Accidentally dumped stop in fixer jug. Question.

GaryLopez02 · Jun 5, 2017

I accidentally dumped my stop bath in my fixer. I'm using a kodak stop and kodafix. Curious if it's going to be ok in the jug or if I need to take it somewhere to have it dumped asap. It's about 600ml of stop that was mixed into a lager jug of fixer.

I haven't found a place to take my chemicals for safe disposal yet. I've only been developing for about 3 months. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

MattKing · Jun 5, 2017

You now have fairly acidic fixer.
Was it working strength stop bath and working strength fixer? Film strength or paper strength?
It may actually work as sort of a post-developer "mono-bath"
If they both were working strength solutions, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the safety of the combination, but I'd suggest waiting to hear from the chemists on APUG before proceeding further.
And by the way, congratulations. I've made more than my fair share of darkroom mistakes, but this one is new to me .
Also, welcome to APUG.

GaryLopez02 · Jun 5, 2017

MattKing said:
You now have fairly acidic fixer.
Was it working strength stop bath and working strength fixer? Film strength or paper strength?
It may actually work as sort of a post-developer "mono-bath"
If they both were working strength solutions, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the safety of the combination, but I'd suggest waiting to hear from the chemists on APUG before proceeding further.
And by the way, congratulations. I've made more than my fair share of darkroom mistakes, but this one is new to me .
Also, welcome to APUG.

Not 100% what you mean by working strength. It was basically 600ml of stop dumped into my fixer that I use only once then dump.

My develop process is usually for 2 rolls of 35mm. I use new developer, stop, and fix every time.

So my fix jug is about 3-4 dumps of that new mix every time. I've not been reusing it. Hope that makes sense.

MattKing · Jun 5, 2017

By working strength, I mean the dilution you actually use with your film.
The stop bath comes from the retailer in a highly concentrated form which you dilute before use.
The "Kodak fixer" comes in three possible forms:
1) a powder fixer that you mix up into a stock solution, which you then dilute before use;
2) a liquid, hardening fixer, which comes as a liquid, which you dilute before use; or
3) a liquid Rapid fixer, which comes in a package with two bottles - one fixer, and the other hardener - which you dilute before use (after deciding whether or not to use the hardener).

Hope that helps.
Out of curiosity, which version of the fixer are you using?
And why are you not re-using it for several rolls - it is designed for that?

GaryLopez02 · Jun 5, 2017

Hey Mike,

I'm using kodafix which is a liquid rapid fixer.

I was so nervous the first time I developed my first roll I assumed I'd screw it up some how. But, it went great. So I stayed with the same process I did the first time. I know I need to be reusing it.

Thanks for the feedback! It is much appreciated.

BMbikerider · Jun 5, 2017

Most stp baths are yellow and when it is exhausted it changes colour to I think blue (I have never let it go that far.) but with of 500cc you should be able to use it on films at least 20-25 times.

GaryLopez02 · Jun 5, 2017

BMbikerider said:
Most stp baths are yellow and when it is exhausted it changes colour to I think blue (I have never let it go that far.) but with of 500cc you should be able to use it on films at least 20-25 times.

Yeah, I really need to utilize it rather then dump it and make a new batch every time.

Ian Grant · Jun 5, 2017

You need to dump both stop bath and fixer and use fresh. But read the instructions and re-use them as recommended.

Ian

darkroommike · Jun 5, 2017

If you are not reusing your fixer (and you should be reusing your fixer but that's another post) and you dumped used stop bath in with the fixer discards you have not hurt anything. Just carry on. If you were reusing your fixer discard this batch and make fresh.

RalphLambrecht · Jun 5, 2017

GaryLopez02 said:
I accidentally dumped my stop bath in my fixer. I'm using a kodak stop and kodafix. Curious if it's going to be ok in the jug or if I need to take it somewhere to have it dumped asap. It's about 600ml of stop that was mixed into a lager jug of fixer.

I haven't found a place to take my chemicals for safe disposal yet. I've only been developing for about 3 months. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

dump the fixer and prepare a fresh batch. Everything eilse is asking for headaches.

Jim Noel · Jun 5, 2017

One way of eliminating the mistake in the future is to join the very large group of us who use only water as a stop bath. I have been doing so for over 25 years w/o a problem.

NedL · Jun 5, 2017

To answer OP's question, there is no danger in mixing the stop and fix, and you don't have to do anything special before you take it to the hazardous waste facility. And it can sit harmlessly in the jug until you are ready to take it.

MattKing · Jun 5, 2017

Jim Noel said:
One way of eliminating the mistake in the future is to join the very large group of us who use only water as a stop bath. I have been doing so for over 25 years w/o a problem.

Of course, when you mistakingly dump the water stop into your fixer, you will have the same problem.
In any case, the solution is to clearly label and mark your containers. If possible, use different colours/bottles/lids for the different chemicals, and develop a routine that keeps the different chemicals separate from each other.
FWIW, I rarely re-use my mixed stop bath (the exception being when I'm developing multiple batches on the same day) but I always re-use my fixer until it is appropriate to send it for silver recovery.
Most important though - have fun!

Saganich · Jun 5, 2017

Jim Noel said:
One way of eliminating the mistake in the future is to join the very large group of us who use only water as a stop bath. I have been doing so for over 25 years w/o a problem.

Yep, 20 years and I never missed it once.

removed account4 · Jun 5, 2017

Saganich said:
Yep, 20 years and I never missed it once.

uh huh since 1988 ...

GaryLopez02 · Jun 6, 2017

NedL said:
To answer OP's question, there is no danger in mixing the stop and fix, and you don't have to do anything special before you take it to the hazardous waste facility. And it can sit harmlessly in the jug until you are ready to take it.

That's what I was looking for. LOL. Thank you!

GaryLopez02 · Jun 6, 2017

That you everyone for the feedback it's much appreciated. I'm for sure going to eliminate the stop bath once I've used it all. I'm also going to start reusing my fixer as well. I have no legitimate reasoning for using a new batch each time.

darkroommike · Jun 7, 2017

Water works perfectly as a stop bath for film processing where it is dumped after every roll, water for a print stop bath not so good since developer is carried over into your stop bath tray with every test strip and print you make. You eventually are using a tray of diluted developer to try to stop development of your print. Use stop bath for stop bath! Discard after every session, right down the drain. The only black and white chemical that has special disposal is the fixer.

Luis-F-S · Jun 7, 2017

Ian Grant said:
You need to dump both stop bath and fixer and use fresh. But read the instructions and re-use them as recommended.

Ian

+1!!

Accidentally dumped stop in fixer jug. Question.

GaryLopez02

MattKing

Moderator

GaryLopez02

MattKing

Moderator

GaryLopez02

BMbikerider

GaryLopez02

Ian Grant

darkroommike

RalphLambrecht

Jim Noel

NedL

MattKing

Moderator

Saganich

removed account4

GaryLopez02

GaryLopez02

darkroommike

Luis-F-S

Accidentally dumped stop in fixer jug. Question.

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency