Any chance to get TF-5 fixer in europe?

lts · Mar 30, 2016

It seems, that there is no retailer in europe to sell TF-5 fixer. I would like to be wrong...
Someone?
To buy online in the US is not effective, because of the shipping cost.

Alternatively i would mix it by raw chemicals, but the formulary is not "open source", right?

Third option is to find/identify a very very very similar product (but not just an "ordinary" alkaline fixer) from a known producer like Ilford, Adox etc.

pdeeh · Mar 30, 2016

You could try talking to ~~DarkroomWarehouse~~ Imaging Warehouse in the UK.
They carry some Formulary products and so must receive regular shipments from the US.
They might be willing to order some for you, but I suppose shipping from UK to elsewhere in Europe might be just as expensive ...

lts · Mar 30, 2016

Assuming that you mean "The Imaging Warehouse"?
They sell products from "Photographer's Formulary" but not (actually) TF-5. I will ask them...
Checked already their shipping cost from the island to continental europe for a 5Litre pack Ilford fixer: just 15 pounds (19 Euro). That's incomparable cheaper than from the US.

Good advice, thank you!

pdeeh · Mar 30, 2016

lts said:
Assuming that you mean "The Imaging Warehouse"?

Yes!
I apologise for causing any confusion - I'm not paying proper attention to what I'm doing

pentaxuser · Mar 30, 2016

Have a look at MonochromePhotography.com. The site belongs to Peter Hogan who sells alkaline fixer as a powder which is mixed into a stock solution.

He sells to Europe and Worldwide

I have no connection with the above site but know of him and his reputation.

pentaxuser

lts · Mar 30, 2016

pentaxuser said:
Have a look at MonochromePhotography.com.

i will... thank you!

NickLimegrove · Mar 30, 2016

Yes, it's too bad the Formulary doesn't have a proper European dependance/partner/equivalent. There is Dead Link Removed of Italy, who at least sell a part of the Formulary's products. No TF-5 though.

If for you any fixer is good if it's both rapid and alkaline: Mr Moersch makes one. It's called ATS. The ›info‹ section on his website has a list of stores all over Europe that (are supposed to) carry his products.

Raw chemicals in mainland Europe: Fototechnik Suvatlar of Hamburg, either order directly from them or via Moersch. Here's a list of what they have in stock.

good luck
Nils

pentaxuser · Mar 30, 2016

Michael R 1974 said:
The fixer on the MonochromePhotography site does not appear to be a rapid fixer.

I bow to your greater photographic chemical knowledge but he does say that fresh fixer will clear film in 60 secs when he describes the fixer test he recommends that is used. This suggests to me that if it isn't a "rapid fixer" then it does act quite fast but I admit I could not find anything to confirm it is covered by the usual definition of "rapid"

pentaxuser

Rudeofus · Mar 31, 2016

NickLimegrove said:
If for you any fixer is good if it's both rapid and alkaline: Mr Moersch makes one. It's called ATS. The ›info‹ section on his website has a list of stores all over Europe that (are supposed to) carry his products

One should note, that TF-5 and Moersch's ATS are two completely different animals. The former is a very advanced formula, which provides extreme long term stability together with extremely fast fixation. The latter is a simple alkaline fixer based on Ammonium Thiosulfate, and with its pH at 7.5 - 8.0 I would not want to use it in open trays.

If you are willing to self mix, Ron Mowrey's Superfix formula consists of ingredients which you can get from Suvatlar, and it is the closest published formula to TF-5.

lts · Mar 31, 2016

Rudeofus said:
One should note, that TF-5 and Moersch's ATS are two completely different animals...
...If you are willing to self mix, Ron Mowrey's Superfix formula consists of ingredients which you can get from Suvatlar, and it is the closest published formula to TF-5.

Thank you for this link.

The main reason to use TF-5 is that it seems to be the very best fixer for using it for different processes.
As far as i know it's possible to use it not only for BW paper and film work, but also for C-41 and even for the ECN-2 process (for that i'm just modifying a Jobo ATL, but that's another story...).

