Gloves

numnutz · Jul 31, 2007

Hi - I'm just about to start some processing again normal monochrome but I also wish to do some alt processes again after 30 years and feel I should wear gloves this time.

Can anyone tell me the best gloves to purchase?

either Vinyl or Latex?

As far as I know I have to allergies to either material.

thanks in advance

nn

Dave Starr · Jul 31, 2007

I prefer the blue nitrile

Bruce Osgood · Jul 31, 2007

Nitrile powder-free. I paid about $8.00 per hundred in a local drug store

Nick Zentena · Jul 31, 2007

I've got heavy duty chemical gloves for some things but for B&W I just use tongs.

Tom Hoskinson · Jul 31, 2007

Try http://www.dontheglove.com/nitrilegloves/

Ole · Jul 31, 2007

I prefer latex; I find that they give a better grip on slippery films.

I've tried vinyl and nitrile too, but fumbled too much.

Early Riser · Jul 31, 2007

Latex can be porous to certain photo chemicals, ICP recommends Nitrile.

Ole · Jul 31, 2007

Early Riser said:
Latex can be porous to certain photo chemicals, ICP recommends Nitrile.

That's a valid point.

however - if latex stops only 95% of the "nasties", it's still 20 times better than no gloves at all. With my "fumblyness", that's the only alternative.

And it isn't as if I work full time in a darkroom either: A long session can be eight hours, during which time I'll change gloves about every hour. The it can be days, weeks or months until the next time.

Phil · Jul 31, 2007

The Costco store in my area just started carrying power free nitrile gloves - two 150 pack boxes for about $15.00. They have a light texture on the finger tips. I have not tried them in the darkroom yet, but they look like they will be good.

Early Riser · Jul 31, 2007

Ole said:
That's a valid point.

however - if latex stops only 95% of the "nasties", it's still 20 times better than no gloves at all. With my "fumblyness", that's the only alternative.

And it isn't as if I work full time in a darkroom either: A long session can be eight hours, during which time I'll change gloves about every hour. The it can be days, weeks or months until the next time.

Ole, I think the risk is mostly associated with selenium, although pyro or some alt process users might use more toxic chemicals.

Stew · Jul 31, 2007

Nitrile is safe with more chemicals than vinyl or latex.

Sportera · Jul 31, 2007

My day job is a Lab scientist in a major hospital, and I have used every glove know to man. Latex are by far the most comfortable, the nitriles are too thick and interfere with the sense of touch.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is thinking that the glove should be loose. A glove should be like a second skin,ie tight but not so tight it limits your movements. I wear a medium and Im average. The key to wearing them for long periods is a proper fit.

nworth · Aug 1, 2007

The chemicals used in photography do not bother most people and are not generally dangerous. Even selenium can not be absorbed unless you have an open sore. Pyro and pyrocatechol can be absorbed, but not easily, through the skin, but the concentrations generally used do not pose either a long or short term hazard. That said, I know a surgeon who does have a particular sensitivity to photographic chemicals. He uses surgical latex gloves and gets along fine - and he does put his fingers in the solutions. The latex gloves are nice because you can buy them cheaply by the box. Nitrile is more resistant to chemical penetration, but the nitrile gloves also are more expensive and tear more easily.

In general, you probably don't need gloves, unless you have a particular sensitivity. For the occassional times when you might want to use them, ordinary kitchen gloves or disposable gloves (either latex or polyethylene) should do fine.

Akki14 · Aug 1, 2007

I use plain ol' marigolds. They have a nitrile coating and list the various levels of what they can handle on the side. This seems cheaper in the long run and i don't end up with loads of disposible gloves that rip and tear all over my bathroom.

Technically speaking you should have a separate pair of gloves for each alt process (and brushes etc).

panastasia · Aug 1, 2007

The chemicals used in photography do not bother most people and are not generally dangerous.

Question: How would one know if they have a particular sensitivity to a photo chemical?

