Re: silver plating

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ryuji Suzuki" <rs@silvergrain.org>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: silver plating

> Richard, what are you trying to say?
>
> I don't consider Judy to set out the context. Iain Coghill
> is the
> origin of this topic, where gray deposit was observed in
> film fixer
> held in a plastic container. That is most likely deposit
> of dye.
>
> Judy's post began with "AFAIK," a wrong assumption, and an
> anecdotal
> "evidence." What she asserted is something I had already
> said very
> unlikely. She implied that I was wrong; she also changed
> the subject
> line to indicate the same. It's pretty stupid to publicly
> start a
> fight against someone with a wrong assumption, especially
> with a shaky
> anecdote (if not fiction) as the sole basis, but this is
> what it was,
> and this happens a lot on this list. Should I post a list
> of alt-fight
> processes, their dates and originators?
>
> Most wise people would stay away from this kind of stuff.
> Only those
> who had a very bad day would join it.

   OK I am unwise. I was bold enough to ask you a question.
 I did a header search to find the thread. Evidently the
header got changed because Judy's post was the first I
found. Iain's post was under the header "What happened to my
fixer". I found it and here is his original question:

I have some film fixer stored in a polyethene container. I
have had it
for quite a while, though last time I used it it still
cleared the film
fairly quickly. Today I pulled it out of the cupboard and
the inside of
the container has been 'plated' with a dark grey deposit.
What just
happened? Obviously I will toss the fixer - there are bits
floating in
it and chemicals are cheap compared to ruined images. Is it
safe to use
the container again or will it spoil fresh fixer? Is there a
way to
clean this stuff off?

Thanks

Iain Coghill

Let me suggest that you could have responded to me by
stating that the orignal post was under a different header.
In any case, the discussion was about a gray deposit on the
container. You stated to Judy that printing paper very often
does have dye in it and that they dye was probably
responsible for the deposit. You also stated that silver in
fixer would not plate out without an electrochemical
process. I asked about that and mentioned my experience
observing the plating of brass and copper using old fixer.
You answered my question, i.e., the metal supplies the
electrochemical process.
   All clear so far until you accused me of not reading your
post. I did. I asked a question in addition to the one you
answered about the dye. You answered that as I said. There
is no fight going on.
   Why should I have not asked about this? Why is it unwise?
I am not trying to start a flame war at all. As far as I am
concerned this is closed and was from the beginning because
I was not disagreeing with you in any way.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com