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More and more film fun with something other than a Leica M

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Thank you all! I am glad you like them...I am pretty fond of the first one...

Matt -- it's mostly the lab and printing service...it puts me in touch with a lot of artists and creative types and they tend to be very well styled! Also, I think people here tend to have fewer clothes, but nicer ones than in the States. It is not really a stigma to be seen in the same thing twice here, so people focus on buying very nice clothes and wearing them frequently.
 

JimCollum

Member
Matt, 2nd one is stunning!


TXP 320 developed with Pyrocat
shot with Hasselblad & 50/2.8




TXP 320 developed with Pyrocat
shot with Hasselblad & 80/2.8




TXP 320 developed with Rodinal
shot with Hasselblad & 50/2.8

 
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Stuart Richardson

Active member
Those are beautiful Jim! I really like the look you are getting with pyro. Be careful though! That stuff is really not good for you. At all. I hope you are wearing gloves, an apron and glasses.
 

Maggie O

Active member
Those are gorgeous!

What's TPX? I Googled it and came up with almost nothing. Is it Tri-X? Oh, and what's pyrocat, aside from something that must be terribly nasty?

Safety aside, I think I prefer the tones and edges you got with the Rodinal frame. By just a hair, tho'.
 

Jeremy

New member
I really like the look you are getting with pyro. Be careful though! That stuff is really not good for you. At all.
Please explain why pyro is any worse for you than many of the other developers we use in analog processes. I disagree and have heard this many times before: that pyro is worse. I was trained to work in a chemistry/neuroscience laboratory and have spent much time with MSDS sheets. There is no more danger using pyro than any other developer when simple and effective safety measures are used.

Here's a discussion of pyro developers printed in View Camera magazine:

"Pyrogallic acid is toxic but one must be careful in interpreting MSDS: mostly they are written for industrial users of substances who use and store them in very large quantity.

Pyro is a sensitizer and can cause very strong skin reactions. It should be kept out of the eyes for the same reason. It is capable of causing life threatening damage if ingested in fairly large quantity. It will irrate the lungs and respiratory system if inhaled. Pyro can penetrate the skin but so can many other substances used in photography.

There have been NO studies of the chronic effects of Pyro exposure. Pyro is no more hazardous than several other developing agents. It should be treated with respect but there is no unusual hazard in using it.

Since airborne Pyro is dangerous to breath in its wise to mix Pyro developers while wearing a dust mask and facial protection. You should wear nitrile gloves. Try to avoid getting the stuff into the air. It is in light flakes which become airborne easily so some care is needed.

Mixed Pyro developers are only moderately hazardous but its a good idea not to get your hands into it. Use nitrile gloves (latex is not good enough and some people are sensitive to latex). You don't need a dust mask to use the mixed developer, it is only the airborne flakes which are hazardous. Another reason for using gloves is that Pyro produces a very persistent brown stain on anything it is on when exposed to the air including your hands and cloths."

From http://www.viewcamera.com/pyro.html
 

Jeremy

New member
That sounds a lot nastier than Rodinal or D-76.
Rodinal's active ingredient (p-aminophenol): Possible mutagen and teratogen. Risk of irreversible effects. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through skin. Eye, skin and respiratory irritant.

D-76 active ingredients (metol & hydroquinone): Toxic. Harmful by ingestion and if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Danger of serious long-term effects by repeated subacute exposure. Possible sensitizer. & Possible carcinogen. Severe skin irritant; allergen. Harmful by inhalation and ingestion. May cause sensitization. Eye and respiratory irritant.

Maybe it just sounds nastier because no one talks about Rodinal or D-76. The oral LD50 for metol is actually worse (takes less chemical to reach a lethal dose 50% of the time for a mouse when administered orally) than that of catechol.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Jeremy -- I am no scientist, I just go by the MSDS, and pyrocatechol has a nasty one, especially since most people mix it from a powder as you mention. Rodinal is also nasty stuff, but it is used in minute quantities and is already in a liquid concentrate. I would certainly agree with you that you should wear a dust mask, rubber apron, glasses and nitrile gloves when mixing, as well as all but the dust mask when using the liquids. That is what I do. I also choose to use Xtol because it is a very good developer that is also one of the least toxic, being based on Phenidone and sodium ascorbate.

I would also say that since there are no longterm studies on the effects of pyro that makes it even more risky as a developer if you are going to be using it regularly!

P.S. Here is an excerpt of the MSDS:
"Potential Acute Health Effects:
Extremely hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Very hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer, permeator). The amount of tissue damage depends on length of contact. Eye contact can result in corneal damage or blindness. Skin contact can produce inflammation and blistering. Inhalation of dust will produce irritation to gastro-intestinal or respiratory tract, characterized by burning, sneezing and coughing. Severe over- exposure can produce lung damage, choking, unconsciousness or death. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or, occasionally, blistering.
Potential Chronic Health Effects:
Extremely hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Very hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer, permeator). CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. The substance is toxic to lungs, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. Repeated exposure of the eyes to a low level of dust can produce eye irritation. Repeated skin exposure can
produce local skin destruction, or dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of dust can produce varying degree of respiratory irritation or lung damage. Repeated or prolonged inhalation of dust may lead to chronic respiratory irritation."
http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924768

Anyway, I think we would all agree that you need to be very careful with any of this stuff. I used to be more cavalier about this stuff (but still fairly careful) until I started the lab and now I am around it every day. It did not take me very long to develop a persistent rash on my hand, I still do not know if it was from the latex gloves or a solution. Now I have read more on darkroom safety and am always in nitrile gloves, and apron and glasses, and I have a broad-spectrum respirator for mixing powdered chems.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
TXP -- unfortunately it is now discontinued. It was a 120 and 4x5 version of Tri-X that had slightly different gradation than TX -- it was more geared towards studio photography. I believe it had better highlight separation but more likelihood to blow the highlights in difficult light. I never shot it too much, but it certainly works well for Jim!
 
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