Low usage film processing setup

[mugent]

Hi,

I don't get to dev films very often, and I need to do it quickly when I do, as I don't have much time, so it's evenings and mornings before work.
I currently use d76, one shot, which is fine but it takes a while to mix up, so I'll switch to rodinal, mainly for the long shelf life.

My main question is, is there a fixer, like rodinal, which is cheap enough for one shot, and has a long shelf life?

Sometimes I can go 6 months between developing films, so the shelf life is essential.

I also use a water stop, to avoid mixing up stop bath, so far haven't had any problems with this.

Cheers

Moray

 

[KenR]

Rodinal is a little too grainy for me, so I use HC110 which also has a shelf life measured in years. I've never used fixer "one shot" but I suppose it can be done. Ilford fixer is mixed 1:4 (not sure of this is correct dilution) with water, so if you need 250ml, it should be easy to make up.

 

[Snapper_uk]

I'm in the same situation - fixer now seems to be the biggest cost of developing as I can go months between dev'ing films, by which time the last batch of fix has gone off.

The only solution I have found so far is to save up films and do a big batch instead of doing one-offs.

 

[mugent]

Good tip on HC-110, thanks, I'll check that out.

I'm currently using Ilford Rapid Fixer at 1:4, but it's wasteful for one shot, but it is very easy to use/mix.

 

[pschauss]

Ilford Rapid Fixer mixed 1+4 keeps a long time and can be reused. You can determine if it is still good by pouring a small amount into a cup and dropping in a piece of the film leader and timing how long it takes to clear. The normal guideline is to fix for twice the clearing time and disguard the fixer when the clearing time is twice that of fresh fixer.

 

[sepiareverb]

Sprint Rapid Fixer has a long shelf life as well. I've never had it go bad from time, even years later. We bought a lot of it at one point at the college I teach at, there was some scuttlebut about shipping chems going to become difficult. It lasted fine.

A bottle of Bloxygen is a good thing for helping keep developers alive longer. It really works and is well worth the money.

 

[btgc]

I'm happy with LC29 (read - HC110). Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+4, reuse it for ~10 36exp rolls (can use it more but limited amount to avoid exhaustion - or rather saturation). After opening 500ml bottle I pour developer concentrate into 5 100ml bottles and once small bottle is opened, developer keeps well until bottle is empty.