Color fixer?

[Jorge Oliveira]

Hello,
I've seen many times references to the use of color fixers for both color and B&W materials.
But looking at the color chemistry sold over here, there's no fixer - there is a 'stabilizer' (for instance, in Fuji's C-41 film kit).

Is this the fixer?

Thanks,

Jorge O

 

[glbeas]

No, the stabilizer is like Sistan, used as a preservative bath last thing and not rinsed off. The color fixer is a buffered fixer, probably one of the alkalie fixers, so it doesn't affect the color dyes adversely. It works just as well on B&W materials.

 

[Jorge Oliveira]

Thanks, Gary

Then I'm at loss. Looking at color chems for sale over here, there are (literal translations, besides stabilizer):
- bleach starter
- development starter

Jorge O

 

[glbeas]

Is the process you are looking at using a separate bleach and fix or is it a "blix" with the bleach and fix combined? That may explain the lack of a separate fixer.

This link may be of some help:

http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/c41_ra4_chemicals.htm

If they don't sell the kit, mix your own from scratch.

 

[Thilo Schmid]

Then I'm at loss. Looking at color chems for sale over here, there are (literal translations, besides stabilizer):
- bleach starter
- development starter

Jorge,
there are several Color Kits availiable. If a kit contains starters, then it is for a process that can be replenished. This is only useful for lager tanks or dedicated processing equipment.
The original C-41 Process has a seperate stage for bleach and fix whereas most compatible Kits have a combined stage (bleachfix or blix), where all silver and silver halides are removed in one process.

 

[Jorge Oliveira]

I just became curious and decided to take a look at store prices for color chemicals (even mixing at home is not free).
It seems all the kits, as Thilo posted, are of the combined stage (blix) type.
So, I will keep mixing my own fixer (hypo+ammonium sulfate+ etc).

Thanks, guys

Jorge O