NEeds tongs and advice!

kjsphoto · Mar 10, 2005

I have been looking for tongs and I bought some bamboo ones and they fell apart after a week of use. I looked around and either I find the cheap horrible ones or the ones with the spring. I just want a pair that I control the pressure by squeezing together and ones that will not fall apart.

Thanks,

Kev

Dave Starr · Mar 10, 2005

Have you considered using gloves rather than tongs? Nitrile gloves fit snugly enough so it's like working bare handed. I switched to gloves a year ago and won't ever go back to tongs.

Wally H · Mar 10, 2005

I have used this type of tong, (bamboo), for 20+ years and never had that problem... I do remove the platsic or rubber tips though as I feel they are too hard to keep clean for long periods of use (over months of use), as chemicals might become trapped under the tip's pads, etc.)... I replace the tongs maybe every year... have never seen anything that would indicate they are coming apart... Maybe you have a bad pair and should take them back to the photo shop you purchased them from... try a pair of name brand ones if they weren't already?

kjsphoto · Mar 10, 2005

That is the problem no one really sells them. I had to order on-line. And gloves is a hassel having to take them off all the time between testing and exposing.

I do not live near photo stores so teh only way I can get anythign is mail order. Any brands you can suggest and a link to go with it?

ann · Mar 10, 2005

check with calumet, i got a set last year, steel, with padded tips, not cheap, but work very well. Kosiner i believe was the maker

Flotsam · Mar 10, 2005

These are the ones that I have used for years. They have good sensitive feel and the rubber tips give a positive hold. I just ordered a new pair because after many years, the rubber tips have hardened and started to crack and split. I ordered mine from Adorama but I've seen them on other sites.

photomc · Mar 10, 2005

Have used both the bamboo and plastic type..like both. Some think the bamboo gets contaminated with the chemicals, but to be honest, I just wash mine and never leave the tongs in the tray..just set the on a corner. The plastic ones are nice because the ends are at an angle which is nice to slip under the print..and then I just left the print out ... Have seen the metal (SS) and they are nice and are suppose to release so that you do not put to much pressure on the print. Think as others have pointed out got to Calumet or Freestyle and order a good set ... mine are labeled for D eveloper, S top, F ix, T oner...to avoid any cross contamination. May not need to, just old habits.

Reminds me, need to get a couple of new sets just to have...if these don't work, try looking in a hardware store or kitchen store..may find a good substitute you can tell us about.

Good luck..

Digidurst · Mar 10, 2005

Just curious - are the gloves you find in the pharmacy department good enough to withstand various photo chemicals?

rbarker · Mar 10, 2005

Digidurst said:
. . .are the gloves you find in the pharmacy department good enough . . . ?

Good latex ones should be OK, although the nitrile gloves are supposed to be better. I'm not sure I'd trust latex for pyro, however.

The problem with some pharmacy brands is that they are too thin, and the corners of sheet film will poke holes in them. I use "MediTouch" brand gloves made by Ansell, and they seem to wear OK.

Flotsam · Mar 10, 2005

Flotsam said:
I ordered mine from Adorama but I've seen them on other sites.

I just got my Adorama order and they must have changed their supplier. They ship another brand as their "Adorama" tongs. If I find a place to get ones that I recommended, I'll post it.

BWGirl · Mar 10, 2005

I am totally with you, Kev...I hate those falling-apart-every-10-seconds bamboo tongs. worthless.... I have some plastic ones that I adore...but I needed another pair (that's when I bought the bamboo). I looked everywhere...including kitchen stores, but one day I was walking through the grocery store, and there, in a bin of cookies was the perfect pair of tongs. I grabbed them and cornered a young kid stocking shelves. I snapped the tongs a few times and asked where the manager was. Poor kid almost fell off his plastic milk carton. When the young manager appeared, I asked him how much for the tongs. He was a little frazzled, and assured me I could just take them.... ("take the tongs, lady..please, just take them!") haha. Best darn tongs I have! Even if they do say "Voortmann Cookies" on the side!!

I've since had one of the other plastic pairs break, but I duct taped the hoolies out of them & they work like a charm. Good thing...I'd have to go back to that grocery store.

Monophoto · Mar 11, 2005

I share the concern about bamboo - they are OK provided you religiously restrict each tool to one chemical (ie, the developer tongs never touch any other chemical).
When I first started out (more than 27 years ago) I got a set of tongs similar to those used by Flotsam - still have one, but it's mate broke. Later I found a set of stainless steel tongs with rubber tips. I've looked for replacement plastic tongs without success - I also mail ordered tongs but what I got didn't have rubber tips. Recently, however, I was in a camera shop and they had the rubber-tipped plastic jobs hanging on the rack.

So my conclusion is that you can't buy them by mail - you actually have to see what the dealer has in stock.

Lee Shively · Mar 11, 2005

I guess I'm in the minority but I like the bamboo tongs. I've only had one of them to wear out after several years of use--the rubber tips wore through on those I used for developer. The other two tongs from the set are still going strong after at least three years of use.

dschneller · Mar 11, 2005

I'm in the minority with Lee, I like the bamboo tongs, and have never had the tips fall off after years of use. The ends are colour coded so I use the same colour with the same chemical each time.

photomc · Mar 11, 2005

Lee Shively said:
I guess I'm in the minority but I like the bamboo tongs. I've only had one of them to wear out after several years of use--the rubber tips wore through on those I used for developer. The other two tongs from the set are still going strong after at least three years of use.

I agree Lee S, they are just fine..there may be different mfg's of them, mine have never fallen apart..and I don't think I handle them with 'kid gloves' so I would not write them off, for the money I think they are great.

The nitrle gloves can be found at some of the home improvement stores...

Digidurst · Mar 11, 2005

photomc said:
The nitrle gloves can be found at some of the home improvement stores...

Good to know - thanks

kjsphoto · Mar 11, 2005

The tips didn't fall off they actually fell apart from the top. The plastic part that holds the bamboo sticks in place. And honestly I wouldn't buy another pair as I only had them for 3 months. They were cheap but again you get what you pay for I guess.

Thanks,

Kev

BWGirl · Mar 11, 2005

kjsphoto said:
The tips didn't fall off they actually fell apart from the top. The plastic part that holds the bamboo sticks in place. And honestly I wouldn't buy another pair as I only had them for 3 months. They were cheap but again you get what you pay for I guess.

Thanks,

Kev

I must have gotten the same ones as you cause mine did exactly the same thing. Every time I tried fishing a print out, one of the arms would fall out! Gr!

Flotsam · Mar 11, 2005

I haven't used them for years because I was tired of trying to fish my prints out of the developer with bamboo chopsticks.

NEeds tongs and advice!

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