Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The Hardener for my fixer, Kodak Rapid fix which i buy in 5 gallon cubetainers is composed mainly of surfuric acid. That's battery acid to you son or daughter. Dip you hands in that a few times like i used to when i got my first darkroom at age 13 in 1965 and you're going to find yourself with some soft fingernails. When they dry they get brittle and fall off. I think it will take off your fingerprints. And the fumes do a number on you just as fast. I love the way it makes my prints jellyfishlike completely impermeable to any retouching. Most fine art and even commercial printers learn early on to omit it from their darkrooms. Would it be the most toxic thing in the darkroom? Close. But certainly the easiest thing to leave out. That said one or two of the brainiacs on the darkroom lists advocate it's use. But its to stop their prints from sticking to the canvas in their hot heating drying drums! :) They are not using screens. There are some driers which are archival and smart to use though. Not the ones in which the print is in contact with canvas i suspect. Widely frowned upon. There are some hardeners which are not so harsh if you are into mixing your own. I'd skip those as well. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.markrabiner.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html