I ask this question because it took many years of sloshing around in print trays with bare hands to discover that I was sensitive to a trace element found in developers containing Metol. I developed a skin disorder (very local on both thumbs) that progressed very gradually, over a 25 year period, and persists to this day. I recommend gloves or tongs for processing prints or negatives in open trays.

MenacingTourist · Aug 1, 2007

I wear nitrile as an added measure but hardly need them when processing with Jobo expert drums. Mine are purple and I like purple. They were also free

CBG · Aug 1, 2007

Ole said:
... however - if latex stops only 95% of the "nasties", it's still 20 times better than no gloves at all. ...

I wonder, if, say, a given set of gloves is not 100% impervious, wouldn't it be worse than nothing, since once chemicals get inside, would not the gloves tend to keep chemicals in close contact with the skin?

Just a conjecture.

C

Ole · Aug 1, 2007

No - it's not like you are filling the gloves with chemicals. What gets through gets through by diffusion, which is a slow process.

Monophoto · Aug 1, 2007

The blue nitrile gloves tend to be more effective. Also, if this matters to you, it is possible to reuse them many times whereas latex gloves tend to get damaged the first time you take them off.

I find vinyl gloves to be very uncomfortable. They don't stretch, so it's difficult to put them on.

I use gloves for processing sheet film mainly to protect the film from contact with my fingers (and fingernails). I also use them for Pt/Pd processing and for toning silver prints where I commonly put my hands into the chemicals. But for standard silver printing, I use tongs rather than gloves, and I don't worry about occasionally putting my hands into those chemicals.

panastasia · Aug 1, 2007

I recall how Ansel Adams described, in his writing, how he knew his stop bath was working by the way the print felt to his touch - it was in the bath long enough when it no longer felt slippery. I'm not sure if that can be done with gloves on.

Akki14 · Aug 1, 2007

panastasia said:
I recall how Ansel Adams described, in his writing, how he knew his stop bath was working by the way the print felt to his touch - it was in the bath long enough when it no longer felt slippery. I'm not sure if that can be done with gloves on.

It can, surprisingly enough, because I do it sometimes to double check (10 seconds for RC is sometimes seemingly conservative as far as timing). It's surprising because I was taught alkaline substances feel slippery due to it dissolving the top layers of your skin... but you can still feel this through gloves (and the almost squeaky feeling a stopped print has).

panastasia · Aug 1, 2007

Akki14 said:
It can, surprisingly ....

I'll try it. AA used bare hands as I always did, but lately I've been using tongs. I know what he was talking about, so I can relate to what you're saying.

Dave Miller · Aug 1, 2007

panastasia said:
The chemicals used in photography do not bother most people and are not generally dangerous.

Question: How would one know if they have a particular sensitivity to a photo chemical?

Sensitivity, in my case, built up over a period of several months before I began to notice (and relate) skin rash and itching after a printing session. It eventually became so bad that, having belatedly realised that the cause was exposure to paper developer, I had to stop printing for a few months to let it clear. I then changed my processing routine to one that isolates me, as much as possible, from any exposure to chemical fumes. To achieve this I now use closed drums and trays for print development.

c6h6o3 · Aug 1, 2007

Stew said:
Nitrile is safe with more chemicals than vinyl or latex.

Other advantages:

Nitrile dries just like skin. This is very important to me when printing.
Many people develop skin irritations to latex but not nitrile.

John Curran · Aug 1, 2007

Dave Miller said:
Sensitivity, in my case, built up over a period of several months before I began to notice (and relate) skin rash and itching after a printing session. It eventually became so bad that, having belatedly realised that the cause was exposure to paper developer, I had to stop printing for a few months to let it clear.

I've read posts by other photogs who've developed allergies or sensitivity problems after many years of exposure. Also as Dave said re: paper developers, I've experienced problems feeling the finish side of Ilford MGIV satin after developing only 2 or 3 sheets in Dektol. More than once I've exposed the wrong side of the paper because I couldn't feel the finish in the dark.

John

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