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Doing things old school
Aug. 5th, 2023 12:00 pmA few days ago I picked up a job lot of photo gear from someone who obviously believed in doing things old school; contents included developing gear, some very large old flashbulbs, and so forth. Right at the bottom was a plastic bag containing something which I at first thought was a thin cable wound into a circle - took a closer look today and realised it was a thin metal strip, not cable, grey with a lot of white oxidation, which looked a little familiar. So just out of curiosity I cut off an inch or so, held it in pliers, and put it into a flame.
And yes, it was magnesium ribbon, which I used quite a lot when I was a technician... too oxidised to burn really well since it went out by itself before the flame reached the pliers, but an interesting reminder of how night photography used to be done before electronic flashes and portable lighting. I might try this again at night and take pictures, if I can figure out a way to do it without setting my flat on fire or choking on the smoke (magnesium oxide microparticles), unfortunately the weather's too wet to do it outdoors.
And yes, it was magnesium ribbon, which I used quite a lot when I was a technician... too oxidised to burn really well since it went out by itself before the flame reached the pliers, but an interesting reminder of how night photography used to be done before electronic flashes and portable lighting. I might try this again at night and take pictures, if I can figure out a way to do it without setting my flat on fire or choking on the smoke (magnesium oxide microparticles), unfortunately the weather's too wet to do it outdoors.
