Developing black and white film without using stop bath?

[MNS]

Scouring the web it seem this is possible and seem to recall my late Father saying it wasn't strictly necessary.

Being lazy, I've run out of stop bath. I can order some but I've been thinking, how much difference will make by not using stop bath. I always rinse with water after using my stop bath anyway, because it stains my fixer yellow. Just wondering what if just rinse the film in 20 °C water instead?

In case your wondering; Fomapan 100 film, developer, Rodinal 1:50 and Fomafix P. Normally I use Fomacitro Stop Bath.

Just interested to hear everyone's opinions before I either commit or just wait for the order to arrive.

 

[Ljós]

Yes, it's absolutely fine not to use stop-bath when developing black and white film. Especially so with a dilution like Rodinal 1:50. (I like this very dilution for FP4 plus.)

 

[fiddle]

Yep, Ive never used stop bath with film. I use water same temp as developer, agitate for a minute.

 

[shawn]

I just use water and rinse a few times. I process stand at 100:1 so the developer is pretty much done anyway by the time I 'stop' it.

 

[agentlossing]

I only tend to use a stop bath when using TMAX at 1+4 or Rodinal at 1+25, since the developer is more concentrated. Otherwise I do a minute in plain water.

 

[Nitroplait]

I never use stop bath. Two rinses in water. That is it.

 

[38Deardorff]

Staining developers are my go-to. I use a water stop bath with both PMK & Pyrocat HD

 

[Muggins]

Stop bath just increases the life of your fixer (which you should probably test with a bit of exposed film before you use anyway) - go ahead without or use water, either will do the job.

 

[MNS]

All the years I've developed film, I've always used stop bath for film development. That was down to my training had for my City & Guilds Photographer Assistants course I did in the 1980s.

Stop bath just increases the life of your fixer (which you should probably test with a bit of exposed film before you use anyway) - go ahead without or use water, either will do the job.

I have to admit, because I don't shot film all that often anymore, I mix fresh fix everytime. I only keep the fixer if I know I'm going to be using again soon.

Oh well, learn something new every day ...save some money, carry on! 🙂

Thanks all for your input.

 

[agentlossing]

Stop bath just increases the life of your fixer (which you should probably test with a bit of exposed film before you use anyway) - go ahead without or use water, either will do the job.

Yes, this is true. My Eco Pro neutral rapid fixer lasts a heroically long time typically.

 

[Muggins]

I've got a couple of years storage with occasional use out of made-up fixer (Ilford, in my case), using it depletes a lot faster than storing it. Though a few leader clippings or the like will put your mind at rest that it still works.

 

[Cascadilla]

If you are developing a lot of film on a regular basis your fixer will last longer if you use stop bath. if you're not, then save your money and lose the nasty odor of most stop baths. It used to be said that stop bath could cause pinholes in the emulsion, but I have never seen that with any film made in the last 40 years. My beginning photo students use it because we have a lot of volume going through the chemistry, but I haven't used it for film for decades for my personal work. And testing your fixer with film leader clippings is always a good idea--film clearing time with a piece of exposed film should be doubled for the actual fixing time.

 

[agentlossing]

And testing your fixer with film leader clippings is always a good idea--film clearing time with a piece of exposed film should be doubled for the actual fixing time.

I always give my film on the long end of what's "standard" for fixers, increasing it slowly as the age/use of the fixer progresses, but this timing technique might be more efficient. I think my Eco Pro fixer is on the faster end.

Can you over-fix film? Not drastically so, but like a few minutes over-fixing it, can that cause a problem?

 

[Freakscene]

I always give my film on the long end of what's "standard" for fixers, increasing it slowly as the age/use of the fixer progresses, but this timing technique might be more efficient. I think my Eco Pro fixer is on the faster end.

It is a good approach.

Can you over-fix film? Not drastically so, but like a few minutes over-fixing it, can that cause a problem?

Yes, but a few minutes will not overfix, particularly with modern film. The older tech your film, there more careful you need to be with a range of developing parameters.

 

[DownUnder]

The jury has long been out on stop baths.

Some darkroom workers use only water, others work with bottles of commercial bath. One or two I've known went directly from developing to fixing without an intermediate bath, but I'm only saying' - I wouldn't recommend it.

The end result was always everybody's films came out of their tanks much as they wanted them. 99% of the problems with processing/processed films have more to do with film exposure or developing mistakes.

Many decades ago an old photographer told me to use a dash of household vinegar (not the super strong cleaning vinegar) in a litter of water to stop development, then a quick water rinse to wash off the vinegar residue. It seems a little vinegar in the fixer doesn't do any harm. So. Use this vinegar stop bath a few times or for one processing session, then throw it out. It cleans and deluges your kitchen drains as it goes down the sink, so it's a win-win.

In what is left of my darkroom I still have most of a litter bottle of Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, acquired in the late 1990s. This replaced a bottle I'd had since the 1960s and finally used up. The 'secret' with Indicator Stop Bath is to mix it up highly diluted. It still does its work without any of the (supposed) risks, and from my experience it lasts as long as the full strength mix. Indicator bath has its unique colourful way of letting you know when it's exhausted.

Alas, I do so little film processing these days, that bottle and my stock of basic chemistry will surely outlast me.

 

[Cascadilla]

In what is left of my darkroom I still have most of a litter bottle of Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, I acquired in the late 1990s. This replaced a bottle I'd had since the 1960s and finally used up. The 'secret' with Indicator Stop Bath is to mix it up highly diluted. It still does its work without any of the (supposed) risks, and from my experience it lasted as long as the full strength mix. Indicator bath has its unique way of letting you know when it's exhausted.

In the darkroom at the community college where I teach, I have seen indicator stop bath that is totally exhausted--it turns purple that looks almost opaque under sodium vapor safelights. It also feels slippery at that point, which means that it isn't doing its job of neutralizing the alkaline characteristics of developers.

 

[Alpsman]

At first, I also used a stop bath. Then I read more about the subject. Since then, I've been using two one-minute water baths, and the negatives are OK for me.

 

[Hilmersen]

You have to use stop bath for some films: e.g. ADOX CMS20 according to adox. For other films I do no use it.

 

[MNS]

It used to be said that stop bath could cause pinholes in the emulsion, but I have never seen that with any film made in the last 40 years.

Now it's funny you saying that. When I was a snotty nosed student our darkroom tutor said this to us about using Stop bath, yet like you in all the time I've developed black and white film I've never seen this happen either. I do wonder where that idea came from?

 

[Freakscene]

Now it's funny you saying that. When I was a snotty nosed student our darkroom tutor said this to us about using Stop bath, yet like you in all the time I've developed black and white film I've never seen this happen either. I do wonder where that idea came from?

The 1920s and before. Before Kodak perfected the production of high bloom gelatin. It was definitely a problem then with some films and plates.