Fix after Blix?

[harlequin]

Dear APUG Color Chemistry Specialists,

Have run a few rolls of C-41 film through the Unicolor 1Litre Kit

 

[harlequin]

And have found the film results not as transparent or clear as what I receive from pro lab or big box store processing.
Could I simply rinse for say 1min after blix then into slightly diluted Kodafix or equivalent for a minute or so to help assist
with removal of heavy orange masking (in some cases very dense) then another rinse/good wash and then stabilizer solution...

What kind of time for additional fixer @ 100 degrees F
Any damage to film, reticulation, ph issues, overfixing...

 

[Photo Engineer]

Well, it may be a problem with both bleaching and fixing. Is your film dry? If not, it will be darker and hazy, but when dry it clears. If it is dry and dark, then I suggest bleaching, washing and fixing followed by a wash and rinse in a final rinse. If you don't have the bleach and fix, you can re-blix at 100 F for about 8 - 10 minutes and then finish the process.

If you try just a fix, you have to use a neutral pH fix. An acid or alkaline fix is not good for the dyes.

PE

 

[Rudeofus]

I have seen BLIXes do all kinds of nonsense, but whenever they didn't work, they left behind metallic silver (anywhere between black and light brown), not silver halide or anything that could be simply fixed away. Therefore refixing is mostly pointless IMHO. If you suspect incomplete BLIXing, then simply reBLIX.

I concur with PhotoEngineer, that the film should be allowed to dry before a judgment is made about its transparency. Quite a few color films look milky until they are fully dried.

 

[harlequin]

Thank you and special thanks to PE for shedding much needed light on this subject.

Harlequin