You quote me as saying:
<< As you imply gravure on aquatinted copper gives a greater range of tones
and
>more subtlety than the photopolymer versions of gravure which are promoted
on
>the basis of convenience and the need to protect ourselves from dichromates
>which are very dangerous if you eat them or take baths in them. For the
>individual they are, of course, less dangerous than many items found in the
>kitchen cupboard. >>
You say:
>Terry. first let me say I think you are jumping to conclusions on inadequate
>evidence.. Most of the photogravure prints I saw produced at the workshop had
>both an inferior overall scale and also an inferior distribution of tones to
>at least one print I have seen produced as a photoetching following the
>?Howard methods. I think one needs a lot more experimentation to make any
>such general comments.
My comments were not based on the creditable performance of a number of students
making their first ever gravure print. My comment was based upon a wide range of
gravures made over the past one hundred years. My experience of photopolymer
prints is not as great but comments were based on what I have seen. So far
aquatinted copper has the lead.
>Secondly I think you are wrong to dismiss the health and safety problems so
>lightly.
This is a perverse reading of what I said. You know very well that I have always
advocated respect for chemicals, even water.
> I would be in serious trouble if I allowed conditions such as those
>we worked under at my place of work, in particular so far as the resin
>dusting box was concerned.
We were working with grown ups and I did give you and everybody else the
opportunity to wear a mask and everone was warned of the dangers and advised to
wear gloves when working with the dichromates. As you know we did not work with
the solids.
>Suitable safety precautions also need to be taken when handling dichromate
>solutions (and particularly when handling the solid).
>I have no reason to doubt the figure of 10 seconds as the time you have to
>wash the sodium hydroxide out of eyes before the risk of serious permanent
>damage is high.
As it is with many things in the kitchen cupboard.
> I would want to be reasonably careful with ferric chloride
>also, both in powder and solution.
I issued a health warning on the use of ferric chloride in powder form and also
explained its unpleasant nature as a liquid. Perhaps you were out of the room
when I did so.
>The fact that there are dangers in the kitchen cupboard is no excuse for not
>taking proper precautions over the use of substances elsewhere.
As every one should, I take proper precautions in the kitchen and elsewhere.
That is, I think, the logical approach.
Given that we have been over this question of' nannying' responsible adults, on
the list before, I am not sure whether your unjustified comments on safety
precautions at a workshop are really appropriate to the list.
Terry