Question: How Often Do You "Change" your Stop/Fix?

[dcsang]

I'm just curious as I usually re-use my stop and fixer but I've noted that I'm getting some tiny white spots on some of the film I've dev'd.

I've only been using T-max dev lately so it's always "fresh" dev and, I'm guessing, no particles are in the dev per se that would cause this.

Just curious, thanks,
Dave

 

[FrankS]

I use a testing chemical on my fixer. If a white precipitate forms with a few drops of this stuff from it's eye-dropper sized bottle, then it's time to mix fresh fixer. I use an indicator stop bath. It turns a dark colour when it's exhausted.

 

[back alley]

i don't use stop bath anymore, just a quick water rinse.

 

[aizan]

during development, i occasionally test the fixer with a clipping of film. i triple the clearing time to be safe. i also stop with plain water.

 

[lkgroup]

I use water instead of a stop bath. I use Kodak quick fix and keep track of the number of rolls i have put through. I use a marking system on the bottle label and change often. I get about 20 rolls per quart of fixer, 35mm.

Leo

 

[tetrisattack]

I chuck my stop bath after one use, it's cheap and has a low environmental impact. Fixer, however, has neither of these attributes, so I re-use it until exhaustion, which seems like somewhere between 6 and 10 rolls per 500ccs of 1+3 Kodak Rapid Hardening, depending on the film stock. When I fear it's nearing the end of its useful life I start to double-check the negs before rinsing to ensure they're not milky or yellow. First sign of that and I chuck it, mix up a new batch, and re-fix.

As soon as I get a place with a garage I plan to start storing it in buckets with steel wool to assuage my inner environmentalist.

And the sad truth of the matter is that I'm much better about changing my chemicals than the oil in my car. :/

 

[FrankS]

The stop bath usually lasts long than the fixer, so there's really no need to use it as a one-shot. I only use stop bath for prints. I use plain water as a stop bath for film.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I've been using the same fixer I mixed two and a half years ago. It's been stored cool (in dark brown bottle of course), and haven't had a problem, but it's been too long. Today I bought fresh Ilford fixer (and Ilfotec developer for my HP5+) and should mix a new batch.

My stop mix is also just as good, although I have hardly been using that too (been using a lot of Diafine, which doesn't require you to use stop just rinse well). My Rodinal is like the Energizer bunny...

Your mileage (or kilometrage) may vary.

 

[FrankS]

There's no way a batch of (mixed to working strength) fixer could last 2 and 1/2 years! I bet your B+W negs all have a purplish cast to them.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Nope. They're nice and clear. I thought I was going to have a problem too. Like I said, I'm not going to take chances anymore anyway, I'm mixing a new batch. During the first year, though, the bottles were in the fridge...

(oh, and lately I have been using a fixing time of about 10-14 minutes, heh...)

 

[FrankS]

Fixing time with fresh fixer for film is 2-5 minutes. The life of a batch of fixer left in an open tray is 24hrs I think, even if it's not being used. Better keep your old fixer. It sounds magical to me. 🙂

 

[Kin Lau]

I use water instead of a stopbath, and throw away the fix after 2 or 3 months.

 

[Fred]

I always use fresh fixer for film, cannot go wrong that way. For prints I use it till depleted. I can always reprint but a shot neg.... is well... shot.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

It's because I've been needing to fix for at least 10 minutes that I am throwing it away. To be honest with you when I started doing my own B&W back in March again I didn't think I had a chance; six+ gallons is too much fixer to get rid of. I have one left, and that's going to my old "darkroom" place this weekend; they recycle the silver (or something, I don't know what they do with spent fixer, but they don't throw it away).

If I fix with normal times, the negatives do indeed have a purplish tone (specially if it's TMax; that sucker takes twice as long when fresh), so I just agitate normally during five minutes, and then for the last 5-10, I let it sit, with one round agitation in the last minute. And then rinse well, and let it sit in washing aid for twice as long.

Being cheap is expensive 😉 In my defense, I could not find Ilford rapid fixer here at a decent price, and I buy 5-10 litres at a time. B&H does not ship film chemicals (nobody that I'm aware of, actually). These just came in today because of the new school year. So I bought 5 (I don't want to mix too many so I don't have old fixer in the future).

By the way, always, always change your Photo-Flo mix, every 3 months the most, no matter how infrequent you use it (one month if you use it a lot). You don't want to fight any deposits when you're squeegeeing (sp?) the film.

 

[back alley]

who saves photo flo?

a drop or 2 in a tank of water works great and then throw it all down the drain.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I guess I do it the "wrong" way: I have a container where I mix a capful of photo-flo and about two pints of distilled water. In there I dunk the reels, let them sit for 30-60 seconds, and off to be hanged and squeeg--- etc.

 

[phototone]

For film I don't save stop bath, as I just fill up a beaker of water and add a few drops of Glacial Acetic Acid, use and dump. I use Kodak Rapid Fix with Hardener, and I replace when the film appears to be slowing down in the clearing of the base dye. (That is to say, when, with proper fixing time, there is still too much "purplish" tint left in the negatives). Of course you have to know your film, and know what it "should" look like after proper fixing. I also don't save Photo-flo.

For prints, I dump stop bath after every printing session, and since I will use the two bath fixing method, I dump the first bath, move the second bath to first bath position, and then mix up new fix for the new second bath. Of course, paper developer may not last the whole printing session, depending on how much you are printing, so I replace as needed during a session.

 

[rover]

I use everything as a one off, except Diafine. I don't process enough that reusing it makes sense. It will go off in the bottle before I finish it if I do that. I do on average 6 rolls a month or so.

 

[back alley]

I guess I do it the "wrong" way: I have a container where I mix a capful of photo-flo and about two pints of distilled water. In there I dunk the reels, let them sit for 30-60 seconds, and off to be hanged and squeeg--- etc.

not so sensitive my friend...

the question was sincere, i never even thought about mixing photo flo in a seperate container.
i wash my reels in the tank and then add a drop or 2 of photo flo and then dump the water out.

no right or wrong.

joe

 

[FrankS]

Yeah, I'm sorry about teasing you about the 2 1/2 year old fixer. 🙂