Gloves when developing prints

Hi all. First post here. I have a question about gloves when developing prints in their trays.

 

Like most people I have discovered my hands are incredibly sensitive to any chemicals that may get on them during processing. However, I think my hands are also sensitive to the latex gloves I have been using as well. My fingers have been pretty gnarly lately as a result.

 

Can you folks tell me what you use to keep your hands from getting mucked up?

 

Thank you.

There are latex free gloves, physicians use them. You can also buy & use developing tongs - not bad once you are accustomed to them.

There are latex free gloves, physicians use them. You can also buy & use developing tongs - not bad once you are accustomed to them.

Yep, I definitely use tongs but sometimes the chemicals still get on my fingers

Nitrile exam gloves. We them from the pharmacy section at Costco, in their brand, Kirkland, but they're widely available under other labels. Check to make sure they are powder-free.

I see no reason to ever dump your fingers in the soup, so I suggest using good quality Print Tongs.

 

The only time I use/used Protective Gloves is when dealing with some of the more 'dangerous' Toners, and then, I still use Tongs. Maybe the more toxic 'dangerous' Toners are not available now, I don't know.

 

If you choose to use Tongs but are concerned about splashes of chemicals, then I use the Kirkland brand that Hector mentioned for other jobs: they're a thin, tactile, inexpensive glove that will offer some protection from splashes, but, I still wouldn't be jumping my pinkies into the soup.

 

WW

Edited September 24, 2019 by William Michael

You can get those disposable blue nitrile rubber gloves in a box of 50 or 100. In addition to what Hector suggests, you can probably also find em in an auto parts store, etc.

 

This is probably the best way to go. Good chemical resistance, no latex allergy risks, and relatively rugged.

 

Fwi, some developing agents, especially the color developers, are considered to be skin sensitizers. This means that someone might handle them for a long period, perhaps years, with no reaction. Then suddenly, one day, they have a severe allergic reaction - red itchy hands with broken skin, and the severe allergy never goes away (the skin heals, but any further exposure sets the reaction off right away).

 

I think that metol, a b&w developing agent, MIGHT be a sensitizer (but nowhere near as bad as the color developers). For some detailed info look up the MSDS (material safety data sheets) for the specific developer you are using. It will have sections on what's in it, what are possible hazards, and protective equipment, etc. Keep in mind that the MSDS tend to go overboard on the side of safety; to get a sense of this, try looking up the MSDS for some things you are familiar with, for example, water or table salt, etc.

 

If it seems like might be a metol reaction, might be worth looking at other b&w developers that don't use metol. (There are no other options in the case of color chemicals.) Best of luck!

 

Ps, if it's a reaction to the developer that you're having, keep in mind that tiny amounts can be spilled and leave residue behind.

I keep a towel on a hook nearby, and wipe my hands soon after they (accidentally) get wet.

 

I have never tried gloves for film or print developing, but then again have not had problems

with skin sensitivity.

 

Reminds me, that there is a system that some use, to speed the development of

some spots, by warming them up with your fingers. (That is, burning in during

development.) That only works if your skin isn't too sensitive to developer.

 

I might have tried it in my early days, and also might not have used tongs

from the beginning.

I was just thinking - maybe... some people use their hands, fingers in the chemical trays because they use (for example) a 10x8 tray for 10x8 printing. I don't do that. I use 24x 20 trays (maybe a bit bigger, I think) for 10x8 prints, hence 'sloshing around' is easy, using a pair of tongs.

 

WW

I've never been able to print well with gloves-I lose too much tactile feel with them. I keep towels next to my trays and rinse/wipe my fingers frequently. The only time I really suck it up and use gloves is when I'm using stuff that's especially toxic(I'm not handling a permanganate/sulfuric acid bleach bare handed) or am working with something that will stain.

 

I'm a chemist in my day job, and can often spend all day wearing gloves. Admittedly "danger" threshold for chemicals is different than it is for many people, and maybe that's not the best idea, but basically I spend enough time with gloves on during the day that I don't want to come home and wear them in the darkroom.

 

Print tongs work, but I do feel obligated to mention that I've been printing a lot recently on Azo, and tongs are considered a no-no for handling it. I handle it strictly bare handed. I use Dektol and not the Amidol that many people swear by for that paper, but if I did use Amidol I'd suck it up and wear gloves. That's a minor issue, though, considering that Azo hasn't been made in ~20 years.

I was just thinking - maybe... some people use their hands, fingers in the chemical trays because they use (for example) a 10x8 tray for 10x8 printing. I don't do that. I use 24x 20 trays (maybe a bit bigger, I think) for 10x8 prints, hence 'sloshing around' is easy, using a pair of tongs.

 

WW

 

I do like using trays one size larger than the prints that are going into them.

