Is there anywhere to buy HT-2 test in the UK?

[simonhall]

Does anyone know if the HT-2 retained hypo test is commercially available here in the UK and if so where? I know that the formula is relatively simple one to scratch mix but if there were a pre-prepared product I would be very happy. Despite never really intending to take on scratch mixing, I've ended up with quite a full cupboard of chemicals and I'd prefer not to add to them. Some of the most innocuous ones are already stored less than ideally and with an 5 year old in the house I'd prefer not to add anything like concentrated acetic acid to the collection (don't worry anything remotely dangerous is under lock and key but I've really run out of space now).

Also I believe the test was originally intended to be used with a colour chart to match the stain against, does anyone know if it is possible to locate or replicate this.

I've based my washing routine for FB prints on the excellent articles by Martin Reed 'Mysteries of the Vortex' that I came across on this forum. They get 1 minute-90 seconds in 1:4 strength rapid fixer, a 10 minute rinse, 10 minutes in a home made hypo-clear and 30+ minutes in a nova washer.

I believe this should be fine but I would like to test to make sure and the HT-2 test seems like the only way to really do this.

[Martin Reed]

Simon, there used to be a lovely little HT2 kit produced by Kodak US themselves, which must have been deleted at least 20 years ago. I started doing a clone of it at Silverprint, but there was never quite enough demand of it (at least in the UK) to make it seem like a real product.

If you've got even a little bit of silver nitrate you're in business - don't worry about the glacial acetic in the formula, it's diluted down so far even vinegar might do the job. The printed chart Kodak provided was also a bit quasi over-the-top scientific, basically if it's more than the lightest straw colour it's insufficiently washed.

[Martin Erdner]

http://www.fotospeed.com/Darkroom-Es...s/products/16/
Residual Hypo Tester

I got mine from Austria (slightly cheaper, especially regarding delivery, for me), and it does the trick.

[simonhall]

Thank you both for your help. I'm glad to find somewhere that sells it as a pre-mixed product.

Saying that, I'm now not convinced that scratch mixing it might not be the way to go. The Fotospeed product probably contains 0.5g of Silver nitrate and would be £21 including delivery. I can get 25g of Silver Nitrate for about £16 online. If I can really just use 5% acitic acid then it doesn't seem like a big issue to mix it up at home.

Thanks, once again.

Simon

[Miha]

Peter Hogan sells it: http://www.monochromephotography.com/section233146.html

[simonhall]

Thank you Miha but unfortunately those aren't the product i'm after. They test for fixer exhaustion and incomplete fixing. I'm looking for the HT-2 which tests for retained Thiosulphate from incomplete washing.

[Miha]

Oops, my bad, I should have read your post more closely.