KevinVH
Nikonian!
Hello fellow RFF'ers
I live in Ecuador, and was sad to mix up my last litre of fixer earlier today. Since the government here is terrible at economics, I am unable to import anything thanks to sky high prices and import laws. Taxes are usual 3 to 4 times the price of the actual product.
I still have enough D76 left to last me another year, but the developer will likely last me 3 months tops.
Is there anyway to cook up some kind of fixer? I read online that salt should do the trick, although at very long times (24h)
Hopefully there is a quicker way to do so?
I live in Ecuador, and was sad to mix up my last litre of fixer earlier today. Since the government here is terrible at economics, I am unable to import anything thanks to sky high prices and import laws. Taxes are usual 3 to 4 times the price of the actual product.
I still have enough D76 left to last me another year, but the developer will likely last me 3 months tops.
Is there anyway to cook up some kind of fixer? I read online that salt should do the trick, although at very long times (24h)
Hopefully there is a quicker way to do so?
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Well, if you should locally have access to photo grade hypo (sodium thiosulfate) and sodium bisulfite, it is easy. 200g of the former, 20g of the latter, stir into in 1l of water...
But usually it is harder to get hold of individual chemicals than of ready-mix fixer.
In desperate situations, salt (as concentrated as possible - stir a 500g pack of salt into 1l of boiling water, leave to cool and remove the precipitate) can be used in place of fixer, but it will take hours, and may kill all shadow details.
But usually it is harder to get hold of individual chemicals than of ready-mix fixer.
In desperate situations, salt (as concentrated as possible - stir a 500g pack of salt into 1l of boiling water, leave to cool and remove the precipitate) can be used in place of fixer, but it will take hours, and may kill all shadow details.
Jerevan
Recycled User
I have no idea how pure this is, but I know suppliers of pool chemicals may have sodium thiosulfate.
As for "fixing" with table salt (NaCl) well ... no. There is no scientific evidence that it works as a long term solution, as far as I have been able to ascertain.
As for "fixing" with table salt (NaCl) well ... no. There is no scientific evidence that it works as a long term solution, as far as I have been able to ascertain.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Well, it worked good enough to be the first photographic fixer, and remained in wide use for the first few decades of photography.
Freakscene
Obscure member
Salt worked when the light sensitive silver halides and substrates that supported them were completely different to the ones used now. If you leave film wet for 24 hours you stand a good chance of having the emulsion come off the backing. Salt will not fix modern film properly. Sodium (as opposed to ammonium) thiosulfate doesn't fix modern films very well.
Marty
KevinVH
Nikonian!
I don't have any access to photo specific chemicals. Maybe I can find the (sodium thiosulfate) and sodium bisulfite but I doubt that. Is there no other way?
B-9
Devin Bro
https://www.flickr.com/photos/neelin/3149891670/in/set-72157612127780935/
I found this photo with a recipe for fertilizer fixer.
Seems to have worked ok in this example.
I found this photo with a recipe for fertilizer fixer.
Seems to have worked ok in this example.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
12-0-0 is just a number for the relative nitrogen content. Lacking more specifications, it might be pure ammonium thiosulphate (i.e. rapid fixer), if you are lucky (and if the full number is 12-0-0+26S). But it could just as well be dried pigs blood (which would be a much stronger developer than fixer, and would create a horrible mess), or anything in between either.
KevinVH
Nikonian!
That looks interesting. I'll see if I can find Ammonium Thiosulfate!
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
I don't think so. There are other fixers (ammonium thiosulfate - otherwise known as rapid fixer). But most modern formulas that I know of use one or the other. And it sounds like getting your hands on either is problematic.
Anchell lists a rapid-fix formula using Potassium Thiocyante, which I could copy here, but do you acess to that chemical?
As for salt, I would say test it and see. Emulsion softening is definitely a risk with a long soak...I have done it accidentally. But maybe you can get a scan-able neg that doesn't have to be archival.
[Edit: cross-posted with the fertilizer fixer comment above - very intriguing - would love to hear the results of any tests there.]
Anchell's formula #135 for TF-3 Alkaline Fixer is:
Ammonium Thiosulfate (57-60%) 800ml
Sodium Sulfite 60 grams
Sodium mataborate 5 grams
Water to make: 1 liter
Dilute 1:4 for either film or paper. Fix films for 3 minutes following a water rinse (5x changes)(not acid) stop. Anchell lists the capacity as 20 8x10 films or prints per liter of working solution. Discard working solution after 24 hours.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Should be at least as difficult to access as thiosulphates. And for black and white it is better used as a reducer ingredient, as it tends to dissolve metallic silver - the only fixers I've seen it in were colour, where that does not matter...
KevinVH
Nikonian!
I'll see if I can get my hands on any of those easily, allthough I highly doubt it. Once I do some test I'll get back here, but that may take some time.
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
Yup. Completely agree it is not ideal. But you make due with what you can find. I had an Ansco manual around here at some point, but I can't lay my hands on it. Anschell is all I got.
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
Ammonium Thiosulfate Plant Fertilizer as a Rapid Fixer
Ammonium Thiosulfate Plant Fertilizer as a Rapid Fixer
OK. I e-mailed the fellow whose Flickr account showed the picture fixed home-made fixer from fertilizer. He e-mailed a helpful reply. The product he is using is called:
Amonium Thiosulfate liquid feritlizer from a company provocatively called Plant Food Company, Inc. He is in Canada, and for what it's worth, the product is:
Link here: http://www.brettyoung.ca/images/file/PTR-webfiles/plantfood-prod-info/Ammonium-Thiosulfate-label.pdf
Here's the text of his reply, posted here with his permission. My clarifications are in brackets.
