toktok
Hello. I’ve only recently started enlarging my own photos. There’s quite a lot of information available on developers, stop baths and fixers – how long they last and when they should be replaced. Unfortunately, I’ve found virtually no information on wetting agents such as ADOX ADOSTAB and rinsing aids such as TETENAL LAVAQUICK, which is why I’m asking. Do you have to mix these two solutions fresh every time, or can they be reused? I assume both must also be disposed of properly, don’t they?
€
Many thanks for your help. Florian
Lichtjahr
Hello,
Wetting agent should only be added drop by drop; it mustn’t foam.
I’ve never needed wetting agents. We didn’t even use them at photography school,
?
Best regards,
Edi
Bonderer
Adostab is a silver stabiliser for photographic film, but also acts as a wetting agent.
‘I personally just tip it away after use.’ However, I always develop several films at once – at least 5 or 6 in my case – so it’s worth making a batch.
Lavaquick and similar products are used up during use; I used to keep some of it when I was working with baryta paper. After a while, though, the solution in the bottle had gone off, so it’s not really worth it. A week might be fine, but I wouldn’t keep it any longer than that.
toktok
Thank you very much for your replies! So it’s best to make a fresh batch – what about disposal?
Morte
You can pour wetting agents like Adostab down the drain. Personally, though, I tend to reuse the solution and pour it into a bottle after use. I replace it after 10–20 films (at the latest) or if I haven’t used it for a while. And definitely as soon as you notice streaks, dirt or … in it. Incidentally, that’s exactly how I experienced it in an analogue photo lab where I used to work. There, the solution was used for various films until streaks started to appear. The stuff isn’t expensive, but there’s no need to waste it either.
Wolf_XL
...if I take the price of a litre of Adoflo as a basis, 400–700 ml of wetting agent solution – enough for 1–2 rolls of 120 film – costs me 1.6 cents... Anyone who thinks that’s too expensive might be better off finding another hobby... How much does a cigarette or a glass of beer cost again???
€
Let’s take this a bit further – i.e. if I run ten films through the wetting agent bath instead of one, I save the staggering sum of 9 x 1.6 = 14.4 cents... :-) And if I do this every week for a year – though I very much doubt that anyone here actually develops 52x10=520 rolls of film a year – I’ll have saved a whopping 52x14.4=€7.48 by the end of the year... Which means nothing other than that I’ll be a millionaire in 1,000,000/7.48 = 133,689.83 years... Wow, I’m delighted...
toktok
Great, thanks so much for your replies!
bernhardmangelsgmxde
...if I go by the price of a litre of Adoflo, 400–700 ml of wetting agent solution – enough for 1–2 rolls of 120 film – costs me 1.6 cents... If that’s too expensive for you, perhaps you should find yourself a different hobby... How much does a cigarette or a glass of beer cost again???
€
Let’s take this a bit further – i.e. if I run ten films through the wetting agent bath instead of one, I save the staggering sum of 9 x 1.6 = 14.4 cents... :-) And if I do this every week for a year – though I very much doubt that anyone here actually develops 52 x 10 = 520 films a year – I’ll have saved a whopping 52 x 14.4 = €7.48 by the end of the year... Which means nothing other than that I’ll be a millionaire in 1,000,000/7.48 = 133,689.83 years... Wow, I’m delighted...
The maths looks COMPLETELY different if you treat your films to volcanic rock-filtered water from France for the neutralising bath – even with the ‘mineral’ water from some discounters or demineralised water, you could already break the psychologically important 10-cent mark per film...
highscore
Hi
It always depends on your personal circumstances!
I also use my method several times, but not just to save 1.6 cents.
However, my house has a septic tank, and I try to put as few chemicals into it as possible. Even if they’re just surfactants.
And what I’d like to point out is: I’m not some self-righteous environmentalist who thinks they have to save the world single-handedly. :spudnikwinky:
Using chemicals sparingly is simply to ensure that the bacteria in the septic tank don’t die off!
€
Regards, Marcus
landpfarrer
Hello,
Yes, I know I’m coming across as a know-it-all now, but please do read the original questions properly.
Adox Adostab (which Florian had asked about) is not a pure wetting agent! It is an image stabiliser, and opinions are certainly divided as to whether it is actually useful. You can find quite a bit of information on our host’s product page:
http://www.adox.de/Photo/adox-chemie/hilfsmittel/adostab/
You can calculate approximate guidelines for the capacity there. However, the safety data sheet is particularly important. And as Adox Adostab consists largely of ammonium thiocyanate, you must not (!) pour it down the drain; instead, it must be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Tetenal Lavaquick also contains hazardous substances (here is the link to the safety data sheet:
https://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/images/products/media/2015_2_MSDS_DE.pdf) and should not be disposed of in household waste or the sewage system (i.e. it is also hazardous waste).
As I said, the usefulness of these products is debatable, but that is not the issue here.
Best regards, Jörg
HenningH
That said, with Lavaquick we once again run into the problem that almost every other toilet cleaner is more harmful...
toktok
Hello,
Yes, I know I’m coming across as a know-it-all now, but please do read the original questions properly.
Adox Adostab (which Florian asked about) is not a pure wetting agent! It is an image stabiliser, and opinions are certainly divided as to whether it is actually useful. You can find quite a bit of information on our host’s product page:
http://www.adox.de/Photo/adox-chemie/hilfsmittel/adostab/
Approximate guidelines for capacity can be calculated there. However, the safety data sheet is particularly important. And as Adox Adostab consists largely of ammonium thiocyanate, you must not (!) pour it down the drain; instead, it must be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Tetenal Lavaquick also contains hazardous substances (here is the link to the safety data sheet:
https://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/images/products/media/2015_2_MSDS_DE.pdf
) and should not be disposed of in household waste or the sewage system (i.e. it is also hazardous waste).
As I said, the usefulness of these products is debatable, but that is not the issue here.
Best regards, Jörg
?
Hello Jörg, which product are you referring to? Is the use of both products not recommended? Best regards
landpfarrer
Hello Florian,
I’m sure you’re referring to my comment about practicality.
It always depends on the purpose for which the prints are intended:
If you’re producing high-quality prints on baryta paper for an exhibition where it’s impossible to predict how intense the sunlight will be on the images, then I’d recommend using both methods.
If you want to produce standard prints, usually on PE paper, for personal use (including prints to hang in frames on the wall), then to me (note: this is my personal opinion!) using both would fall into the category of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I – for my own workflow – don’t need that. And that raises the question of whether you really need to use additional chemicals.
External conditions can also play a small part. With very hard (extremely hard!) tap water, it may make sense to use a wetting agent in the paper process as well. But then, if possible, a pure wetting agent without a stabilizer. With the fairly soft water that comes out of the tap here, I use Adoflo (or Agfa Agepon – the bottle just won’t run out) during the penultimate rinsing stage of the film process – drop by drop! In the paper process, this is completely unnecessary here.
For PE papers (which dry quite quickly anyway, compared to baryta), a roller dryer can be used to speed up drying. This isn’t for purists, but for me it’s a huge help in the workflow.
Best regards, Jörg
toktok
OK, that makes sense, of course. I still don’t know what’s going to happen with the photos, though. ;)
