I use tongs for prints up to 11x14 - any larger than that and I wear
nitrile gloves and use my fingers. I *always *use nitrile-gloved hands for
selenium toning, and wear nitrile again when weighing and mixing chemistry.
One thing I learned a long time ago is to use the thumb and ONE finger
only, basically human tongs. You run more risk of creasing a wet print if
you use a thumb and two fingers.
On Mon, Aug 9, 2021 at 3:41 PM Tim Daneliuk <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
On 8/9/21 8:45 AM, BOB KISS (Redacted sender bobkiss for DMARC) wrote:
DEAR LIST,was a student and beginning photog, "real men don't use tongs or gloves"
I have posted this info a number of times before. When I
was the rap. As a result I needed medical treatment to remove phenols
(most dev agents) and some metals from my liver using chelation. Further,
I love pyro devs and Gordon Hutchins in his BOOK OF PYRO points out that
pyrogallol is both a toxin and carcinogen...you choose to die quickly or
slowly...if you don't wear gloves.
safety techniques I learned in both undergrad and grad Photo Chem Lab at
The "no glove" rule was in direct contradiction to the lab
RIT. Thank god I returned to the fold and, for many decades, have used
tongs when possible and gloves when not. I prefer working with gloves as
tongs don't let me handle the prints as carefully. I also prefer the more
puncture proof (and therefore thinner and more tactile) nitrile exam gloves
as I am also allergic to latex...as are many people.
In my youth, I had my mitts in developer a lot but I didn't do enough
darkroom work
to worry much about it.
I use tongs when printing smaller prints, but occasionally put fingers in
solutions
and rinse immediately. For larger prints I use a combination of tongs and
fingers but - again -
I rise immediately and don't keep hands in solution.
I use nitriles for mixing or using any form of Pyro-based developers.
I also use nitriles when cleaning up after a darkroom session.
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