B&W film stop baths

[baronfoxx]

can anyone give me information on a non acidic stop bath either ready made stock solution or a formulae to make one from chemicals.

I process my films in Dixactol Ultra using the partial stand method and Barry Thornton's instructions advise using
a non acidic stop bath and a Alkaline fixer which he supplies, but he does not supply a suitable stop bath.

 

[bmac]

How about H20?

 

[Donald Miller]

From what I understand you to be saying, that you are developing the film in an alkaline developer and then fixing in an alkaline fixer. If that is true, then to use an acidic stop would be counterproductive. The one non acidic stop that I am aware of is water. Several photographers that I have encountered are using water as a stop bath...albeit the developer action will continue until it is diluted to a non active level. This continuation should not be problematic once it is factored into your processing regimen.

 

[Jorge Oliveira]

I vote for old water; my stop cycle is start: empty tank, pour water in, agitate, pour water out at the end of 1 min.

As dnmilikan said, always use the same time, whatever you choose, and adjust your dev time as needed.


Jorge O

 

[Aggie]

,,

 

[inthedark]

I actually take it one step further and use a garden sprayer (not too forcefully) to apply my water stop bath because the other

ruiner

of developers is oxidation and the bubbliness works almost as fast as standard print stop bath. This is pretty easy with tubes or tanks set at a slight angle.

 

[Jorge Oliveira]

The reason for acidic stop bath was so the alkali developer would not be carried into the acidic fixer.
I believe this has been widelly used due to commercial labs in the past (one hour B&W photo equivalent), when film developers were just dilluted paper developers (and so significantly alkali).

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I use a water stop and alkaline fixer, but I can see a practical case for an acid stop, aside from preserving an acid fixer. If one develops sheet film by inspection, pulling sheets from the developer at different intervals as they are ready, an acid stop lets you use the stop tray as a holding tray, so that all the sheets can be transferred to the fixer at once.

 

[inthedark]

Oops, I see that using the quote box versus just text quotes gives a dramatically different result. Sorry. Pretend thr boxed word reads, "ruin"-er of developer....

 

[Ole]

Sandy King mentioned in another topic that metaborate effectively stops develoment in Pyrocat-HD. That may be a way to make an alkaline stop for negatives - when using that developer.

Ohterwise I just use water. Sometimes I don't use a stop at all, I just change my fix a little more often...

 

[roy]

quote:-
I process my films in Dixactol Ultra

I too have used his developer and that got me into the habit of using a water stop bath for all my films now. I give two agitation/baths of 30secs each. I am about to try his non-staining two bath dev for Fuji Acros as I understand staining developers might not suit the emulsion characteristics.

 

[Robert]

Nothing really stopping you using both a stop bath and water. Water isn't really a stop you're just washing the film.

 

[glewis]

When to Barry's website=

Dead Link Removed

When throught the Ultra instructions-

Dead Link Removed

and it says -

"Stop and fix in the normal way ensuring that the stop bath is not too strongly acid."

So you can use a stopbath as long as it is mixed a little week. Or you could switch to the milder citric acid stopbath.
The whole issue with staining developer is the tendency for acid to etch the stain developed during development.

 

[Ed Sukach]

One other consideration - Ilford and Agfa *both* advised against the use of an acid stop bath for film due to the tendency to cause pinholes. I can remember that clearly, although I haven't seen it mentioned lately. I don't use acid stop baths, *except* between the color developer and bleach-fix in color printing. I've found it necessary there to avoid uneven processing.

 

[Donald Miller]

I use conventional 28% acetic acid stop bath on both my pyrocat HD and ABC pyro negatives. I do however dilute it to 1/3 strength for the pinholing consideration. I have not noticed that the stain has been markedly diminished, in my experience. I like to have the development stopped in a more abrupt manner then what a plain water stop bath would provide. But that is my method and yours may differ.