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Brain lapse... any long term effects?

picker77

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Feb 24, 2009
Messages
121
Location
Oklahoma, US
Format
Multi Format
Finally had a major fubar (I'm so new at this I haven't had time to screw up too many times yet). After shooting an old barn in my area with my favorite camera (RF645) yesterday, I was developing the roll of HP5+ 120 today in Ilfosol 3, and when I put in the stop I grabbed the fix bottle by mistake and poured that in. I realized my mistake after about a minute of agitation, poured out the fix, put in stop, agitated, poured out the stop, put in fix, agitated, washed, and surprise, surprise, the negatives looked great. (huh?)

First, I'm amazed I didn't totally ruin the negatives, but now I'm wondering if there are likely to be any long term effects on them. If there are, I'll go ahead and do all my prints right away instead of taking my time. If not, why am I bothering with stop?
 
Almost no effect on the negatives. Maybe just a slight bit more development, because stop bath stops development a little faster than fixer does.

If you re-use your fix, it may not last for quite as many rolls, because of the extra developer carried over into it.

Stop bath makes development more repeatable and extends fixer life.

There are long threads here on APUG where you can be entertained by the "discussion" about stop bath or no stop bath. I am one of the stop bath devotees.
 
Thanks, Matt. That's a relief. I already mixed a new batch of both stop and fix, and I'll continue to use stop since that's what I've always done and it seems to work fine for me so far (as long as I grab the right bottle). I'll leave the short cuts to the veterans.
 
Good on the new batch. By putting the fix in first, you contaminated it with developer which would severely reduce its strength in subsequent soups. But you definitely picked the correct two chems to fubar.

Keep your stick on the ice. We're all in this together.
 
Yes, as Chris said. You definitely picked the right two chems to mix up.

Last summer I went to put six sheets in the fixer and found they were already there.
 
The fatal fubar which needs eternal vigilance is putting the fix in first instead of developer. I have done this on one occasion only and for the full dev time ARGHHH! There is no rescue possible once done like this but I wonder how instantaneous the damage is?

If you realise the mistake in a matter of seconds and pour out and wash instantly, can the film be saved? I doubt it but I'd be interested in hearing others' opinion or better still someone's experience if he was able to save the film.

pentaxuser
 
No problem whatsoever. You used a slightly different process than what most people use today, but it used to be very common. The only thing it will change will be the life of your fixer, which you shouldn't be keeping too long anyhow. The leader test will tell you when to chuck it. Throw it out when clearing time takes twice as long as it did when the fixer was unused.
 
pentaxuser said:
There is no rescue possible once done like this but I wonder how instantaneous the damage is?
Click to expand...

I have once put in the fixer first, realised my mistake and immediately poured it out and put in the developer.

There were printable images but the negatives were very thin.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
I have once put in the fixer first, realised my mistake and immediately poured it out and put in the developer.

There were printable images but the negatives were very thin.


Steve.
Click to expand...

ditto
 

What he said.
 

My procedure for testing if an older batch of fixer is still up to the task is to fill a clear (i.e. Fuji) 35mm film canister with fixer, and put a piece from the cut of leader of a roll of film into it.

After 30-45 seconds, it's usually completely clear.
 
One good way to keep from doing the out of sequence fubar is to line the bottled solutions up in order with the next to be used closest to you, and the last the furthest. And as you work your way through, march the parade of chemicals past you so that there is only one place you reach for the next to go in, and the same for what you pour used stop or fix etc into on the way out.
 

Yes. I also smell each chemical before pouring it in. I know I just laid them out properly, but I always second guess myself...which is why I've never fixed first, I think.
 
Yesterday I put on idiot labels just for insurance, chunks of bright green masking tape on the upper shoulder of the plastic bottles, numbered "1", "2", and "3" in large size. Even on my worst day I'm pretty sure I can count to three in the right sequence, lol. Thanks for all the advice and help--I guess I was just lucky on this one.
 
2F/2F said:
Yes. I also smell each chemical before pouring it in. I know I just laid them out properly, but I always second guess myself...which is why I've never fixed first, I think.
Click to expand...

You must not be doing C41, a good wiff of that stuff steaming away at 40C will make me pass out! It smells bad enough from where its sitting in the water bath...
 
hpulley said:
You must not be doing C41, a good wiff of that stuff steaming away at 40C will make me pass out! It smells bad enough from where its sitting in the water bath...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do do C-41 at home. I like the way it smells! I don't need to smell it, though, as the colors give each chemical away.
 
Just take a sip from the chemical before using it. If it tastes like vinegar, it's a stop bath. If it's more like soap, it's a developer. If you are feeling drunk, it's the beer. If you are dead, it's mercuric chloride. Very easy to distinguish.

Sorry, could not resist ;-)
 
bsdunek said:
I've grabbed the wrong bottle before too. Sure a waste of Bushmills to use it for fixer.
Click to expand...

Since the dyes did not wash out of the film, were the negative pickled pink?

Steve
 
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