Ilford Simplicity Fixer

[DennisM]

Have any RFF members used Ilford's Simplicity fixer? Comes in sachet form; mix with 500ml of water to develop two rolls of35mm or one roll of 120; advertised on the B&H site with no reviews yet. Expensive but attractive since it is single use; no solutions to deteriorate over time.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

No, but it should work fine. Its just regular rapid fixer pre-measured for lazy people 😛


If the cost isn't an issue for you and you don't want to bother measuring out the stuff from a bigger bottle, go for it.

 

[charjohncarter]

I haven't used it but it is a good idea. I spend more on liquid fixer (one shot) than I do on developer.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

The Ilford Simplicity line is convenient for us sporadic film developers.

I'd like to see them introduce an equivalent for prints.
Anyone remember Kodak Tri-Chem Packs?

Chris

 

[charjohncarter]

Anyone remember Kodak Tri-Chem Packs?

Chris

I don't because chemicals were so inexpensive from 1959 to 2000. So, I never even thought about price.

 

[Abbazz]

If you need single use fixer, why not use plain sodium thiosulfate fixer?

Usual formulas also contain sodium sulfite as a preservative but who needs a preservative for single use? I pour 240g sodium thiosulfate in pentahydrate form (also called "hypo") into 1l water at 52°C (125°F), mix well and allow the fixer to cool in a larger bucket of water while I load the tank and develop the film. Fixing time is 10 minutes.

This fixer works very well but must be used immediately after mixing because it doesn't keep well. Sodium thiosulfate in pentahydrate form (large crystals) is very cheap and can be bought from pool supply stores. I buy it in 10kg bags for a few dollars and one bag lasts for years when used for photographic purposes only (less if you also use it to neutralize your pool).

It is recommended to dunk your film for a few seconds in an acid stopbath (diluted acetic acid or vinegar) before fixing it in a plain sodium thiosulfate solution.

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[Freakscene]

If you need single use fixer, why not use plain sodium thiosulfate fixer?

Usual formulas also contain sodium sulfite as a preservative but who needs a preservative for single use? I pour 240g sodium thiosulfate in pentahydrate form (also called "hypo") into 1l water at 52°C (125°F), mix well and allow the fixer to cool in a larger bucket of water while I load the tank and develop the film. Fixing time is 10 minutes.

This fixer works very well but must be used immediately after mixing because it doesn't keep well. Sodium thiosulfate in pentahydrate form (large crystals) is very cheap and can be bought from pool supply stores. I buy it in 10kg bags for a few dollars and one bag lasts for years when used for photographic purposes only (less if you also use it to neutralize your pool).

It is recommended to dunk your film for a few seconds in an acid stopbath (diluted acetic acid or vinegar) before fixing it in a plain sodium thiosulfate solution.

No, no, no!

Plain thiosulfate fixer fixes modern materials very badly. Modern films and paper have high proportions of silver iodide, which sodium ‘plain’ thiosulfate fixes about 50 times less efficiently than ammonium thiosulfate ‘rapid’ fixer. The problem is your films and prints will probably look ok in the short term but will be more susceptible to spotting and oxidation over time. Use rapid fixer if you want your films properly fixed.

Marty

 

[Beemermark]

Ilford Simplicity Fixer $4.02 for two rolls. Arista D76 powder film fixer is $7.99. Does hundreds of rolls of film. Fixer doesn't expire. Not a "one" shot. use, pour back in bottle. I've had a gallon jug under the sink since last year. Doing 2~6 rolls a month. What is the advantage of mixing 100ml for every roll of film vs. mixing 1 gal once.

 

[Beemermark]

No, no, no!

Plain thiosulfate fixer fixes modern materials very badly. Modern films and paper have high proportions of silver iodide, which sodium ‘plain’ thiosulfate fixes about 50 times less efficiently than ammonium thiosulfate ‘rapid’ fixer. The problem is your films and prints will probably look ok in the short term but will be more susceptible to spotting and oxidation over time. Use rapid fixer if you want your films properly fixed.

Marty

Not sure what your information is based on (not saying it is wrong) but since the '80's (?) silver has been almost eliminated in B&W films with the replacement of T-Max & Delta type films. Back when film was silver rich and I was working in a darkroom we used thiosulfate out of a 55 gallon drum. Maybe it doesn't work with the new films.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Simplicity

Simplicity

This is the photographic equivalent of coffee pods.... convenient and extremely expensive.

 

[Nitroplait]

I am probably overlooking something.
Where I live ,a 5 sachet pack of Ilford Simplicity Fixer cost 3x as much as 500ml Adox fixer!
The Ilford package will fix 10x 35mm films.
If used at regular diluted strength (1+7) AND treated as one-shot: Adox will fix 16x 35mm films (given 2 rolls in a standard steel 500ml container). Thats 60% more at 1/3 the price.
If you use the Adox fixer at intended, you can fix around 60 films with 500ml concentrate.
What am I missing?

 

[Freakscene]

Not sure what your information is based on (not saying it is wrong) but since the '80's (?) silver has been almost eliminated in B&W films with the replacement of T-Max & Delta type films. Back when film was silver rich and I was working in a darkroom we used thiosulfate out of a 55 gallon drum. Maybe it doesn't work with the new films.

