stop bath

[Terry S]

Nat, I'm quite surprised at your experience. For when only a teenager, I used to go to Boots a lot, asking for various chemicals that I had read about in chemistry books - mostly to make fireworks! I often requested (and got!) sulphur, saltpetre and embalming fluid (to use as a film emulsion hardener) over the counter no problem or questions asked.

Like you, in my later years, I did a lot of wine making but by then citric acid, along with a lot of other things, were boxed or jarred up and were for sale, quite openly, on the shelves. I must say that I've never heard of the connection between CA and drug users before though.

Terry S

[Nat Polton]

Terry,
things were much easier going in those days.
In the sixties I was still in short trousers and at secondary school.

Boots also provided me with fireworks ingredients, but for charcoal and magnesium strip etc.we had to go to an industrial chemical supplier that had a sideline selling chemistry set spares and glassware to anyone that had the money. They don't even stock mercury thermometers now.

One lad in our class even bought a bar of laxative chocolate at Boots and handed it around to the school bullies.

As a twelve year old I had to sign the poisons register for formalin to preserve minnows for fishing baits and benzine to clean pocket watches with. Cant get benzene now, carcinogenic.

Lactose is used in home brewing to sweeten milk stout. Unlike sugar it does not ferment out, so it is an ideal sweetener.
I was quizzed in a home brew shop about that as well. around six years ago.
Apparently that is used to bulk up illegal drugs as well. The shopkeeper said half a kilo added to the drugs would bring in another grand for the dealer.

The world sure has changed a lot since I was a lad.

Cheers.

[big paul]

Just a update I have been using the Citric Acid Crystals and have had no troubles I have tested it out by putting a piece of paper in the developer in the stop bath and then turning on the light ,and it didn't go black ,also had some in my dip and dunk trays for a week and it did not go mouldy .I am well pleased and will continue to use it , and its cheap as chips .

[John King]

Originally Posted by Terry S

I must say that I've never heard of the connection between CA and drug users before though.
Terry S

Oh yes. It is used as a cutting agent with Cocaine powder so they can make more money out of what they have bought. Cocaine can be lethal if used in the pure unadulterated state, so by splitting it with a percentage of citric acid powder, they keep their customers alive and make more money out of what they have bought. Once mixed it is difficult to test what it is just by looking at it.