Lowest maintenance fixer?

[fgianni]

Does anyone know which is the lowest maintenance fixer available?
And for a wetting agent?

Thanks

 

[oftheherd]

I am not sure what you mean by lowest maintenance fixer, but since I haven't tried them all I couldn't really answer anyway. However, I seem to remember Kodak has a liquid that would probably be the easiest to mix and store if that is what you mean.. I always used their powder and it wasn't any hassle to me.

I always reuse fixer solutions until I think they are at a point of getting exhausted, on a conservative scale. Then I it out and mix another batch. If I wasn't sure a few times I would develop the leader and test it in the fixer. If it went too much over five minutes, out that solution went. As I said, I was always a little conservative.

Hope that helps.

 

[kaiyen]

Fixer is pretty much all the same (alkaline vs. acid argument aside), so get whatever works for you. I agree that a concentrate is easiest to deal with. I use Ilford Rapid Fixer.

Same with wetting agent - just get whichever one is handy. They're all the same.

allan

 

[fgianni]

Well my problem is that I only develop a couple of rolls a month, and Ilford instructions, for the rapid fixer, state that once diluited it lasts for 7 days, essentially I have to make a new solution for every film I develop, which works out at about £1 ($1.8) per film just for the fixer (£8.99 for a 500 ml bottle of rapid fixer)

So I was wondering if there was a fixer around that could last a few months even when diluited.

 

[kaiyen]

I am not aware of that restriction...hm. Anyway, I've had fixer in a full 1 liter bottle for months and months without problems. Don't worry about it.

allan

 

[Solinar]

When you buy your liquid concentrate transfer the contents to 1/2 pint glass bottles, topped off. The stock solution will keep for a long time this way and at the most you'll only have one open mini-bottle at a time.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Well my problem is that I only develop a couple of rolls a month, and Ilford instructions, for the rapid fixer, state that once diluited it lasts for 7 days

I had a batch of diluted Ilford fixer which lasted me over two years. Yes. Two. It was pretty exhausted in the end and I noticed that my fixing time had to be doubled.

It all depends on how clean and careful you are with your chemicals. And picky. I'm not picky with fixer (evidently). I am, however, very picky with all the other solutions (well, except Photo-flo, I guess).

So you may be ok if you use a dark, opaque container, keep it refrigerated, and pump the air out as you use your solution.