Dev chems trick?

[ezwriter]

We know the chems get contaminated after awhile, Hypo check for hypo, Stop turns pink, dev turns dark brown...
So why don't we go from Dev to a quick water wash, then Stop, then water wash, then Fix?
Seems you'd get less contamination from previous chem.

Am i missing something or am i A GENIUS!??!? haha

ez

 

[BrendanCarlson]

Or developer, water wash a few more times than usual(no stopbath), then fix.

 

[dehk]

We know the chems get contaminated after awhile, Hypo check for hypo, Stop turns pink, dev turns dark brown...
So why don't we go from Dev to a quick water wash, then Stop, then water wash, then Fix?
Seems you'd get less contamination from previous chem.

Am i missing something or am i A GENIUS!??!? haha

ez

The only thing I reuse is my fixer. In that sense, I don't need the extra steps.

 

[BrendanCarlson]

Same here except for the hypo clear, I reuse that too, but I water wash rather than stop.

 

[Worker 11811]

Developed film or paper is supposed to go directly into the stop bath with no intervening wash in order to stop immediately stop the chemical action of the developer. If you're going to wash the film before the stop bath, you're going against the stop bath's purpose.

Some people don't use stop bath and just wash the film with water. You don't absolutely need it. You could use water instead.

Stop bath is designed to withstand some carryover of the developer. That's what the indicator is for. To tell you when the solution has reached its limit.

Fixer is also designed to withstand some carryover from the stop bath. I would bet that the fixer will become exhausted from absorbing too much silver by way of doing its job long before it becomes ineffective from carryover.

If I was going to wash a print or film between steps, I would do it between the fixer and the hypo clearing agent. The reason would be to extend the life of the HCA.

If you washed in water between every step, I think you would introduce two problems.
First, you would be creating a dilute cocktail of mixed-up chemistry as solutions carried over into the wash water which could be detrimental to the process in the long run. You would have to use running water or change out the water often. Otherwise, you would need to have a container of water between every step. I've barely got enough room in my darkroom for four trays, let alone eight of them. I suppose you could use running water for your wash but that's a waste.

 

[chuck94022]

Basically, what Worker said - chems don't go bad due to carry over, they go bad by being used to do their job. Eventually the mix exhausts. In the case of Fixer, it is because it gets loaded up with silver, not because it got mixed up with stop bath. Basically, it is the film itself that exhausts fixer and the working solution of developer. So, I suppose the best way to avoid exhausting the chemicals is to not load film into the tank...

Developer also goes bad through contact with oxygen. Even if you store stock and working solution in an oxygen free environment, if they contain water they are in contact with the oxygen in the water, and go bad. That's why HC-110 concentrate lasts so long - there is no water in the bottle.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Developed film or paper is supposed to go directly into the stop bath with no intervening wash in order to stop immediately stop the chemical action of the developer. If you're going to wash the film before the stop bath, you're going against the stop bath's purpose.

Some people don't use stop bath and just wash the film with water. You don't absolutely need it. You could use water instead.

Stop bath is designed to withstand some carryover of the developer. That's what the indicator is for. To tell you when the solution has reached its limit.


Fixer is also designed to withstand some carryover from the stop bath. I would bet that the fixer will become exhausted from absorbing too much silver by way of doing its job long before it becomes ineffective from carryover.
i agree!

If I was going to wash a print or film between steps, I would do it between the fixer and the hypo clearing agent. The reason would be to extend the life of the HCA.
agree again

If you washed in water between every step, I think you would introduce two problems.
First, you would be creating a dilute cocktail of mixed-up chemistry as solutions carried over into the wash water which could be detrimental to the process in the long run. You would have to use running water or change out the water often. Otherwise, you would need to have a container of water between every step. I've barely got enough room in my darkroom for four trays, let alone eight of them. I suppose you could use running water for your wash but that's a waste.

use running water. there is no better way to wash fil or print.

 

[Rick A]

Developed film or paper is supposed to go directly into the stop bath with no intervening wash in order to stop immediately stop the chemical action of the developer. If you're going to wash the film before the stop bath, you're going against the stop bath's purpose.

Some people don't use stop bath and just wash the film with water. You don't absolutely need it. You could use water instead.

Stop bath is designed to withstand some carryover of the developer. That's what the indicator is for. To tell you when the solution has reached its limit.

Fixer is also designed to withstand some carryover from the stop bath. I would bet that the fixer will become exhausted from absorbing too much silver by way of doing its job long before it becomes ineffective from carryover.

If I was going to wash a print or film between steps, I would do it between the fixer and the hypo clearing agent. The reason would be to extend the life of the HCA.

If you washed in water between every step, I think you would introduce two problems.
First, you would be creating a dilute cocktail of mixed-up chemistry as solutions carried over into the wash water which could be detrimental to the process in the long run. You would have to use running water or change out the water often. Otherwise, you would need to have a container of water between every step. I've barely got enough room in my darkroom for four trays, let alone eight of them. I suppose you could use running water for your wash but that's a waste.

+1
Chems aren't so expensive you need to try to make them stretch at the expense of allowing them to do what they are designed to.

 

[tkamiya]

The only time cross contamination might be a problem is in TONING stage. Here, rinsing off and washing WELL is really necessary before going to the next step. I learned this the hard way....

 

[Mike Wilde]

Some e-6 home brew processes use a lot of water washes to keep the stops working right.
The Watkins formula stops are buffered to allow re-use, and also to carefully set the pH of the film before it goes on to the next step.