 

I got my set of 8x10 trays not so long after I started with 5x7 trays. I still have those trays

from over 50 years ago. (Both are Yankee tray sets that come in a red, white, and blue.)

 

But trays are supposed to be enough bigger than the paper, that it isn't so hard to reach them with tongs.

 

Not so long ago, I got a 16x20 Unidrum, in case I ever decide to do prints that size. I don't have three trays

that big, and if I did, they wouldn't fit in my darkroom.

haha! I also (still) have a set of 10x8 trays: red white and blue, they'd be at least 55 years old. Crikey!

mine are only 52 years old. Maybe 51 for the 8x10s.

 

But not so many years ago, I got a set of 11x14, someone was giving away, so they

are probably old, but not so old to me.

 

And I always use them red (developer), white (stop), blue (fixer), even though it might be

better to use white for the developer.

Never really thought about it - certainly never wore gloves for processing. Also had shoulder-length hair then, so chemicals got transferred to my flowing locks when I brushed hair away from my face, resulting in such random streaking I was sometimes asked which hairdresser I went to ! Now i'm happy just to have hair, and its a long time since I did any darkroom work. Had a set of white 16x20 trays, which fitted on the removeable bench panels I fitted over the bath, with the enlarger at the other end, bolted to the wall. Wrote on the trays in dark permanent marker DEV, STOP, FIX so I always used the same one. Also had something I've never seen mentioned - a dimmer switch on the safelight, so it was bright when I was lining up and focusing negs, then less so when paper was around, just in case. Ah, heady days.

I keep my hands out of the trays by using tongs. I rinse my hands a lot and dry with a clean towel.

My father retired years ago as an industrial photographer from a steel company here. He and a buddy talked a boss into letting them try a few photographs to convince the higher-ups of the need for a photo dept, it worked and they had a great time.

He never wore gloves or used tongs even in the home darkroom, printing weddings and funerals, though his finger tips were still slightly brown when he died at 106.

Personally, back in the days when I did a lot of B&W print processing my fingernails were always slightly orange. Never seemed to do any harm - I was very careful with the color chemistry, no bare hands there. Switched to tongs when a particularly attractive girlfriend commented on my nails. Can't recall how long it took the nails to grow out.

I see no reason to ever dump your fingers in the soup, so I suggest using good quality Print Tongs.

First find those elusive 'good quality' tongs that:

1) Will actually grip and turn over a print easily, and

2) Won't leave scratches and abrasion marks on the print.

 

My darkroom procedure was to have one gloved 'wet' hand that went in the dishes, and an ungloved dry hand for positioning paper, focusing the enlarger etc.

 

You might want to use a barrier cream before gloving up as well.

Agree. 'Good Quality' tongs might be hard to find nowadays, I didn't think of that. I haven't looked lately. For up to 11x14 paper mine have good grip, They're stainless steel, flat rounded ends bent at 15 degrees about 1/2" from the end, they've a really strong spring. Probably about 20 years old. No idea what they cost me.

 

WW

Agree. 'Good Quality' tongs might be hard to find nowadays, I didn't think of that. I haven't looked lately. For up to 11x14 paper mine have good grip, They're stainless steel, flat rounded ends bent at 15 degrees about 1/2" from the end, they've a really strong spring. Probably about 20 years old. No idea what they cost me.

 

WW

I never did find a pair of tongs that had sufficient grip to drag a sizeable print from the dish without leaving scratches or an imprint on the paper.

 

You'd think that rubber tips would do the trick, but no!

 

There's no substitute for human fingers IMO, even if they're inside a plastic glove.

Obviously the paper size has a lot to do with it - and the tray size too. Funny, I found that many rubber tips seemed "slippery", go figure?

 

I only ever went to 11 x14 reguarly, and I do 10x8 sometimes now, but not often nowadays do I get into a darkroom.

 

You've made me think, I did a run of 20 x 24 head-shots for a Hairdresser's Conference, that was a long time ago, and I think that I actually did dive in with my hands. Crikey I had forgotten that.

 

In 2019, there might be a boutique market for Quality Print Tongs, we sell maybe three pair a year!

My favorite print tongs are the Kostiner stainless steel ones with rubber pads. If you squeeze too hard the print drops back into the tray. There is a learning curve--if you're not careful you can scratch a print.

Tongs work better if the tray is one size larger than your largest print. It's easier to get them under the print when there's more space on the side. I used 11x14" trays for 8x10's, and occasionally for 11x14 prints. I even did a few 16x20" prints by looping it under a wooden dowel on the diagonal, keeping it wet by moving it back and forth.

 

Bamboo tongs might be nice for some, but steel is thinner, better for separating prints from each other or the bottom of the tray.