerous. Different processing times in the one development run -- different films in the same development run and different film with different developers at different times all in the same development run.

Steve

Oh and meant to add -- you can also wear or not wear gloves with the tubes if you want. For PMK I choose to wear them.

[Erik Larsen]

I didn't wear gloves for a while, then one day I suddenly became allergic to something and the skin on my hands started to itch and in a few days the skin was literally peeling of like a severe sunburn with raw pink skin below the peeling skin. It is painful and last for days. I believe it is dektol that I'm having a problem with but I try not to come into contact with any of the chemicals anymore. Needless to say, It is tongs and gloves for prints and a jobo for sheet film.
I hope no one has to go through what I experienced, I'm envious of those able to "get away" without protection.
regards
Erik

[domenico Foschi]

Erik, thank you for your tale, since I am one of those who at the moment seems to get away with it, but it sure feels irresponsible now.
Gloves are in the shopping list.
Thank you.

[Erik Larsen]

Domenico, it is a curse I wish I did not have:) Living care free is more my style, having to think about allergies is a drag!
Erik

[Andrew O'Neill]

I develope in tubes...I live in the darkroom.

[Merg Ross]

I was very careless for years regarding protection from chemicals; so was my father, who for fifty years dipped his hands in every darkroom chemical known to man. When he was 80 years of age, and diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, I started wearing Nitrile gloves for tray processing. I hope I didn't wait too long.

Let me be clear, I am not making a case for Parkinson's being related to photographic chemicals. That is a different topic. However, I have known five photographers who had such a misfortune, and have concluded that protection is a good idea.

[Brad Rippe]

No Gloves, except for selenium toning. I use HC 110 or Xtol and have had no problems. However, it might be a good idea for me to learn the feel of gloves for film, because I screw up sometimes with bare hands, and I would like to try Pyro.

I've heard a drop of LFN in the presoak helps to keep the films from sticking together.
I drop them in one at a time keeping them separate until they are all submerged. If you don't, they will crazy glue themselves together, and you will not have a pretty picture.
-Brad

[David A. Goldfarb]

I don't have a latex allergy, but I use nitrile gloves, because they have greater resistance to chemicals. Here's an explanation of some of the differences between latex and nitrile--

http://www.dontheglove.com/nitrilegloves/ngarticles/howtochoose.html

[Alan Rabe]

I always use gloves when developing film as I my hands are always in the liquid whichever it is. For developing prints I never use them. I do use tongs most of the time but will use my fingers occasionally. Always were gloves when toning as well as a fume mask, unless I can setup outside and tone there.

[ic-racer]

Gloves, yes.

[Gary L. Quay]

A wise person working in a camera store I frequent--Blue Moon Camera & Machine in St. Johns, Oregon (plug) told me, "You only have one liver." I've worn gloves ever since.

--Gary

[wfwhitaker]

Only for evening.

[Len Eselson]

Two advantages to Nitrile over Latex that I found are,
1. The Nitrile gloves have slight ridges and so make
gripping the print easier.
2. The Nitrile gloves can easily be rinsed off at the end
of a session (while still on your hands of course)
and hung to dry for the next one. This more
than offsets the cost difference.

Len

[Vlad Soare]

I always use one-shot surgeon's gloves, although I don't do tray processing. :D
I don't want to touch the chemicals at all, not even one drop. Preparing the working solution from concentrate, pouring the solutions in the tank (or in the trays when printing) then back into the bottles, etc., all these are done with gloves on.
But then, I'm a cleanliness freak. I can't stand to have my hands dirty, I even use surgeon's gloves when working under the hood of my car because I hate to get black hands and nails. :)

[phil sweeney]

I use oversize nitrile with baby powder for chemical mixing. The extra powder makes it easy to take them off and reuse. I always have a bucket with dishwashing liguid going in the darkroom for rinsing before removing gloves etc. I use tight fitting gloves for film and discard after use. The tight fitting ones allow you to be a little more nimble-fingered.

I used to dev silver papers without gloves and have decided there is no reason to subject myself to any chemicals. Plus I use dangerous chemicals. Everyone is different and noone knows how we react individually to various chemicals.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I only tray develop prints and I don't wear golves except for toning. The chemicals can dry out my skin however so I apply lotion after each session. If I were working in the darkroom every day, or even a few days a week, I would probably go with gloves.

[Richard Wasserman]

I'll jump in here too, even though it's getting a little late in the thread. I use nitrile gloves whenever I'm putting my hands in any chemicals. As was stated before, nitrile is a better chemical barrier than latex and I don't have to worry about developing a sensitivity to latex. I wear tight fitting gloves and will often use them for more than one darkroom session. They are so easy to use that I see no reason not to wear them. Why take any risks no matter how small they are perceived to be?