Stop Bath vs Water

[Highway 61]

I have been using a stop bath made from regular white vinegar diluted with thrice its amount of cheap bottled water bought at the supermarket (the less calcium-rich I can find, water coming from acid soils areas is fine).

I have been doing this for decades and none of my films or FB wet prints ever had any problems.

Edit : same process as someone wrote above, white vinegar at a 1+3 dilution. One liter in a clean brown glass bottle.

I re-use it ad libitum. I know it's time to make some new working solution when it begins not to smell the acetic acid strongly enough. Can be re-used for almost 100x 135-36 rolls if always kept in a dry, cool, dark place. Cost : less than $1.50.

The trick is to carefully let the tank or the FB sheet getting rid of the the most developer possible before filling the tank with the stop bath or have the sheet soak in the stop bath.

Ditto with the stop bath to fixer stage.

One liter for films, one liter for the FB wet prints in two separate bottles of course.

 

[DNG]

What Dwig in post 12 should be a consideration if you are not sure which way to go..

I used to use Tap water for everything, but, our area has a heavy amount of minerals, so I use a 200ppm tap water filter to clean that up.
I was getting hundreds of pin-point minerals specks from our water.

Back on topic
Now, I used Stop bath for a while, but, really, 3min in running water will give you around 10 changes of water, and will stop any developer, and should wash most, if not all the developer of the film.
For my water quality (or lack of it), I use a Quality Charcoal Filter on my Kitchen Tap. And I use filtered water for EVERYTHING..for me, it does make a difference.

 

[joeswe]

I often wonder what Capa felt when the processor ruined all but a couple of his D Day shots by using very hot solutions causing the emulsion to run off.

Regards, John

I had heard they were ruined, but didn't know the reasons behind it. Capa had just arrived in France and the processor took the 68 F for 68 C or something? Ouch.

 

[Ronald M]

If you use undiluted stock developer and then a water or acid stop, the negs get the same grain as 1:1 dilution.

I never use stop or water. I use fix one time only as I have never figured how to filter out the silver that precipitates after 24 hours. That sticks to the next film and you get a spotting issue. You can see the silver on the bottom of the fix storage bottle, silver granules.

I use alkaline fix so no need to go base, acid, base again. TF4 from photographers formulary. Process is develop. fix , wash, Photoflow for past 20 years. Spotting brushes are repurposed to water color work.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . I use fix one time only as I have never figured how to filter out the silver that precipitates after 24 hours. That sticks to the next film and you get a spotting issue. . . . .

Good grief. I've re-used fixer for 47 years (fresh batches until they're exhausted -- not the same fixer!) without running into this problem.

Cheers,

R.

 

[tycho]

Tap for the stop bath, but my fixer is TF4 for both film and paper. I've been meaning to try TF5. I use LFN as a wetting agent, but I hear, but have not tried, dishwashing soap is good.

 

[JohnTF]

Good grief. I've re-used fixer for 47 years (fresh batches until they're exhausted -- not the same fixer!) without running into this problem.

Cheers,

R.

Confession is good for the soul Roger.

I messed up some E4 when I had reused a bottle that had a silver deposit and the silver embedded itself in only one roll in the tank. Sent it to Kodak, they told me which bottle had the silver in the cap-- was impressed, with Kodak, not me.

I only did the E4 myself because we were up against a deadline, fortunately, it did not affect the most important shots.

I think some of my old Paterson reels have some silver, never got around to cleaning them off, would for sure if I ever did some E6.

You can drop a penny in the used fix and watch it turn silver, or perhaps jacketed rounds for creatures that require silver bullets?

BW processing is pretty forgiving, so your confession may be optional.

Maybe this is the year I drop in to your region, will try to remember the offending reel, well, and a bottle of Margeaux.

Always nice to see your posts Roger, Happy Thanksgiving, an America's holiday I feel you can truly embrace, don't forget the vinegar on the salad, after the wine course, talk about contamination. "The only day the Americans eat better than the French".

Am sure you know this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/23/AR2005112302056.html

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