The time my developing tank leaked chems all over my kitchen counter in Denver

I was developing a roll of Tri-X 400 last Tuesday night, set up my Paterson tank on the counter like always. First inversion, I hear this hissing sound. Then brown liquid starts dripping down the cabinets. The lid wasn't seated right because I was in a hurry. I grabbed a towel to soak it up, but the fixer already ate through the laminate in one spot. Now I gotta decide: do I just put a cutting board over it and call it patina or do I actually repair it before I lose my security deposit? Anyone else had a chemical spill that turned into a home repair project?

2 comments

2 Comments

stone.thomas13d agoTop Commenter

Denver water is notoriously hard and full of minerals, so if that fixer got into the glue seam it might actually be eating the counter from underneath now. You could try a baking soda paste to neutralize any leftover chemistry before you do anything else. A cutting board is fine for now, but security deposits disappear fast when landlords find chemical damage.

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karent7513d ago

Ugh, I feel this so much. That thought of chemical damage eating away at the counter makes my stomach drop, especially when you're just trying to fix a stupid little nick. The security deposit thing is brutal too, like you're already stressing about the repair and now you're worried about losing hundreds of dollars over a tiny glue seam. I really hope the baking soda trick helps neutralize whatever got in there, because that's an honest mistake anyone could make. You deserve a break, honestly.