more expiries- fixer?

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mooge

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so, I took a look through the big box of goodies today, and discovered to my surprise that Fixer expires- well, it has an expiry thing on it. it's half full and I have no idea when it was last used, it's some Ilford stuff.

BUT- I've got some miracle solution, hypo-chek. it says "blahblah add 2 drops to fixer blah blah". fixer solution or fixer concentrate? cause I got no reaction whatsoever when I mixed it with the solution (well, it's ages old, perhaps that's the problem)- and it says it'll form a precipitate if the fixer is toast. grr...

and... can you use regular vinegar as a stop bath (diluted if necessary)? not that i'd do it, stop is the only chemical I've got tons of, there's like three bottles or something.

and... can I store my HC-110 in film cans? they are nice small containers...

cheers.
 
Lots of questions.

Expired Fixer-- I don't have experience with Ilford Fixer. I have only used Kodak powdered fixer. After a while, it will begin to form particulate matter, and when that happens, I find it best to mix a new batch.

I use tap water as stop bath.

HC-110 in finm cans? Is it powdered? Don't know why not. It must be a lot more concentrated than D-76.
 
I had some liquid fix that sorta left white thingies on the inside of the plastic bottle...It still worked though...ended up using it all anyway...
I just dumped half a small bottle of Ilford Paper developer that turned dark brown...
My HC-110 is still in it's original bottle...read more here...
www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/
 
Take a leader of 35mm and drop it in the fixer and see how long it takes to become clear.
If it is within 1 minute your fixer is still alive.

Stop bath for film, yes white distille dvinegar can be used (1+4 or 1+9) but water is generally enough

HC110 why take it out of the bottle? it has really a long shelf life and will not go bad in years in the original bottle

dragunov said:
so, I took a look through the big box of goodies today, and discovered to my surprise that Fixer expires- well, it has an expiry thing on it. it's half full and I have no idea when it was last used, it's some Ilford stuff.

BUT- I've got some miracle solution, hypo-chek. it says "blahblah add 2 drops to fixer blah blah". fixer solution or fixer concentrate? cause I got no reaction whatsoever when I mixed it with the solution (well, it's ages old, perhaps that's the problem)- and it says it'll form a precipitate if the fixer is toast. grr...

and... can you use regular vinegar as a stop bath (diluted if necessary)? not that i'd do it, stop is the only chemical I've got tons of, there's like three bottles or something.

and... can I store my HC-110 in film cans? they are nice small containers...

cheers.
Click to expand...
 
fixer lasts aaaaaages. As prev stated, do a film leader test. I do the same with devs too. I would bet your fix is just fine. I do the nice and healthy sniff test. I had some ancient fix that had spent about 3 years in half empty bottle. Worked fine.
 
okay- I'll try the film test.

well, I was told by the others that I should decant the developer into smaller bottles to keep it from oxidizing as quickly... I'm not gonna use it up so fast- this'll take me years to finish, I don't want it to expire.

hey Nikon Sam- how old is your HC-110?
 
Turtle said:
fixer lasts aaaaaages.
Click to expand...

It may seem to do so, but it does decompose faster than some developers. And whether all residues did wash out within the specified time and washing procedure is rather hard to test - if you want some degree of archival stability, you'd better not skimp on fresh fixer.

Sevo
 
Liquid developers are made to last for a while.
HC110 and Rodinal last ages.
I think the secret of HC110 is that the liquid is not water, thus it can not ionize/destabilize the developing agents.
Check in the covington page

dragunov said:
okay- I'll try the film test.

well, I was told by the others that I should decant the developer into smaller bottles to keep it from oxidizing as quickly... I'm not gonna use it up so fast- this'll take me years to finish, I don't want it to expire.

hey Nikon Sam- how old is your HC-110?
Click to expand...
 
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