Tool of the Devil, or Useful Darkroom Implement?

Is this the tool of the Devil?

  • Definitely the tool of the Devil

    Votes: 45 84.9%

  • Something I use occasionally

    Votes: 6 11.3%

  • Something I use every time I develop film

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • Total voters
    53

MattKing

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SodaAnt said:
There are two reasons for this. The first is that we've become an unreasonably safety-conscious society, driven, at least in the U.S., by the litigious nature of our society. If something can cause harm, however slight, it must be banned.
Click to expand...

eli's dog may have disagreed (RIP) .
Now with my moderator's hat on:
Caution - Debating the merits or problems with a safety oriented society or the roles of litigation and government in such things is definitely political and off topic on this photography site.
So let's not go there, unless it has a specific to photography component.
Moderator's hat off.
 

Don_ih

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My point was "chemistry set" was a well-known phrase, known by many people that knew nothing about chemicals and chemistry. That describes most photographers: there's no reason to know how or why D76 develops film - you just need to know that it does. So it's "chemistry" (not "chemicals") that gets the job done.
 
OP
OP

SodaAnt

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Chemistry in chemistry set is an appropriate use of the word. I have no problem with people using "chemistry" like they do in photography--there's little point in debating it--just know that it's not used anywhere else and people in the chemical industry get a chuckle out of how photographers use it.
 

Mike Lopez

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As I learned during my freshman year of college: chemistry is really physics, physics is really math, and math is, well...it was something else.
 

Sirius Glass

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I use the term chemistry to distinguish the chemicals from common household items such as dihydrogine oxide. I would never call it soup!
 

Randy Stewart

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Tool of the devil! At best, a solution looking for a problem. Anything it can do can be done more quickly and safely with two fingers.
 

BobUK

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Don_ih said:
You know, it may come from "chemistry set" - something you used to be able to get to give to kids for Xmas.
Click to expand...
Someone suggested I buy my seven years old nephew a jigsaw for a Christmas present.
By two in the afternoon he had managed to cut off four fingers.
 

Don_ih

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BobUK said:
Someone suggested I buy my seven years old nephew a jigsaw for a Christmas present.
By two in the afternoon he had managed to cut off four fingers.
Click to expand...

That's a special talent. They must've been someone else's fingers, though.

Next time, buy him a real tool: a radial arm saw. You can easily lose your entire arm to that. I have one I'll let go real cheap.
 

Sirius Glass

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