Re: Paper - baby oil Digi Negs
On Sat, 29 Aug 2009, Argon3@aol.com wrote: Oh, do they ever. I well remember the machismo when I first came into photography (& they were still developing actual FILM !). Indeed in those days real men put their hands right in the developer.... or whatever other poison was called for. But my students were only students and when I saw them with hands in developer -- even in wash water -- I felt mandated to smack them.Photographic developers have a similar sort of alergy curve...everything is going along fine but one day you're allergic to Metol or Hydroquinone and it's serious. When I was back in college "real men never use tongs" was the mantra...how much residual Dektol is living in my liver is anybody's guess but I wised up relatively early and am very careful nowadays. I note also that, since sources tell us chrome is one of the two most allergenic substances, and DICHROMATE sounds like it has chrome, I made a big fuss about that.... And tho the subject isn't my forte, I'd note that the skin is a permeable membrane, and even without any nicks or torn cuticles it could admit whatever whatever directly into the blood stream. I'm not sure that age group (early college) is ready to submit to reality, tho they generally humored me. However, they still smoked in their darkrooms. I'd come in on Monday AM & see the floor littered with butts. So I mention again here, in case I haven't said it for a few months.... Aside from the well-known evils of smoking, if you smoke around chemicals (eg as in the darkroom) they get into the air, and from there attach to the smoke, on which they ride right into your lungs. Anyway, not to go too OT or sound like the voice of doom but please heed the advice about solvents. Sparingly if at all. argon/JG But the VOICE of doom is GOOD, much better than doom in the flesh. J.
|