Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 1/26/2003
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I think investing in a box of sugical gloves is really the only safe answer. Unless you are going to develop your stuff in coffee or some other obscure process, pretty much all photographic chemicals are hazardous. I read a while ago that over time you can get a reaction like you describe, I think it was called "Metol Rash", a form of contact dermititis that is generated by the developing agent, in this case Metol.
I try not to contact the chemicals at all if I can help it, having worked in a darkroom for over 35 years. I still don't wear gloves, but I am a lot more careful.
If you have a reaction to the latex gloves which many people do, you can buy nitrile or other synthetic gloves for a bit more money.
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Nigel Smith
(K=3834) - Comment Date 1/27/2003
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Neutol is a paper developer isn't it? I'm sure the stuff I use is called that (Neutol NE and Neutol WA). Maybe it's called something similar! these names can be confusing at times!
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Charles Morris
(K=5969) - Comment Date 1/27/2003
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you might try an ascorbate developer. one commercially available product along these lines is a 2 part developer from patterson called FX-50. it has worked well for me with films like plusX, triX and FP4 ahd HP5. it does work well with t-grained films like t-max or delta, but the inherent problems of those emulsions still exist, process control has to be very precise. one side effect of this particular developer is that it allows me to shoot film at full speed. most of the other developers i have used in my workflow tend to need a little extra exposure to get the kinds of prints i like to work with.
it's a drag to have to use gloves, but i generally use nitrile gloves anyway since a lot of the toning agents are not especially human friendly. this is especialy important if you are prone to dry skin in the first place.
best of luck in your pursuits.
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Matt Oulman
(K=1052) - Comment Date 2/19/2003
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Even with surgical gloves (which are latex) you should limit contact with developers. Most gloves are somewhat porous, and will not provide complete protection.
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Timothy Sherburne
(K=599) - Comment Date 2/19/2003
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Matt Oulman wrote:
"Even with surgical gloves (which are latex) you should limit contact with developers. Most gloves are somewhat porous, and will not provide complete protection."
Yes, latex and vinyl gloves provide only a minimal amount of protection from chemicals. Nitrile gloves are a bit better, but a pair of reusable PVA or butyl rubber gloves will offer the best protection if you plan on spending a lot of time handling chems.
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John Myers
(K=4308) - Comment Date 3/11/2003
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i don't use gloves at all...but my fingers are weird. i can pull pans out of warmers/ovens that are about 200 degrees F. without flinching.
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David Doler
(K=467) - Comment Date 3/19/2003
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I use Ilfosol-S for film. I think it's ascorbic acid based too.
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Aurore Lynch
(K=1687) - Comment Date 4/15/2003
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You could always try mixing up your own chemicals. A bit of an initial investment is neccesary, but it will save you money in the long run and you have the option of making 'environmentally friendly' developers. A pocket scale to weigh to .1 grams can be had for about $40 from some very reputable dealers on Ebay. Chemicals at Photographer's Formulary will cost $40-100, depending on what and how much you buy. Safety equipment like gloves, particulate respirator, etc are all very inexpensive (like 50 cents per mask). Xtol is a good one to do yourself... a great developer that has a bad reputation for not being so reliable off the shelf. Get yourself The Darkroom Cookbook or The Film Developer Cookbook, or just go to the bookstore and browse through it to see if it sounds like something you could do. Lots of 'safe' formulas in there. Good luck.
Aurore
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