[pure-silver] Re: AZO and Benzotriazole for anti-fogging

DEAR JEAN DAVID,
        You are taking an enormous risk.  Skin is a permeable membrane and
most developers are based on phenol groups (Benzene rings).  Further, there
are silver ions in the developers.  Any of these can pass through your skin
into your system.  Phenols will slowly build up in your liver and cause you
problems in the future.  It isn't a question if "if"...it is only a matter
of "when".  Similar problems can be caused by silver ions in your system.
Further, they can all wind up in your fatty tissues.  All bad.  
        The mistake most make is that, if it isn't intensely toxic or
carcinogenic, they think it isn't a problem.  False!  Starting in the 60s I
was told by my photo teachers that real photographer put their hands in the
trays.  After 15 years I had a sudden attack of strange allergies and other
maladies.  I underwent chelation to remove the phenols and other nasties
from my liver and have been much healthier since.  I have also used tongs
and/or gloves ever since.  
        This is free advice...by definition of no value.
                CHEERS!
                        BOB

-----Original Message-----
From: pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jean-David Beyer
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 8:27 AM
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: AZO and Benzotriazole for anti-fogging

Bogdan Karasek wrote:
> hello, 
> 
> Just want to Thank everybody who contributed an answer to my problem 
> concerning AZO.  Very helpful.  Just have to get some Amidol from my 
> photo chemist. 
> 
> Somebody mentioned that precautions had to be taken with Amidol.   Could 
> precisions be made concerning the precautions to be taken when using 
> Amidol.   Do I have to wear a Hazmat suit ;)
> 
Back when I used Amidol a lot (Ansco 113, IIRC), I experimented with it a
lot at first. I find it takes about one stop more exposure than other
developers, such as D-72 or Dektol. I used benzotriazole as restrainer.
This gave a very nice color with Ilfobrom, or whatever I was using at the
time. But it gave no more intense blacks that D-72. I found, though, that I
could get the same color from D-72 by replacing the KBr with a suitable
amount of benzotriazole, and that cost far less.

When using Amidol developer, I do not worry much about what is in it. I use
SB-1 stop bath, although, since the developer is much less alkaline than
most paper developers, I wonder of plain water would work as well. But
acetic acid is cheap so I might as well use it. Since I do not use gloves,
except when selenium toning, I just let my fingers get rinsed in the stop
bath. I do not drink the stuff, and _never_ eat in the darkroom. I wash my
hands frequently, and after cleaning up the darkroom. If I had to use a
HazMat suit, I would stop using the stuff (though I pretty much have anyway,
since it does not work appreciably better than D-72).

I have never used Azo, so I do not know if D-72 would work as well as Amidol
on it. Edward Weston preferred Amidol on Azo. He was not much of a chemist,
but he made some great photographs. I have a print of his, printed by Cole
Weston, that is lovely. Better than what I saw of an original print by
Edward Weston himself. I do not know if this is because Cole used a
different paper, different developer, or what.

-- 
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