RE: Technical Grade Muriatic Acid

I use the sulfuric as Richard suggest, to make a tray cleaner. It also comes
in handy when I let my wife use it to teach her students about the wonders
of what it can reveal about the make up of sugar. Phosphoric is used as a
clearing bath and as an ingredient in an old soda drink at the ice cream
store, a Phosphate - soda water, flavoring and a few drops to give it a
sparkle or fizz.

NaOH does generate quite a bit of heat at mixing but I am unaware of any
additional heat in a resting bottle. It will break down over time and become
less strong or potent, but not to a degree as to be safe.

One aspect with concern to safety is not just the acids, but what you keep
them around. After having some plastic bottles give way, and spill their
contents all over, I try and keep a tray underneath where I store my bottle
to prevent a contamination that is more wide spread.

Eric Neilsen Photography
4101 Commerce Street
Suite 9
Dallas, TX 75226
http://e.neilsen.home.att.net
http://ericneilsenphotography.com
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Knoppow [mailto:dickburk@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 11:11 PM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: Re: Technical Grade Muriatic Acid
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net>
> To: "Alt list" <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
> Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 8:35 PM
> Subject: Re: Technical Grade Muriatic Acid
>
>
> > Agreed, Richard.
> > I have in my possession sulfuric, phosphoric, and nitric
> > acid (aside from glacial acetic). I have been cleaning
> > out my chems and my darkroom this weekend in order to set
> > it up, and I am a bit leery of these three...I am thinking
> > of disposing of them at the chemistry lab at the college,
> > because in all that I do alt process, I have not needed
> > them as I thought I might. They were called for in some
> > old mordancage formulae, or dye mordanting, too...although
> > I notice that they are used sometimes in pt/pd or
> > something???
> >
> > Do any of you keep this stuff on hand and, if so, for what
> > process? I am not making aqua regia...
> >
> > The only one in plastic is phosphoric, otherwise both in
> > glass. I got them from Tri Ess which is now defunct, so I
> > hate to dispose of them if I may need them for some
> > distant future process.
> > Chris
>
> Glacial acetic is relatively weak, at least compared to the
> others. I use it to make stop bath because it is a lot more
> economical than buying stop bath concentrate, which is
> either 28% or 50% acetic. I would not dispose of it.
> Sulfuric is useful for making up dichromate bleaches (or
> tray cleaner). Concentrated Sulfuric definitely needs to be
> handeled with great care. I don't know what uses the others
> have in conventional photography. I've seen one obscure
> toner formula that prescribed Nitric. If you don't use them
> its probably best not to have them stored.
>
> ---
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles, CA, USA
> dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Received on Sun Oct 9 23:40:56 2005