a photo amateur with some darkroom skills and a darkroom, but no fancy lab equipment, can handle this liquid with or without gloves and shall not expect nasty surprises like
- Fumes that hurt or damage one's eyes or create a breathing hazard
- Serious and irreversible skin/eye damage if acid splashes onto skin/eye even if it is immediately and thoroughly washed off with cold tap water
- Violent reactions when because of inattention or by accident water is added to the concentrated acid
- Excessive heat when diluted 1:1 with water (the right way)
- Spills to the floor in moderate quantities (<100ml) can only be handled with hazmat equipment and/or with outside expert assistance
- ...
at which concentrations Acetic Acid is safe to handle.
My sense is that the hardener solution included with Kodak Rapid Fixer (Part B) is also strongly acidic. Can anyone advise how it compares to that 28% figure?
I've seen gallon jugs of it on upper shelves in at least one sort-of-local store, and thought that that presentation choice was somewhat unwise.
Do not assume that white vinegar is always 5% acetic acid. Some cheaper brands are only 4%. This can make a difference when using vinegar for stop bath. However the label should indicate the strength.
Kodak gave this recipe in their Darkroom Guides for making 28% acetic acid. Add 3 parts of glacial acid to 8 parts of water.
I didn't know acetic acid was flammable. Hmm..learn something new every day. Actually, anything is flammable I suppose at one point. But I had no idea that GAA was, in the standard fire scenarios of every day life.
Plenty of substances will never burn. Water, carbon tetrachloride, and anything inorganic. They might decompose, but that is not the same thing as burning.
I did not know hydrogen was organic?
Don't forget, chemical burns can be as bad or worse than skin contact, especially w/ stop baths. The first time that I got a full whiff of Kodak stop bath up both nostrils was painful and scary. There's a big difference between stock solution and working solution, and I wouldn't underrate the damage that acetic acid could do if it got in an eye or mouth, especially the eye. It's why I keep large printed darkroom instructions on the bathroom walls when I'm in there wet printing, as well as MSD sheets on everything toxic in the house. Mistakes happen.
I have some acetic acid in a powdered form in a baggie (more like salt crystals than fine powder) for when my vinegar is gone, and the scheme is to go w/ 1% to 2% dilution. Sometimes I don't use a stop bath at all for negs, just a couple of tank fills from the tap. That water bath time could be factored back into the development regime to achieve your previous results.
I think everybody here in this thread (and I daresay even everybody here on APUG) is aware that sticking one's nose or bare hands into random photographic liquids is generally a Bad Idea (tm). There is a big difference, though, between "watch out what you do" and "avoid this liquid if you can", and I wanted to know at which concentration Acetic Acid goes from the first to the latter stage. Evidently Acetic Acid is commonly sold to amateurs in the latter stage, and we should be aware of this.Don't forget, chemical burns can be as bad or worse than skin contact, especially w/ stop baths. The first time that I got a full whiff of Kodak stop bath up both nostrils was painful and scary. There's a big difference between stock solution and working solution, and I wouldn't underrate the damage that acetic acid could do if it got in an eye or mouth, especially the eye. It's why I keep large printed darkroom instructions on the bathroom walls when I'm in there wet printing, as well as MSD sheets on everything toxic in the house. Mistakes happen.
Unless you live in an igloo, I somehow doubt that this is Acetic Acid in your baggie. Chances are you have Citric Acid.My acetic acid is in a powdered form in a baggie (more like salt crystals than fine powder).
The reason I started this thread was my article about conversion of color BLIX concentrates/powders into separate bleach&fixer setups. The bleach part will need pH adjustment which can't be done with vinegar or tap water, and someone has pointed out to me that Formulary sells Acetic Acid in 99% concentration only. The safety implications of this product have been cleared up here in this thread (thanks, Jerry!), and the recommendation to dilute such a batch down to at least 80%, or even better 25-30% should eventually find its way into the article, or at least its comment section.When the vinegar's gone, the scheme is to go a 1% to 2% dilution w/ that. Sometimes I use no stop bath, just a couple of tank refills from the tap. If you wished, tap water bath-time could be factored back into development regime to achieve previous results.
Kodak gave this recipe in their Darkroom Guides for making 28% acetic acid. Add 3 parts of glacial acid to 8 parts of water.
You may be right, but what should one do if it's the only form sold by Formulary? A Saturn V without payload couldn't bridge the gap between theory and practice sometimes ...Glacial is way too dangerous to buy, YMMV.
Glacial is way too dangerous to buy, YMMV.
You may be right, but what should one do if it's the only form sold by Formulary? A Saturn V without payload couldn't bridge the gap between theory and practice sometimes ...
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?