Ilford Rapid Fixer - for film AND for paper ?

[Joao]

Being almost ready to start printing, I have two questions about Ilford Rapid Fixer:
1) The IRF is said to be apropriate both for film and for paper at 1+4 dilution. Can I use the diluted fixer from the same bottle for film and then for paper and later again for film ? Or is it better to have two separate bottles for different uses ?
2) If I use it mostly (or only) for paper, is there a way of checking if the fixer is or is not exhausted ?
Thank you
Joao

 

[ChrisN]

I use two separate bottles: one at 1+4 for film, the second at 1+9 for paper.

Standard test for fixer exhaustion is to drop a piece of exposed, undeveloped film into the fixer and see how long it takes to clear. Start with a single drop of fixer on the film and leave it for 60 seconds. Then drop the film into the fixer and swirl it around. Good fixer will clear the film in one to two minutes (to the point that you can't see the difference across the film).

 

[caasols]

I use this fixer for paper and film, it's great and really cheap. I buy the 5L jugs for 19€ so as you can see, it's pretty great.

I do a solution of 1L and use it for 6 films. After that I do a new solution.
I use the fixer for 5mins + 2mins, agitating for 30 seconds each minute. The extra 2 minutes are only used if the film is not properly fixed or if it still shows some purple color.

For paper I generally do two bottles, and fix it two times times.

I know the sheets say it will last for 24 films if you use 3mins (?) but I find that to be an exagerated value.

You can find the product in Foto-R3 for 19€ + shipping.

 

[Joao]

Thank you for the swift answers.
Using two separate bottles makes sense if one uses two different dilutions. But if the dilution is the same (let's say 1+4) is there any inconveniente in using the same fixer from the same bottle for both film and paper ? If it works, I would go for it: it makes things simpler.
Concerning exhaustion: if the fixer is exhausted for film, it means that it is also exhausted for paper. So testing it on film is useful for both film and paper. Am I correct ?
Thanks again
Joao

 

[ChrisN]

I use 1+9 dilution for RC paper. If you are printing on FB paper you might prefer to use it 1+4 for a shorter time.

Best to study the fact sheet from Ilford: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/download.asp?n=1161&f=2011427111531653.pdf