out door darkroom for dags

[rivera1212]

hi All

i don’t a darkroom to set up B-dags so i have an idea but i need you help to see if it safe enough. i was thinking of buying from home depot a Rubbermaid tool sheds, the one that are about six tall by three feet. i figured i could build a fume hood inside and vent it out the top. with the shed door open i could then drape the doors with a dark cloth to keep it light tight. my concern is by doing this is that enough separation from the fumes. i believe the fumes will rise up and not gather around the shed. so if you guys can let me know if this sounds like a good plan

[photolytic]

You probably don’t need a fume hood for B-Dags.

So long as you fill your iodine fuming box outside the house, your exposure to iodine fumes will be minimal.

Although the theoretical concentration of iodine fumes directly above iodine crystals at room temperature (20C) is about 360ppm, based upon Iodine’s room temperature vapor pressure of 0.275 mmHg, my measurements indicated that the actual concentration of heavier than air iodine fumes at the top of my fuming box was only 0.13 parts per million, less than the 2ppm chlorine found in the average swimming pool.

http://www.healthybuildings.com/images/sce/design/Swimmers_asthma.pdf.

[rivera1212]

what about long term storage? i figured without a fume hood i would have to keep the wooden fume boxes outside once i have put iodine inside of the box. i’m new to this so i’m not sure just yet the proper way to store this stuff.

[rivera1212]

what about long term storage? i figured without a fume hood i would have to keep the wooden fume boxes outside once i have put iodine inside of the box. i’m new to this so i’m not sure just yet the proper way to store this stuff.

[photolytic]

I’ve had my glass lined iodine box in my house for 13 years. It has not lost any iodine. There is some discoloration of the blond colored wood but no odor. You must have the boxes inside and warm (20C) to get reproducible fuming times. If you are not going to be using the box for a long period of time, take the iodine out of the box and put it back in the bottle.

After all you cannot count on a fume hood to run unattended all the time without breakdown or power outage. Most Daguerreotypists only turn on their fume hoods when they plan to fume or heat up the mercury pot. Fume hoods should not be considered reliable enough for long term storage of toxic chemicals.

If you are worried about your lack of knowledge concerning the handling of iodine you should not even consider making M-Dags until you take a workshop or a chemistry course somewhere.

[rivera1212]

Photolytic,

thanks for the advice, i’m just in the planning stages because just like you stated i dont have the training just yet but i have a workshop with Jerry spagnoli in the works in july. this is an attempt to hit the ground running

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