How available are chemical in the EU?

gazinwsx · Jan 5, 2015

Hello all,

I'm looking for a bit of help - any info will be gratefully received.

I've not been doing much photography in the last few years for various reasons but I used to play a lot with alternative processes. With retirement (or semi-retirement, anyway) looking like a reality in the next few years, my plan was to find somewhere to live with space for a darkroom, retrieve all my old stuff from storage and get back into alt-photo stuff.

However, I've heard a couple of people talking about a number of useful chemicals being 'banned' in the EU later this year and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me more? I've Googled all the words that I can think of but haven't found anything that seems to give me an answer or to be changing in 2015.

Can anyone give me a steer on what to stock up on if it's going to go the way of incandescent light bulbs!

Many thanks in anticipation.

Gaz

darkosaric · Jan 5, 2015

Welcome to APUG .

You want to mix your own developers? Commercial stuff is available in EU (fotoimpex.de and macodirect.de are good shops where I buy online)...

David Allen · Jan 5, 2015

If you are in Europe and need chemicals then go to:

Fototechnik Suvatlar
Simrockstr.178a
D-22589 Hamburg

Tel.040 / 39 57 09 und 040 / 39 79 31
Fax: 040 / 39 19 08 66
Mobil: 0173 / 60 11 77 2

E-Mail: fotosuvatlarlive.de

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de

paul_c5x4 · Jan 5, 2015

Potassium/Ammonium Dichromate is already on the "unobtainable" list, although there are sources via ebay. Borax & Boric Acid are no longer available to the general public for domestic use, but both can be obtained from (most) commercial suppliers.

Of the more common chemicals that we use on a regular basis, I suspect Hydroquinone will be the next one to be "banned" - This will most likely be in response to certain ethnic groups that insist on brewing their own skin whitening concoctions and inflicting lasting damage on themselves and others in the process. As with the other chemicals already mentioned, I doubt it will prevent people from advertising & selling via ebay.

I would suggest making a list of all the raw chemicals that you think you might need, consult the current EU REACH list and perhaps start hoarding some of them.

Oh, and if you come across Glycin or Amidol at a reasonable price, please let me know.

AgX · Jan 5, 2015

You have EU regulations and national laws. Also different kinds of dealers and staggered restrictions.
All quite complicated.

Use those hints above. Otherwise look through the listings of the various chemicals dealers and their sale requirements. Best would be if you have such locally, but these are vanishing.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 5, 2015

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

MDR · Jan 6, 2015

It's not the EU in this case it's the individual countries that try to block the access to chemicals. National governments often like to hide behind the EU while in reality they are culprits. In Austria we have a 600 page I kid you not list/book of chemicals that require a Giftschein/poison permit. To get such a permit you have to go to a course that costs 4000. Less than 50 years ago a lot of chemicals used for photography that are now banned were part of chemistry sets or crystal growing kits for schoolchildren. The march of the nanny state or I suspect more the march of the corporations that want to make it impossible for people to make things themselves everything has to be premade by a big company that helps fund political campaigns. I still can get most chemicals to make developers and basic alt processes but nothing that contains the word chrome. Another problem is "the fear" from terrorism can't get TEA without filling out a lot of paperwork.

Don't understand why you wouldn't be able to get Borax I can get it in most Drugstores without a fuss maybe it's the UK

Politicians and Governments

TheMissingLink · Jan 6, 2015

hi Gaz,

depending on what you are planning to use:

for wet plate go to

http://www.mamut-photo.com

hope that helps

Horst

Alan Johnson · Jan 6, 2015

Here is the UK situation re Borax from a reputable supplier:
http://mistralhowto.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/is-borax-about-to-be-banned-in-uk.html
Metaborate appears to be no longer available from any UK based supplier but can be shipped in,it may be that the lack of a UK source resulted from low demand rather than a ban.

Regular Rod · Jan 6, 2015

eBay is a good place to start if you know what you want exactly.

RR

paul_c5x4 · Jan 6, 2015

Alan Johnson said:
Metaborate appears to be no longer available from any UK based supplier

I purchased a kilo from FastChem via their ebay store late last year. Possibly not the cheapest, but at least they can supply it.

gazinwsx · Jan 12, 2015

Many thanks for all the info and suggestions - and sorry for the delay in offering the thanks, unfortunately some unexpected work got between me and the computer.

It sounds like all is not lost quite yet then. But as Regular Rod suggests, I need to get the recipe books out again and stock up on the things that I want to play with in the future. I used to do gum bichromate, cyanotype and salt prints - with varying degrees of success - but I thought I might try some more exotic processes out too. I'll take a look in some of my old books to see what looks feasible and put the shopping list together!

Hopefully I'll be able to share the results before too long!!

How available are chemical in the EU?

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