m e g a p e r l s

I have been trying to figure out what to do with used fixer chemical other than pouring it down the drain.

Some web research showed that the following is the proposed, most environmentally acceptable (silver thiosulfate is toxic in minute concentrations) method of disposal:

Chemically, the key to the process is Na₂O₄S₂ Sodium dithionite (aka sodium hydrosulfite or sodium hydrosulphite), a white crystalline powder with a weak sulfurous odor. This substance will fall out the silver and separate it from the rest of the components, creating a benign liquid that can be poured into sewage.

This is how it is done: put the fixer into a canister and add the sodium dithionite, maybe around two table spoons per litre. Don’t close the canister. Put it in a well-ventilated location at around room temperature, perhaps out on the balcony, as it will produce some sulphur dioxide which happens to smell (similar to Japanese onsen - enjoy!). The silver will fall out as a black sludge of colloid silver and silver sulfide to the bottom and some to the wall of the canister. After a week or so, pour off the excessive liquid and filter the rest through a coffee filter. The black stuff that remains in the filter and the canister is silver; dry the cake and collect it for further processing or disposal. The liquid can go into sewage without any trouble.

In theory, you can collect the resulting silver and later take it to your next-door dental technician - a liter of exhausted fixer contains some three to six grams of silver - who then can smelt it down into a ring for your loved one every year or two if you have enough throughput. You can also use nitric acid to dissolve it and coat your own photographic plates.

Sodium dithionite must be stored dry, otherwise it will decompose and corrode the container it is stored in. Don’t inhale the dust (mask is recommended) and wear gloves, i.e. take the usual lab precautions. Obviously don’t ingest the stuff either. Wash hands after handling. One kilogram of sodium dithionite should suffice for 80 liters of fixer.

You may have also heard of the steel wool method, which also works.

The big question is where to buy sodium dithionite in Japan? I don’t have the answer to that one yet. One would have to find sellers of chemical substances. In Europe/Germany, Mikon Mineralienkontor, a dealer in minerals, sells sodium dithionite for EUR 8.81 per kg, excluding shipping. This Japanese site (Naitoh Shouten Co.) lists 450g of ハイドロサルファイトソーダ （Sodium hydrosulfite） for JPY 1260 and 15kg for JPY 11655, but I am not sure if it can be bought by consumers.

I have decided to sell my Canon DSLR and switch to a smaller digicam that allows me to carry it around at all times.

While I am not convinced of the value of having a camera with you at all times, I have lately felt the need to ’sketch’ and take pictures on the go for later evaluation. I have also had the idea of a ’scouting camera’ in order to first approach a subject or area informally, e.g. when passing by, and then return with large format if necessary.

Could be that this is just an illusion and part of the eternal chase. Also of course there is a big financial loss involving parting with the gear (rational note to self: the loss is already there, it is just not realised until the actual sale). Nonetheless, I am feeling that things are coming together just a little more - again - and I hope that this may help me realigning a little.

As for the replacement I am considering something like the Ricoh GR Digital, mostly because of its compact size, manual controls and the 28 equiv. lens. Image quality is actually not that important this time round.

Finders/Keepers

Photos from a found SD card

I went to see this show at the Leica shop today. Can’t really call it a gallery, more of a reading room, and even that is perhaps not fully appropriate as it has canteen-like benches and tables.

The intro states that the exhibit contains images taken with the Leica M8 and sure enough there are two photos dated 2006, amongst a dozen or so predating them.

I was really surprised about how noticably different they looked in terms of colour quality. The other prints had a depth and warm richness to them, which those didn’t have.

Obviously we cannot tell whether this is the result of a technological limitation of the camera or printer, or the artist’s intention. In fact, it may not be seen as a limitation at all - perhaps this is what things look like now. Nonetheless, for a subject matter named American Colour to be only a little bleak, it raises some interesting questions.

Perhaps there is dry brightness after all? Or are we just seeing differences where there aren’t any, or none should be seen? Are we sticking with meaningless benchmarks of the past?

I once briefly explained my preference for film for black white photographs and the person (a non-photographer) replied that I must be the equivalent of people preferring vinyl records to CDs. I have to admit I was quite disappointed being compared to that, although perhaps there is some truth in it. The remarkable irony in the situation was that the person wore a Patek Philippe watch - the most complicated mechanical watches made.