The light sensitive component of film is silver. What you are fixing when you fix B&W film are the silver salts in it. The negative image is made of silver - almost everything else washes out. That it has been ‘eliminated’ from film is not correct, whether the films are t-grain, epitaxial or traditional cubic grain. Modern films use numerous technologies to increase speed and provide better spectral sensitivity, including various dyes and organic compounds, but they have more silver iodide in them than older style films. There is still plenty of silver in modern film. Use rapid fixer for best fixing.

Marty

 

[charjohncarter]

^^^About the organic compounds, various dyes, and the one that mystifies me spectral sensitivity, how does rapid fixer differ from these odor-less fixers? I have to increase my fixer time by 20% for Tmax vs Trix; using odor- less. I just want that stuff out of there.

 

[Freakscene]

^^^About the organic compounds, various dyes, and the one that mystifies me spectral sensitivity, how does rapid fixer differ from these odor-less fixers? I have to increase my fixer time by 20% for Tmax vs Trix; using odor- less. I just want that stuff out of there.

The products that improve spectral sensitivity are colour photo sensitive organic dyes that provide an electron - in this way the silver salts can be exposed by wavelengths of light to which they are not otherwise sensitive.

You need to increase your fixing time by 20% compared to traditional film largely because of the increased silver iodide content of these films. If you have problems with removing the pink antihalation dye, first make sure your fixer contains less than 6 g/L silver and you are fixing for Kodak’s recommended time. If that still doesn’t work, expose your negatives to indirect sunlight until the pink disappears. Don’t cook it in direct sunlight or for too long.

Liquid ‘rapid’ fixers have ammonium as the cation (positively charged) ion with the thiosulfate. Traditional ‘hypo’ powder fixers have sodium as the cation. For a range of reasons sodium thiosulfate fixers work less well and more slowly, and are particularly less efficient at fixing silver iodide.

Marty

 

[charjohncarter]

Thanks, I've been using the odorless fixers, so my wife won't complain about fixer smell. My 'Hypo' is Kodak hypo powder, and it is with sodium sulfate or sulfite. I assume the odorless fixer is the same. Next round I'll go back to rapid fixer and also buy some air freshener.

I have been successful at not getting the pink negatives, but at one time with Trix I did.

That was a great explanation of fixers, It has been 55 years since my general, organic and physical chemistry days so I'm rusty. You made it simple to understand.

EDIT: I've liked Tmax and TriX because they are less sensitive to blue light, and that makes them more agreeable to California lighting.

You might be interested in this article:

https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/65513-filtering-super-panchro-film-for-good-pictures/

 

[Highway 61]

Have any RFF members used Ilford's Simplicity fixer? Comes in sachet form; mix with 500ml of water to develop two rolls of35mm or one roll of 120; advertised on the B&H site with no reviews yet. Expensive but attractive since it is single use; no solutions to deteriorate over time.

You won't develop any film with fixer, would it be Simplicius Simplicissimus' fixer ! 😱 😀 😛

 

[DennisM]

Fixer

Fixer

You won't develop any film with fixer, would it be Simplicius Simplicissimus' fixer ! 😱 😀 😛

I'll be damned! I've been doing it wrong all these years.

 

[Freakscene]

Thanks, I've been using the odorless fixers, so my wife won't complain about fixer smell. My 'Hypo' is Kodak hypo powder, and it is with sodium sulfate or sulfite. I assume the odorless fixer is the same. Next round I'll go back to rapid fixer and also buy some air freshener.

I have been successful at not getting the pink negatives, but at one time with Trix I did.

That was a great explanation of fixers, It has been 55 years since my general, organic and physical chemistry days so I'm rusty. You made it simple to understand.

EDIT: I've liked Tmax and TriX because they are less sensitive to blue light, and that makes them more agreeable to California lighting.

You might be interested in this article:

https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/65513-filtering-super-panchro-film-for-good-pictures/

I respect your wife’s keen sense of smell. A very bad nose break in my teens left me with a very poor sense of smell. No reason to offend your wife or buy air freshener.

You can get ‘odourless’ fix without acid that uses ammonium thiosulfate (check the data sheet), such as: https://www.freestylephoto.biz/6200-Arista-Premium-Odorless-Liquid-Fixer-32-oz.

The main reason for acidifying fixer is to drive the fixing process. Acidifying fix destabilises the thiosulfate and makes it more susceptible to formation of amorphous sulfur, but it makes it fix faster. If you keep track of your clearing time, alkaline or neutral ammonium thiosulfate fixer works fine.

Marty

 

[DennisM]

Fixer

Fixer

I'll be damned! I've been doing it wrong all these years.

No wonder my negatives never looked right. I think I'll try hydroxycloriquin instead.

 

[Abbazz]

No, no, no!

Plain thiosulfate fixer fixes modern materials very badly. Modern films and paper have high proportions of silver iodide, which sodium ‘plain’ thiosulfate fixes about 50 times less efficiently than ammonium thiosulfate ‘rapid’ fixer. The problem is your films and prints will probably look ok in the short term but will be more susceptible to spotting and oxidation over time. Use rapid fixer if you want your films properly fixed.

Thank you for telling me I have been doing things wrongly during the last forty years and that all my negatives are about to die a painful death very soon.

I can confirm that an acid stop bath followed by 10 minutes in plain thiosulfate provides more than adequate fixing for modern films, without any risk of veiling, spotting or oxydation, even after decades in storage.

As stated, the downside of this plain hypo fixer is that you have to use it immediately and also that it won't be able to fix a large quatity of film because it gets exhausted quite rapidly. But for single use fixing of a couple of films, it gets the job done!

Cheers!

Abbazz