"Subject: Re: Your "fertilizer fixer" recipe
Date: February 12th, 2016
I don't know where you are? I'm pretty sure pure Ammonium Thiosulfate is not produced in Australia possibly for geological reasons of inavailability, not sure.
This is what I bought for CAN$50. / approx. 10l [liters] used at a rate of approx. 150ml / liter of working fixer puts it well under CAN$1/liter of working fixer.
If I'm doing a lot of work I'll usually just put 80ml AT [Ammonium Thiosulfate] to make 500ml and use it. I do a test strip and just make sure I'm clearing a piece of test strip film and double the time, then I use it until the clearing tme doubles. (know what I mean?) A more traditional mix would be to add 6g of sodium sulfite. If you want to make a by-the-book fixer & I have you can make TF3 formula as follows:
80ml AT,
6g Sodium Sulfite,
6ml of a saturated solution of Borax
0.07g Sodium Hydroxide
top up to make 500ml fixer.
It's hard to know the state of the borax you get, so the easiest is to just find the solubility of borax (wiki) and load up a bunch in water (too much so it won't all mix, and you're guaranteed it's a saturated solution) and then you can dispense it by volume. Hope this helps
http://www.brettyoung.ca/images/file/PTR-webfiles/plantfood-prod-info/Ammonium-Thiosulfate-label.pdf
It's primarily sold by agricultural fertilizer companies that sell to the turf/sod/golf industries as opposed to ones that specialize in only cereal/grain, etc. farmers.
This all makes traditional RAPID FIXER.
If you can't find AT, you could always look for "Normal" (traditional) FIXER with Sodium Thiosulfate. The bulk source of this is the swimming pool industry. It's used to balance the pool chemistry. For example, if you accidently overload your pool with Chlorine, you neutralize it with ST. Where I live, AT is easier to find than ST."
Ammonium Thiosulfate Plant Fertilizer as a Rapid Fixer
OK. I e-mailed the fellow whose Flickr account showed the picture fixed home-made fixer from fertilizer. He e-mailed a helpful reply. The product he is using is called:
Amonium Thiosulfate liquid feritlizer from a company provocatively called Plant Food Company, Inc. He is in Canada, and for what it's worth, the product is:
Link here: http://www.brettyoung.ca/images/file/PTR-webfiles/plantfood-prod-info/Ammonium-Thiosulfate-label.pdf
Here's the text of his reply, posted here with his permission. My clarifications are in brackets.
"Subject: Re: Your "fertilizer fixer" recipe
Date: February 12th, 2016
I don't know where you are? I'm pretty sure pure Ammonium Thiosulfate is not produced in Australia possibly for geological reasons of inavailability, not sure.
This is what I bought for CAN$50. / approx. 10l [liters] used at a rate of approx. 150ml / liter of working fixer puts it well under CAN$1/liter of working fixer.
If I'm doing a lot of work I'll usually just put 80ml AT [Ammonium Thiosulfate] to make 500ml and use it. I do a test strip and just make sure I'm clearing a piece of test strip film and double the time, then I use it until the clearing tme doubles. (know what I mean?) A more traditional mix would be to add 6g of sodium sulfite. If you want to make a by-the-book fixer & I have you can make TF3 formula as follows:
80ml AT,
6g Sodium Sulfite,
6ml of a saturated solution of Borax
0.07g Sodium Hydroxide
top up to make 500ml fixer.
It's hard to know the state of the borax you get, so the easiest is to just find the solubility of borax (wiki) and load up a bunch in water (too much so it won't all mix, and you're guaranteed it's a saturated solution) and then you can dispense it by volume. Hope this helps
http://www.brettyoung.ca/images/file/PTR-webfiles/plantfood-prod-info/Ammonium-Thiosulfate-label.pdf
It's primarily sold by agricultural fertilizer companies that sell to the turf/sod/golf industries as opposed to ones that specialize in only cereal/grain, etc. farmers.
This all makes traditional RAPID FIXER.
If you can't find AT, you could always look for "Normal" (traditional) FIXER with Sodium Thiosulfate. The bulk source of this is the swimming pool industry. It's used to balance the pool chemistry. For example, if you accidently overload your pool with Chlorine, you neutralize it with ST. Where I live, AT is easier to find than ST."
Fotohuis
Well-known
An airpack enveloppe with powder fixer?
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
I think the OP's problem was impractically hefty import duties/taxes on photo chemicals So this was more of a mix-your-own sort of solution. Personally, I like the notion of not being limited to what the photo companies produce . . . but that is just me. Once I know where to find the right chemicals, the only limit to to my photography is myself . ..
KevinVH
Nikonian!
Yeah, taxes and regulations are my main problem. Maybe there's a fellow good soul who would like to send me some to try?
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
If there are any professional labs that do chemical testing or compounding, I would try and contact them. Normally businesses have tax breaks on importing their raw materials, supplies, etc., though of course I don't know about the specifics in Costa Rica.
Perhaps even pharmacies could help.
Perhaps even pharmacies could help.
Fotohuis
Well-known
Indeed:
The question is what will happing if you sent in an airpack with powder fixer (Svema/OrWo 304 (Acid) or Svema/Kodak TF-2 (Alkaline)). South Amerika is prone for drugs transport. It is also white powder ....
KevinVH
Nikonian!
That's exactly what the problem is. I brought a lot of powder with me 3 years ago when I moved here, but was lucky they didn't check my luggage. I would love to try with a small amount to see what would happen.. I have a photostudio here, so that would explain a lot if they start to investigate, but still. I'm willing to try everything.