odorless fixer?

[crane17]

I would love to print in my basement but I can not install negative or positive pressure ventilation system. Is it posssible to print with odorless fixer stop and developer (for eg. Clayton products) without ventilating the room? (black and white chemistry only) I would be able to open the window after printing session.
Advice greatly appreciated

Crane 17🙂

 

[ully]

The fixer doesn't smell much but the stop bath does but you can live with it easy enough.

 

[jaypolaski]

Stop bath is the smelly one, and even that isn't that bad really. My work is done in my bathroom and I really have no issues. The problem is particle saturation in the air. Even if the chemical was odorless it would still disperse the same, you just wouldn't be able to smell it. Maybe an area fan to keep the air circulating would help?

 

[nikon_sam]

I agree with the others....it's the Stop Bath I don't like...but just don't get any of the fixer up your nose...

I set up my darkroom in the downstairs bathroom and it has a fan in it...I don't think it makes any big difference...

 

[Kameran Kashani]

I would love to print in my basement but I can not install negative or positive pressure ventilation system. Is it posssible to print with odorless fixer stop and developer (for eg. Clayton products) without ventilating the room? (black and white chemistry only) I would be able to open the window after printing session.
Advice greatly appreciated

Crane 17🙂

Photographer's Forumulary TF-4 and Ilford Rapid fix are fairly low-odor.

Still, as the other posters have noted, the stop bath is the main stinker in the darkroom. One advantage to using something like TF-4 (or, Ilford Rapid Fix) is that these are alkaline fixers that won't be affected in the same way as acid-based fixers if you carry over some developer into the fixer tray. I use a 45-second water wash between developer and fixing in TF-4, obviating the need for a stop-bath tray.

All that being said, ventilation is pretty important. If you have a window available that you plan to open after each printing session, I'd be curious whether you could create a light-weight, removable baffle that installs in the window while you are printing and provides ventilation (and blocks light, as necessary.)

Kameran

 

[Xmas]

There are other stop bath options than the acetic acid? Anyway in the UK we put it on french fries...

noel

 

[sepiareverb]

Sprint makes a vanilla scented fixer- indicator goes from yellow to purple. Lasts and lasts.

 

[markinlondon]

Ilfostop is a citric acid stop bath. I'm sure there must be other brands. It's much less corrosive than acetic acid based products, speaking as one who suffers from acetic acid fumes.

 

[Pepe]

odourless Amaloco stop.

But the smell of fixer in my unventilated celler gets me lightheaded too afetr an hour or two.

It also makes me worry about my wine I have in there.

I usually drink it to stop worrying about both.

 

[Xmas]

Mark what do you put on chips then?

Noel