Greetings, plus some questions (long)

John wrote:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 05:00:44 GMT, Dieter Zakas
wrote:

So, with that out of the way, here are my questions:

(1) Just how significantly are the chemicals, once mixed, affected by
temperature fluctuations?

A plus/minus 10 degree fluctuation is within reason.

But not from one to the other...

(2) Once mixed, would they benefit from storage in a refrigerator bought for
that purpose (a small model, big enough to hold three gallon-size jugs of
chemistry)?

It's not necessary. Pour the mixed developer into smaller
bottles (I use 250ml for stock that will be diluted 1:3).

(3) Does anyone have any "favorites" among these, any tips they'd like to share,
etc.?

Kodak T-Max RS is about the best developer they make.

While I'm at it, what are the times for the stop bath and fixer?

RTFM - Read The Fine Manual

A new acronym?


Stop - 30 seconds
Fix - 3~5 minutes.

(4) I see Kodak offers an "indicator stop bath." What does the "indicator"
part mean?

It means it turns color when the pH shifts above a certain
point. Developers generally only work in alkaline environments. If a
stop bath is used to the point it turns alkaline it will not arrest
the development.

(5) Kodak's stop bath (catalog number 1462829) shows as 28% acetic acid,
which is vinegar. This is about 5 1/2 times stronger than the white
distilled vinegar found in supermarkets, so could I use that, provided I
adjust the times accordingly?

Yes.

Regards,

John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org
Vote "No! for the status quo. Vote 3rd party !!

Used that way, vinegar is substantially more expensive than Indicator Stop
Bath, which can be reused until it starts to change color.

Hmmm. There is no reason one can't add one's own pinch of indicator to
diluted vinegar:

o Kodak uses Bromocresol Purple (BCP).
o Sergeant-Welch sells BCP for $8/gm. (watch out, there is medical grade for
$$$)
o Indicator solution is 0.1% BCP in alcohol.
o 1 gm makes 10 l of indicator.
o ~.5ml indicator per liter of stop bath.
o 20,000 shots of indicator for $8.00 = 0.04 cents per litre of SB
for the indicator.

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

I don't bother with the BCP, I change the SB when I change the fix,
but maybe I should start.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

Used that way, vinegar is substantially more expensive than Indicator Stop
Bath, which can be reused until it starts to change color.

Hmmm. There is no reason one can't add one's own pinch of indicator to
diluted vinegar:

o Kodak uses Bromocresol Purple (BCP).
o Sergeant-Welch sells BCP for $8/gm. (watch out, there is medical grade for
$$$)
o Indicator solution is 0.1% BCP in alcohol.
o 1 gm makes 10 l of indicator.
o ~.5ml indicator per liter of stop bath.
o 20,000 shots of indicator for $8.00 = 0.04 cents per litre of SB
for the indicator.

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

I don't bother with the BCP, I change the SB when I change the fix,
but maybe I should start.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 13:31:51 -0700, Tom Phillips
wrote:


A plus/minus 10 degree fluctuation is within reason.

But not from one to the other...

IMO, that wouldn't be that big of a deal either. Not likely
unless he has really bad insulation though.

RTFM - Read The Fine Manual

A new acronym?

Always look on the bright side of life !


Regards,

John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org
Vote "No! for the status quo. Vote 3rd party !!

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 13:31:51 -0700, Tom Phillips
wrote:


A plus/minus 10 degree fluctuation is within reason.

But not from one to the other...

IMO, that wouldn't be that big of a deal either. Not likely
unless he has really bad insulation though.

RTFM - Read The Fine Manual

A new acronym?

Always look on the bright side of life !


Regards,

John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org
Vote "No! for the status quo. Vote 3rd party !!

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 20:41:06 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

Hmmm, does it work well with olive oil ?


Regards,

John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org
Please remove the "_" when replying via email

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 20:41:06 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

Hmmm, does it work well with olive oil ?


Regards,

John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org
Please remove the "_" when replying via email

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:

Hmmm. There is no reason one can't add one's own pinch of indicator to
diluted vinegar:

o Kodak uses Bromocresol Purple (BCP).
o Sergeant-Welch sells BCP for $8/gm. (watch out, there is medical grade for

$$$)

o Indicator solution is 0.1% BCP in alcohol.
o 1 gm makes 10 l of indicator.
o ~.5ml indicator per liter of stop bath.
o 20,000 shots of indicator for $8.00 = 0.04 cents per litre of SB
for the indicator.

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

I don't bother with the BCP, I change the SB when I change the fix,
but maybe I should start.

I wonder what's the shipping charge for a single gram of bromocresol
purple?

Still, if you're paying to ship glacial acetic (ground only, hazmat
surcharge, and in winter you have to wonder if it will freeze in
transit), it shouldn't add anything to the shipping to get a gram of BCP
along with it. Alternately, if you have a local supplier for glacial
acetic, they might well have BCP (or be able to order it in without
charging you as much to ship as you pay for the chemical).

OTOH, by the time you buy enough of each to get significantly ahead of
one-shot use of white vinegar 1:1, you'll be a great many rolls of film
down the road, I think.

Y'know, we still need to find a fixer in the grocery store -- we've got
a couple different developers (Caffenol, and more recently one made from
acetaminophen), and stop bath, but no fixer...

--
The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use
whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative
objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions.
-- Ansel Adams

Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com

Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:

Hmmm. There is no reason one can't add one's own pinch of indicator to
diluted vinegar:

o Kodak uses Bromocresol Purple (BCP).
o Sergeant-Welch sells BCP for $8/gm. (watch out, there is medical grade for

$$$)

o Indicator solution is 0.1% BCP in alcohol.
o 1 gm makes 10 l of indicator.
o ~.5ml indicator per liter of stop bath.
o 20,000 shots of indicator for $8.00 = 0.04 cents per litre of SB
for the indicator.

The cheapest SB I have found is glacial acetic acid,
dilute it to 28% stock and then to working strength.

I don't bother with the BCP, I change the SB when I change the fix,
but maybe I should start.

I wonder what's the shipping charge for a single gram of bromocresol
purple?

Still, if you're paying to ship glacial acetic (ground only, hazmat
surcharge, and in winter you have to wonder if it will freeze in
transit), it shouldn't add anything to the shipping to get a gram of BCP
along with it. Alternately, if you have a local supplier for glacial
acetic, they might well have BCP (or be able to order it in without
charging you as much to ship as you pay for the chemical).

OTOH, by the time you buy enough of each to get significantly ahead of
one-shot use of white vinegar 1:1, you'll be a great many rolls of film
down the road, I think.

Y'know, we still need to find a fixer in the grocery store -- we've got
a couple different developers (Caffenol, and more recently one made from
acetaminophen), and stop bath, but no fixer...

--
The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use
whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative
objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions.
-- Ansel Adams

Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com

Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.

John wrote:

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 13:31:51 -0700, Tom Phillips
wrote:


A plus/minus 10 degree fluctuation is within reason.

But not from one to the other...

IMO, that wouldn't be that big of a deal either. Not likely
unless he has really bad insulation though.

hmmm...I think we're talking different planets.

I meant a 10 degree flunctuation from one solution
to another (reticulation), as opposed to all the
solutions having the same temperature (which is
what I thought you were saying.)

Slap me silly, it's that digital thread and I'm going
insane. My darkrom ambient temp never varies more than
about 10F summer (70) to winter (60.) No insulation.
If I need heat, I turn on the dry mount press...


RTFM - Read The Fine Manual

A new acronym?

Always look on the bright side of life !

O.K. but then you also always have to qualify it when
you use it :-)