How not to buy a thermometer....

Steve Smith · Oct 6, 2011

I broke my thermometer a while ago and went to get a replacement last night. I was in a hurry as I had a bus to catch so I went into a local home made wine supplies shop where I bought the last thermometer.

I found one, paid for it and left.

On the bus on the way home I had a look at it and it would appear tha I picked up a hygrometer instead!

I'm going to have to make some more wine now to get some use from it!

Steve.

Rick A · Oct 6, 2011

Yumm, you've inspired me to make some wine.

guitstik · Oct 6, 2011

Rick, that's wine not whine.

AgX · Oct 6, 2011

Steve, you better not drink that wine before you get yourself that thermometer next time.

Rick A · Oct 6, 2011

guitstik said:
Rick, that's wine not whine.

I've got nine kids, I know the difference.

Paul VanAudenhove · Oct 6, 2011

I thought the punchline was going to be 'It tastes funny!' lol

CGW · Oct 6, 2011

As things are going, grapes have a better chance than film. Smart buy.

thedancefloor · Oct 6, 2011

I find thermometers are like religions. I have five that all read differently, and I don't know which one to believe!

Steve Smith · Oct 6, 2011

thedancefloor said:
I find thermometers are like religions. I have five that all read differently, and I don't know which one to believe!

That's why it's a good idea to have only one (until it breaks).

Steve.

Mike Wilde · Oct 6, 2011

I bought a batch of a dozen of more scienctific lab grade thermometers at a clearance auction for $40 this past spring.

5-6 were cracked. Of these I carefully while outside dressed in mondo PPE salvaged the mercury, and turned it in to the HHW depot.

One good one is neat; it runs from -10C to 400C and is about 2 feet long. I will reserve it for the next time I need to better judge the temperture of the product condensing off of the still. (ha ha, not busy with that a the moment; I have more than 10l of a 20l batch 40% ethyl still stockpiled for quick drying film, an other more relaxing endeavours.)

One is made for biological processes. It is 4" long, and is calibrated between 36 and 43C. It now lives in the output of the circulating pump for my e-6 and c-41 tempering bath with a sharpy marker dot over the 100F equivalent.

The most useful one is good for -10 to 100C, and is long enough to be calibrated in 0.2C increments. It is now my reference thermometer, against which a host of other lesser ones in the darkroom are calibrated against. It does not come out of its protective sleeve very often, for it is long and fragile.

pcyco · Oct 6, 2011

hallo

i have one thermometer and thats ok because the workflow is calibrated to it
--
thomas

Jeff Kubach · Oct 6, 2011

Will this be considered a heated discussion.

Jeff

Klainmeister · Oct 6, 2011

I think, given the original post, it will be a buoyant one instead.

ROL · Oct 6, 2011

Steve Smith said:
I'm going to have to make some more wine now to get some use from it!

It might serve as a stocking stuffer for your wife as an early warning system for those "bad hair days".

John Koehrer · Oct 6, 2011

Jeff Kubach said:
Will this be considered a heated discussion.

Jeff

Chill out, dude!

Jeff Kubach · Oct 6, 2011

^

^

Jeff

paul ron · Oct 8, 2011

Put all your thermometers in boiling water n see what the difference are between em? 212°F (sea level)?

Martin Aislabie · Oct 9, 2011

I have a reference thermometer which I don't use for anything except calibrate my other thermometers against

I then have about 6 or 7 thermometers which I use and they all read the same temperature within 0.2C of the master.

Inevitably we all loose a thermometer every so often through accidental damage - but this way I maintain my processing temperature

Martin

guitstik · Oct 9, 2011

I just use my finger, it's calibrated.

Gerald C Koch · Oct 9, 2011

paul ron said:
Put all your thermometers in boiling water n see what the difference are between em? 212°F (sea level)?

It is better to check them against a mixture of water and ice. Make sure that the ice and water have equilibrated. Good thermometers will have a line showing where the liquid should reach. By using ice the temperature is not dependent on altitude.

Gerald C Koch · Oct 9, 2011

Steve Smith said:
I broke my thermometer a while ago and went to get a replacement last night. I was in a hurry as I had a bus to catch so I went into a local home made wine supplies shop where I bought the last thermometer.

I found one, paid for it and left.

On the bus on the way home I had a look at it and it would appear tha I picked up a hygrometer instead!

I'm going to have to make some more wine now to get some use from it!

Steve.

Does this qualify as a freudian slip?

guitstik · Oct 9, 2011

No, a Freudian slip is worn under a Jungian skirt.

Coffeehound · Oct 9, 2011

guitstik said:
No, a Freudian slip is worn under a Jungian skirt.

My question is: Does one buy a Freudian Slip at Victoria's Secrets or Friedrick's of Hollywood?

Jackie

Photo Engineer · Oct 9, 2011

Was it a rectal hygrometer?

PE

Worker 11811 · Oct 9, 2011

Gerald C Koch said:
It is better to check them against a mixture of water and ice. Make sure that the ice and water have equilibrated. Good thermometers will have a line showing where the liquid should reach. By using ice the temperature is not dependent on altitude.

Three words: Triple point cell.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tackling-the-triple-point

How not to buy a thermometer....

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