anyone using arista fixer/paper developer?

Willie Jan · Aug 15, 2006

Hi,

i would like to know if there is anyone who tried the freestyle arista fixer and paper developer. the prices seem very good, but what about the quality?

Thanks.

Willie Jan.

MWGraves · Aug 15, 2006

Willie Jan said:
Hi,

i would like to know if there is anyone who tried the freestyle arista fixer and paper developer. the prices seem very good, but what about the quality?

Thanks.

Willie Jan.

The fixer works just fine. The papers (IMHO) range from decent to very good, depending on which one you buy. I'm told that the Arista Polywarmtone is rebadged Forte. Whether it is or isn't it's quite nice, if you like warm tone paper. It tones very well in selenium. I tried the Arista Ultra and relegated it to file proof status.

lowellh · Aug 15, 2006

I can vouch for the quality of the chemistry. What is your question?

Jon Shiu · Aug 15, 2006

I had a lot of white precipitate in the oderless fixer in about 6 mos. Does this stuff go bad, or will it still work?

Jon

wildbill · Aug 15, 2006

I use arista fixer and get good results but the precipate occurs as well. They told me to heat it up and that would take care of it. I didn't try that. Do a test and if a strip of film clears then it should be fine. Their oderless stop is really oderless but not cheap if you use large quantities. Try Printol 12 paper dev that they sell by the liter or gallon size.It's not arista brand and. It lasts a long time and it's cheap. Clayton Chemicals makes Arista chemistry according to the store. The Arista.edu paper was/is Forte but only what's left on the shelves. Forte dropped the rebadging.
vinny

Bruce Appel · Aug 15, 2006

I use the Arista paper developer, the stuff that comes in the powder. I can't see any difference between it and dektol.

srs5694 · Aug 16, 2006

I've used the Arista Premium Odorless Fixer Powder in the past and have no complaints, except that it's not as fast or inexpensive as some rapid fixers, such as TF-4 (which I've not yet used). I originally tried it because I suspected the Kodak powdered fixer I'd been using before was causing me some mild nasal irritation, and the Arista product did indeed help minimize this problem. That said, the real test of a fixer is, of course, long-term stability, and I've only been at the B&W processing for about a year and a half.

Willie Jan · Aug 16, 2006

lowellh said:
I can vouch for the quality of the chemistry. What is your question?

Does the fix get bad fast through oxidation?
Can you keep it for longer time (should be i think, it's only salt...)
I now use Amaloco FX89 rapid fix in 5 liter packages with a tap so that there is no air coming in the tank.

is the paper developer capable of getting the most black out of the paper?
With amaloco chemicals AM 6000 is get the highest black with agfa (2.20)

lowellh · Aug 16, 2006

We make both powders and liquids under this brand. please keep in mind that the powder fixers are sodium thio products and are not as fast as the liquids which are ammonium thio. The liquid Odorless Fixer is close to saturation with sulfite and will. over time, drop some sulfite out of solution. This does not affect the strength or the true advantage of NO ODOR. Our print developers (P20, P90, & Ultra Cold Tone) will all develop all papers to their maximum density. Keeping in mind that the human eye can not differentiate paper densities above 1.85; the real advantage of these developers is the slight tonal difference presented by them and the great mid tone range that they offer. Our lab customers like them because they can be used in both manual and machine applications giving the same or similar results in each case. All of our developers are phenidone /Q.

Willie Jan · Aug 17, 2006

lowellh said:
We make both powders and liquids under this brand. please keep in mind that the powder fixers are sodium thio products and are not as fast as the liquids which are ammonium thio. The liquid Odorless Fixer is close to saturation with sulfite and will. over time, drop some sulfite out of solution. This does not affect the strength or the true advantage of NO ODOR. Our print developers (P20, P90, & Ultra Cold Tone) will all develop all papers to their maximum density. Keeping in mind that the human eye can not differentiate paper densities above 1.85; the real advantage of these developers is the slight tonal difference presented by them and the great mid tone range that they offer. Our lab customers like them because they can be used in both manual and machine applications giving the same or similar results in each case. All of our developers are phenidone /Q.

is the fixer that makes 1 gallon a stock solution that must be diluted afterwards to be used?

lowellh · Aug 18, 2006

The powder Fixers are working strength in solution. you can dilute them again but i see no value in doing that, it only reduces the capacity of the solution.

Willie Jan · Aug 19, 2006

lowellh said:
The powder Fixers are working strength in solution. you can dilute them again but i see no value in doing that, it only reduces the capacity of the solution.

My english is probably not so good....
What i mean is that when i made the 1 gal. solution, and i want to fill up a fix bath in the darkroom, do i have to fill it with 1 liter of this solution, or do i have to take 100ml fix, with 900ml of water.

Regards,

Willie Jan

srs5694 · Aug 19, 2006

Willie Jan said:
My english is probably not so good....
What i mean is that when i made the 1 gal. solution, and i want to fill up a fix bath in the darkroom, do i have to fill it with 1 liter of this solution, or do i have to take 100ml fix, with 900ml of water.

If a powder, once mixed, yields a working-strenth solution (as lowellh specified), that means that you do not dilute it for use; just pour is straight into your tray or developing tank. Some people dilute fixers beyond this point in order to make it economical to use them 1-shot rather than multiple times, but this approach seems to be fairly rare.

Willie Jan · Aug 19, 2006

ok, thanks.

The fix chemicals i normally use must be dilituted (1+9) before use.
That's why i thought this was a very cheap fixer.

anyone using arista fixer/paper developer?

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