Did I just blow it ??!!

[GeneW]

I just took 1L of Ilford Rapid Fixer and diluted it 1+4 to store in a 5L jug. Having always used plain ol' Kodak Fixer in the past, I figured it was good for between 9-12 months.

THEN I read the fine print. "1+4 storage: 7 days" 7 days??!! Gack! What have I done??

I could play HCB like mad for 7 days and still not begin to exhaust 5L of fixer ...

7 Days?? 🙁

Gene

 

[Dave H]

Print, baby,Print. Then print some more. Try fibre paper, thats supposed to use fixer at 4 10x8's per litre if you read certain books about archival fixing !

 

[FrankS]

Nothing you can do but print, lots. No way of "undiluting" the fixer now.

 

[GeneW]

Okay, so for film use, how do you use this stuff as a concentrate? (I think I'm heading back to the Great Yellow Father ...)

I don't have a darkroom -- just a tank for film.

Gene

 

[wlewisiii]

Well, you could do as I do. I bought a 20 lb bucket of Sodium Thiosulfate (anahydrous) and a 1 lb bottle of Sodium Sulfite.

750 ml water
160 grams Sodium Thiosulfite
30 grams Sodium Sulfite
Water to fill to 1 liter.

Shake hard to mix. Good for 25 rolls of 135/36 or 8x10 sheets of paper, shelf life of 2 months if you put the Sodium Sulfite in but will work just fine without it if you then dump at the end of each days work. Needs a good 10 minute fix but it's even cheaper than the yellow bag stuff.

William

 

[Dave H]

I usually reuse 300ml of fixer at 1:4 only twice (ie 3No 35mm films), so that would be 50No films !!!! I'd pop down the shops buy a motorwind and go and shoot some fast moving action for a change, hmmm I can see an idea forming.

 

[FrankS]

Gene, use the diluted (1to4) fixer to fix film (usually around 4 minutes) and return to its container. Use the same fixer to fix prints. Reuse until it doesn't work well anymore (film fixing time too long). You can buy a chemical in an eyedropper bottle which tests the strength of your fixer. When a white precipitate forms from a few drops dropped into the fixer, it is time to dump it.

 

[GeneW]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions! Hmmmm, that's what I get for overthrowing 40 yrs of trouble-free experience with Kodak Fixer for what I thought was convenience 😀

Gene

 

[back alley]

read this


7 days in an open tray
6 months in a bottle.

joe

 

[Fred]

Sorry Gene, I don't re-use fixer from film but do for prints, using a nova slot processor it lasts ages.


Anyway a decent test is to pour out a bit of fixer into a small glass and test it by putting the film header (that you cut off right) in it and agitating. If the header goes clear afer a while the fixer is still OK. Roughly double the time needed for the header to clear for fixing the film.

You should be fine. Hope this helps.

 

[GeneW]

You're all making me feel better. Sure I can test as I go to make sure it's still okay.

read this


7 days in an open tray
6 months in a bottle.

joe

Thanks Joe. It doesn't make this distinction on the little data slip attached to the bottle -- just says 7 days. If it's 6 months, it's probably got a shelf life similar to Kodak Fixer. Kodak estimates 6 months as well, though I use it up to a year with no bad effects.

Gene

 

[back alley]

did you click on the 'read this'?
it's from ilford and towasrds the bottom of page 5 gives the info you're looking for.

yeah, 7 days would be dreadful for storage time.
joe

 

[GeneW]

did you click on the 'read this'?
it's from ilford and towasrds the bottom of page 5 gives the info you're looking for.

yeah, 7 days would be dreadful for storage time.
joe

I meant to mention in my reply that, yes, I'd read the link you sent me. Thanks! It sounds much more normal now. Maybe they do up their little spec sheet that way just to freak out ex-Kodak users 😀

Gene

 

[Kin Lau]

Well.. you have your answer, but I did use Ilford Rapid Fixer but I'm currently on Kodak, I just buy whatever's in the right sized container (500ml to 1L) the store has at the time.

I had the Ilford Rapid Fixer in bottles for about 6mths and reused it for both film and paper. So don't worry, it'll last more than 7 days.

 

[GeneW]

Kin, thanks for the reassurances. The Ilford PDF that Joe linked has the full information. Oddly, the Ilford data sheet that is attached directly to the bottle of Rapid Fixer is misleading (attached). I wonder if someone forgot to proofread it.

Gene