In the Superfix thread Ron Mowrey did mention that he can't guarantee that the fixer not affects the dyes in color films:
"I have not tested this with current color films or papers.
Therefore, until I do I cannot recommend it as there may be some
effect on the current dye set."

This thread is more than ten years old. Anybody has any experiences about this?

There are some non acid fixers that i could use for BW too, but none of them is a rapid fixer too. Right?
I would mix it by raw chemicals (as i will do for ECN-2), but i'm accepting that there a good reasons to keep the formulary secret.

Rudeofus · Mar 31, 2016

I have mixed this fixer many times and used it for B&W and color film. I did not use it for B&W paper, because I am cheap and fix B&W paper with a much cheaper formula, and because RA-4 uses a BLIX, not separate bleach and fix.

One thing you should look out for is compatibility with unhardened materials. Thiocyanate softens gelatin, which speeds up fixation a great deal, but may damage certain products. I have not seen reticulation myself, but people talk about it. Photographic products from Ilford, Kodak and Fuji are prehardened and should work flawlessly with Ron's Superfix.

UKJohn · Mar 31, 2016

Not sure whether this is any help but I have used (and do still use) an alkaline rapid fixer (TF-3) from the Darkroom Cookbook by Steve Anchell it is similar to TF-4 but has less capacity and is meant to have a more noticeable ammonium odour - but not having ever used TF-4 i have no idea whether this is the case. I've only used it to fix films and all seems good - I'd hasten to add that I'm no chemist so can only go by my own observations and from what I have read.

The formula is:

Ammonium thiosulphate 57 - 60% solution, 800ml
Sodium sulphite, 60.0g
Sodium metaborate, 5.0g
Water to make 1 litre.

Use diluted 1:4, film and paper, after developing wash film/print for 1 minute, fix films 3 mins agitating 30 seconds per minute. For paper 1 minute fix with constant agitation.

I believe you can get all the raw chemicals from Silver Print.

miha · Mar 31, 2016

Rudeofus said:
One should note, that TF-5 and Moersch's ATS are two completely different animals. The former is a very advanced formula, which provides extreme long term stability together with extremely fast fixation. The latter is a simple alkaline fixer based on Ammonium Thiosulfate, and with its pH at 7.5 - 8.0 I would not want to use it in open trays.

If you are willing to self mix, Ron Mowrey's Superfix formula consists of ingredients which you can get from Suvatlar, and it is the closest published formula to TF-5.

Can you explain why wouldn't you want to use ATS in an open tray and why do you believe it's a simple fixer?

miha · Mar 31, 2016

Thanks Michael. I have used ATS and there is absolutely no odour - ilford, tetenal, kodak, and champinon fixer have more. it fixes in one minute (ilford and adox fb) so it's fast enough. Why do we presume it's not an advanced formula (whatever that is)?

Photo Engineer · Mar 31, 2016

Michael R 1974 said:
lts: When it comes typical commercial fixers, if sodium thiosulfate is the main active ingredient, it is a regular type. if ammonium thiosulfate is the main active ingredient, the fixer is a rapid type. Fixers such as Ron's Superfix contain additional fixation ingredients which work "superadditively" with the ammonium thiosulfate to further increase speed.

Regular or rapid fixers can be formulated to be acidic, neutral or alkaline.

I must add that many of these types of formulas both speed fixation and speed washing! These types may have any pH, but stability is the first quality to fall with low pH and odor gets worse with high pH.

PE

mnemosyne · Mar 31, 2016

I have recently been using Rollei's RXN fixer, which is advertised as "pH neutral". I have no idea if this claim is true or it is simply a mildly alkaline fixer declared as "neutral" for marketing purposes. Anyhow, there is no noticeable smell at all with this fixer when used in open trays, which is why I like to use it for processing paper (I am not a big fan of the vinegar smell of acid fixers).

Photo Engineer · Mar 31, 2016

I would view 6.0 - 7 as being neutral or near neutral.

PE

Photo Engineer · Apr 1, 2016

Because of odor and stability problems.

PE

Any chance to get TF-5 fixer in europe?

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