mike wilson wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Sorry folks, but I think you are not being forceful enough about
> using Glacial Acetic Acid.
>
> This is an _extremely_ nasty chemical whose _fumes_ will damage
> your eyes. I would not dream of opening a bottle in the
> confined space of a darkrooom. The smell (and the pain) could
> be strong enough for a first time user to panic and have quite a
> severe accident. It is also flammable. Working in an
> educational science department, I _always_ use a fume cupboard
> when I am diluting this chemical and wear personal safety
> protection.
>
> Without getting on a high horse, this is perhaps an opportune
> moment to remind folks about the long term effects in general of
> exposure to the sometimes exotic brews we use for
> photoprocessing. Most of us will be cantankerous enough in our
> old age without suffering the ravages of dermatitis, emphysema
> and other assorted nasties associated with chemical (ab)use.
I see you subscribe to the "protect us all from cradle to grave from any
threat or damage" school, foisted upon us by the media these past 20
years.
Many is the photographer / printer who's died of old age after spending
their life up to their elbows in sweet slippery developer, mixed their
own stop bath from stock with glacial acetic, and enjoyed the bracing
sharp smell of a tray of fresh hypo. By all means take care, but don't
have the local HAZMAT team on standby outside the house every time you
mix some chemicals.
And: eat eggs for breakfast every day; use butter, it's better; drive
5-10 mph over the speed limit to stay ahead of the a***oles who get as
frightened approaching the speed limit as Chuck Yeager did approaching
the speed of sound; if you are in a hurry to cut something up, run,
with scissors; and keep your kitchen knives razor sharp - they don't
slip as easily - and if they do, it doesn't hurt as much when you slice
into a finger; let the baby cry itself to sleep; go out onto the
country roads at 3 AM when there is 3 feet of snow plowpiled on either
side of the road, and teach yourself how to drive at speed in the
winter, and how to control those skids; eat meat done no more than
medium rare - it's delicious - but be sure to wash the slime off old
meat under hot running water before you cook it; run naked through a
mountain meadow; swim in a fast moving river; sleep under a tree in
the dark forest; develop a taste for good liquor, good wine, and great
beers; stay up all night and count the stars as you ponder the
universe and it's meaning; experiment with an illegal drug at least
thrice in your life so you'll know what you're missing; over inflate
your tires if they look too low at maximum recommended pressure; pet
strange dogs - they need love too; cook bacon naked; taste test any
strange liquid or substance to identify it as best you can; eat a live
insect; kiss a strange baby; hug a stranger hard; tear those damn
warnings off your mattresses and towels; have anonymous sex at least
once in your life; and never wear a condom after the third date.
Live life at ease, not in fear. You have surprisingly little control
over who or what will kill you in the end. (So treat your mate, and
others, kindly!)
--
JoMac, Imagineering Head
Image * I * Nation, the creative division of RMG Services NW
* * *
JoMac's corollary to McKeown's Law:
"The price of any used photographic gear is entirely dependent upon
the moods of the buyer and the seller at the time of the transaction."
-
This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe,
go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to
visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org.
