Odourless Stop Concentrate (Citric Acid) Going Bad

[Gerald C Koch]

How can anybody work in a darkroom environment that doesn't have the darkroom smell of acetic acid? Like building a model airplane without the smell of the glue and dope.

A bit off topic but ... Awhile back big brother decided that kids were "huffing" glue to get high. They required that oil of mustard be added to the glue to make its smell irritating. Sort of spoils the experience of building models for everyone else.

I realize that kids need protecting but it reminds me a bit of the old definition of puritanism: "The vague, uneasy feeling that somewhere someone is having fun." So the honest model builder or handyman is collateral damage. I don't know if mustard oil is still used but using such cements indoors was quite a challenge. Far better to limit sale of glue to adults.

 

[pdeeh]

I wish they'd ban crack. I just can't keep still

 

[john_s]

Incredibly bad advice from the manufacturer. If the microbes are capable of chewing up citric acid just think what they can do to a gelatin based emulsion. Does anyone want to infect their film or prints by attempting to use this stuff.

I hadn't thought of that- good point. I use sodium metabisulphite as paper stop in a Nova vertical slot processor. It sure isn't odorless (SO2): in a tray it would be nasty but in the Nova in a moderately ventillated darkroom it's ok. I chose it because I thought its carry-over to neutral pH fixer would be more compatible. Now I have another reason: bugs aren't going to grow in it!

I sympathise with those whose memories are activated by the small of acetic acid. We still have a commercial print processor nearby and the acetic acid aroma never ceases to bring back fond memories. But my own darkroom has its distinctive aroma (mild fixer) and I love that too.

 

[NJH]

Prompted by this thread I got my 2x 1 litre brown glass bottles of ready to use stop and fixer out of the cupboard. Holding up to the light I can see both have these tiny filaments floating about in them that certainly were not there a month ago, bugger only done a couple of rolls with them. Luckily the part used bottles of concentrate seem fine (Ilford ilfostop and rapid fixer). Tempted to get a cheap beer fridge to stash in the corner of the house somewhere for all this film stuff.