Mansfield "Photo Chem Lab" (1941)

AgX said:

I already presented Tito's lab...

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Have you a link to this, please?

foc said:

Have you a link to this, please?

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No idea. One of my posts of the last two years.

AgX said:

Finally we ended in nostalgia. More of this.

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It happens more frequently as one passes by a certain age. I'm not going to buy an Ansco tank but I did buy a Starmite a few years ago, just to decorate a shelf. (I suppose I should shoot with it....)

My remark was in full earnest. I like reading about how things were done in the/our past.

OK, (yes I am a Bit Crazy) I looked for the BOOK. "Solutions for your Photographic Problems by J. Victor Mansfield PH.D. second edition 1942" found one copy on E-bay and The Ebay seller mailed it immediately and it spent a Month in the USPS system before finaly being delivered to the Global shipping program in Hebron KY. It was transshipped to me this week, and left at my front door.

having read it today, I am not sure how to classify it. The Book is set up as a series of experiments. It assumes that the reader is used to doing darkroom work with packaged chemicals. One experiment for example has the user mix up a series of developers each omitting things like the restrainer, another without the preservative. and doing tests. the book even has places to paste in your sample prints and negatives from each experiment (fortunately none were pasted in the copy that I received)

the last section does have some typical formuals of the time, right up to a Uranium Intensifier. (noting that the intensified image is not completely permanent)
another appendix seems to be trying to explain how to convert formulas from grams to Grains, and Liters to ozs. (even from Grams per liter to grains per quart) (no wonder the states has such trouble with achieving metric conversion)

All in al and "Interesting" 117 pages. most of the experiments suggest making about 4 oz batches of the chemicals, so it is likly that the Kit shown would have sufficient ingredients to JUST do the experiments.
the other funny thing is that the formulas are given Generic names. like "Borax type negative developer" which looks a LOT like D76.Amadol and Pyro as also represented in teh formulas. (which fortunaly have both the Grains/onces and well as the metric versions.

Interesting read, proably too far from modern day reality to hod other than a collectable. You see what you folks have me wasting my money on.....

I am sorry... But nonethless I like the concept.

"One experiment for example has the user mix up a series of developers each omitting things like the restrainer, another without the preservative. and doing tests."

Would not this already be applicable today? And I am not sure what makes you think that the set is "too far from modern day reality" ?

AgX said:

Would not this already be applicable today? And I am not sure what makes you think that the set is "too far from modern day reality" ?

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It's certainly applicable to anyone who wants firsthand experience with the function of the various components of a developer. But the reality is the majority of people (1) have no interest in film photography and, of the people who are interested, (2) almost no one has interest in photographic chemistry. So, it would fail as a product - almost no one would buy it.

Also, kids' chemistry sets now consist of vinegar and baking soda and food colouring, since the world has done its best to convince everyone that nothing is safe.

Reminded me of my first excursion into darkroom work......a "Johnsons of Hendon" contact printing kit: 9x6 cm Velox paper and plastic printing frame, with packets of developer and fixer powder, and plastic print tweezers It suggested working in dim artificial light using soup bowls for dishes, and it actually worked rather well. (Still have the printing frame, which I've used occasionally to hold small pieces of paper or film in the darkroom.)

I agree with Don's comment on kids' chemistry sets.....no fun any more. :-(

Don Heisz said:

Also, kids' chemistry sets now consist of vinegar and baking soda and food colouring, since the world has done its best to convince everyone that nothing is safe.

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Those were the days:


But to be fair, these kits were for the advanced teenager, not for kids.


And I never had one at all, but only two electronics kits.

AgX said:

And I never had one at all, but only two electronics kits.

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I never had one, either, but I truly wanted one. Anyway, I guess now people would think kids would be brewing up meth amphetamine with one of those....

AgX said:

Would not this already be applicable today? And I am not sure what makes you think that the set is "too far from modern day reality" ?

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first of all the Grains and Oz formulas in the experiments would be hard to do, and I don't think anyone still has Contact Paper. He praises Amidol and Glycin. (which are great but rather hard to get these days. He does say that Glycin keeps well in soution, but does not metion it is hard to store as a powder.)
and some of the formuals are ragther old and contain chemicals like sodium Cyanide (described as an Extreemly poisonous subtance and should be handled acordingly)

AgX said:

Those were the days:

https://illumina-chemie.de/upload/504_583635507570423824c3be.jpg

https://illumina-chemie.de/upload/504_12523208695704238c80eef.jpg

https://illumina-chemie.de/upload/504_2039600142570423b33cf57.jpg

But to be fair, these kits were for the advanced teenager, not for kids.


And I never had one at all, but only two electronics kits.

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I had the electronics kits in the late 80s and the medium chemistry kit around 1990.

Burning a small amount of sulfur to learn the smell of SO2 and characterise its acidity with wet litmus paper was part of it.

That unpleasant smell of the SO2 family is what you find in acidic fixers, amongst others. Give me that pleasant smell of ammonia any day!