Chemicals & safety

What's in the bottles

Darkroom chemistry is a set of working solutions. Most are mild; a few deserve respect. Know which is which before you pour.

The lineup

developer   mildly alkaline, the active step
stop        weak acid, halts the developer
fixer       dissolves unexposed silver
blix        bleach + fix in one (color)

Safety

Wear gloves, work ventilated, label every bottle, and never pour chemistry where it drains into drinking water. Store cold, in the dark, dated.