Difference between hypam and ilford rapid fixer?

[mrtoml]

I usually use Ilford rapid fixer, but my Jessops store only has Hypam available at present so I am picking up some of that instead. I have never understood what the difference is between these two and whether it is important. Can anyone shed any light on this? All I can find is that Hypam is a bit more expensive.

 

[juanito]

I do not know what is the real (chemical) difference, I have used both, but in my experience films that I fix with rapid fixer needs more washing time, about 50% more. If I do not wash enough I get little white grains similar to dust on my films.

 

[Lowell Huff]

Technically, there is very little differnce. Fixing time, wash time, concentrations are the same.

 

[Stan160]

Only difference I am aware of is that hardener can be added to Hypam, but not Rapid Fixer. AFAIK the two are interchangeable in use, if you don't need hardening.

Ian

 

[Lowell Huff]

Stan 160, there is no chemical reason why you can not add hardener to either of these fixers.

 

[pentaxuser]

Mark I take it you have looked at the Ilford site. I just have and they even seem to be described in the same words such as both say "rapid fix" etc Same times dilutions etc as well. If you were to print off both fact sheets then you may see a difference but at first glance they seem the same except for the difference Stan mentions.

pentaxuser

 

[mrtoml]

Yes and from what I can gather they are both based on similar chemistry (ammonium thiosulphate?). But there must be something different or why bother having two different products? Perhaps it is just the hardener issue as Ian says - otherwise there is no difference in practice.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I used both interchangeably with identical results. As said above, the possibility to add hardener to Hypam is the only distinguishing feature I saw.

 

[MattKing]

Can you even buy the Rapid Fixer in 5 liter containers?

The strange thing is that I was just about to post this exact same question when I saw this thread.

It is relevant, because I just bought 5 liters of the Hypam fixer, at a price just pennies more than the cost of two 1 liter containers of the Rapid Fixer.

Is there any variation on the shelf life? The data PDFs are almost identical.

Matt

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Yes, you can buy the Rapid Fixer in 5L container, I have one sitting in my cupboard.

 

[ann]

several years ago i talked to the tech support folks (in the US,so you know this was awhile ago) and they told me that basically they were the same. one label had been used in the US the other in UK and they switch back to the plant in the UK which resulted in the name change.

perhaps simon will chime in here and set us all straight.

 

[mcfactor]

Yeah, I went to B&H today and the 5L bottle of HYPAM was $10 cheaper than the Rapid Fixer. I asked the guy what the difference was and, after a few calls, they told me there was no difference.

 

[2F/2F]

If there is a difference, it needs to be made more clear what it is, IMO. I have often wondered this myself...Simon???

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear All,

The two products are very similar ( but not identical ) HYPAM is made to allow a hardener to be used if needed you cannot add hardener to RAPID Fix, also they are available in different volume packages in different markets.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

 

[mrtoml]

Thanks for clearing this up, Simon.

 

[RIchardn]

OK now for the beginners question.
When would you want to use a hardener and therefore how do you choose between these products?
thanks

RIchard

 

[Gary Holliday]

OK now for the beginners question.
When would you want to use a hardener and therefore how do you choose between these products?
thanks

RIchard

Hardeners are not really necessary these days as the emulsions have changed. People recommend using a hardener with Efke films as the emulsions are quite soft and prone to damage during processing.

 

[Brandon D.]

I can reuse Hypam fixer, right? Or should I use it one-shot?

Thanks!

 

[Ian Grant]

Re-use, look at the Ilford data sheets for details.

Ian