Alkali-stop. Is it myth?

[Bruce Osgood]

snip/snip
I understand this problem.

PE

What a wonderful thing to be able to say. I believe you do and look forward to your offering.

Will this be a commercially produced product via Photographers Formulary etc., or will you publish a recipe?

 

[Dave Miller]

Dave very shortly all of us in the U.K. and most of us now are/will be on metered water. Certainly I have been for a number of years. Presumably the real benefit comes with FB paper where water usage can be significant. As I recall things, the water wash with RC is very short and I assume that with RC the wash time is at or near an irreducible minimum such that a switch to alkali fixer for RC prints would make little or no difference to water consumption. Am I right?

As a matter of interest have you worked out, even roughly, the water saving with alkali fixer for printing? For instance to give a "handle" on the change in consumption let's assume the Ilford routine of 5 mins wash, 10 mins Washaid and 5 mins wash. What is likely to be the saving in washing time here? Maybe better still, what were the changes to your routine since converting to alkali fixer. Thanks

pentaxuser

Yes, it's the FB prints that take the time. My test prints, both R/C and FB get a very quick wash, may be no more than 15 seconds. Keepers get around one minute for the R/C and 40 minutes for the FB, which equates to about 4 water changes in my NOVA slot washer. I do not use wash aid of any type. I used to give FB prints about two hours when I used an acid process. Apart from the reduced wash time I haven't made any changes to routine.

 

[Photo Engineer]

What a wonderful thing to be able to say. I believe you do and look forward to your offering.

Will this be a commercially produced product via Photographers Formulary etc., or will you publish a recipe?

I am working with the Photographers Formulary. I am expecting samples of the first test mix in a few days. It will reduce times for fixing and washing relative to TF-4. In fact, it is so fast in both that the instructions will give only guesstimates and suggest that you test for retained silver (fix time) and retained hypo (wash rate) to determine the optimum for your process and wash water.

All comments here are subject to change.

PE

 

[Kirk Keyes]

That is very interesting that acidic fix does not have much effect on proportional stain. It makes me wonder where all recommendations for alkaline fixers came from?

I believe it's from Gordon Hutching's "Book of Pyro" instructions combined with Ancell and Troop's "Film Developer Cookbook"; where Bill Troop had the desire to make an all alkaline development scheme.

I find little difference myself using acid stop with PMK compared to using a running water rinse the time I did a direct comparison.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I am working with the Photographers Formulary. I am expecting samples of the first test mix in a few days. It will reduce times for fixing and washing relative to TF-4. In fact, it is so fast in both that the instructions will give only guesstimates and suggest that you test for retained silver (fix time) and retained hypo (wash rate) to determine the optimum for your process and wash water.

All comments here are subject to change.

PE

Word! Will it be available in powder form, or only in solution? It makes a small difference in shipping for us foreigners.

And will you recommend a stop bath with that product?

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks Dave. That's certainly a pretty significant difference.

pentaxuser

 

[Photo Engineer]

Michel;

It will be a liquid kit and will be usable with an acid stop, a near neutral stop, a rinse or you can go directly into it from the developer. I don't recommend the last, but it is possible in a pinch.

PE

 

[dancqu]

Alkaline Stop: Part B of a two bath developer.
Agitate little for full benefit. Dan

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Michel;

It will be a liquid kit and will be usable with an acid stop, a near neutral stop, a rinse or you can go directly into it from the developer. I don't recommend the last, but it is possible in a pinch.

PE

I totally want it. I'm a stop bath fan, so I don't mind paying to ship water!

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Definitely not

Alkaline Stop: Part B of a two bath developer.
Agitate little for full benefit. Dan

Part B of a divided developer is just the alkali with a pH of about 10-10.5. Film will just develop right along until the highlights overdevelop, because in theory they were just right when you plunked your film into Bath B.

NOT a stop bath.