Fixer recommendations for home developing.

I'm looking for recommendations for fixer to use for home developing, since end of term means I don't have access to a university darkroom anymore, I already do my C41 stuff in my apartment, but I don't own any b&w chemicals other than pyrocat HD developer I used for my 120 and 4x5 stuff in my uni's lab (lab is kept stocked with boring developers such as sprint). I'd be looking for something with a decent shelf life, or at least something that I can reuse as much as possible, as my plan is just to store depleted fixer in bottles until I'm back in my uni's darkroom in like 3 or 4 such months and can dispose if it with their fixer scrubber, trying to keep costs to a minimum.

Also is fix removing *really* that needed? can I just washed for like 15 minutes instead or something crazy? I have photoflo because the stuff that came with my C41 kit sucked and even after using it I am left with water marks so I bought photoflo.

-Alex

Any rapid fixer will do fine, whether it be Ilford Rapid Fixer, Ilford Hypam, Kodak Rapid Fixer or TF-4, they all work well. Just get the one that's cheapest. You only need hypoclear if you're using hardening in the fixer, which you almost certainly don't need to be using. Otherwise the film is sufficiently cleared of fixer just by washing with either Kodak or Ilford's recommended methods.

You can wash the fixer out archivally by filling up and emptying a Paterson tank 7 times, with agitation using the spinner stick for a few seconds in between each one.

Wetting agent results depend on water hardness. To save headaches I use distilled water with my wetting agent, but most people consider it overkill. Works for me.

I use fixers for 6-8 months. Stored in a normal plastic gallon jug. I like TF-4 because I'm using staining developers sometimes. But it doesn't contain a hardener to protect the film. Previously I used Kodafix, which is available as powder and does contain a hardener. Choice of fixer is not critical for most applications, washing it out well is important if you want to work with your negatives ten years from now.

Since you mention "shelf life", the powdered fixers last much longer than the liquid fixers. And since you also mention "keep costs to a minimum", it is cheaper to make your own from raw chemicals -- same with developers -- but you might not want to go down that road.

C41 fixer works great with B&W film.
Not blix - fixer.

xkaes said:

Since you mention "shelf life", the powdered fixers last much longer than the liquid fixers. And since you also mention "keep costs to a minimum", it is cheaper to make your own from raw chemicals -- same with developers -- but you might not want to go down that road.

Click to expand...

I think OP is looking for fixer where the working solution has decent life expectancy, rather than for powder or concentrate with extra long shelf life. Once mixed, the working solution from powder fixers wouldn't last longer than ones mixed from concentrate. Ordinary powdered fixers also work perfectly fine, though you'll need longer fixing times than with rapid fixers. Mixing your own seems very much like overkill to me if the idea is just to tide them over for a few months until they get access to the communal dark room again, and likely to work out to be more expensive.

MattKing said:

C41 fixer works great with B&W film.
Not blix - fixer.

Click to expand...

That works too, but I wouldn't use the same fixer for both color and B&W work. That is to say, I wouldn't fix one roll of C41, then one roll of B&W, then another few rolls of C41 etc. Instead I'd want separate working solutions for the C41 and the B&W film.

khh said:

That works too, but I wouldn't use the same fixer for both color and B&W work. That is to say, I wouldn't fix one roll of C41, then one roll of B&W, then another few rolls of C41 etc. Instead I'd want separate working solutions for the C41 and the B&W film.

Click to expand...

Absolutely.
And it it really is only advantageous if you are buying C41 fixer separately - not as part of the small kits designed for a dozen or so C41 rolls.

Ditto on xkaes suggestion to mix your own.

Everyone has their favorite formula. Just pick one at random, they all work the same: some last longer; some smell better; some work faster, some slower; some are cheaper; some are acid, others alkaline. And folks can't seem to decide which is which. Me, I love the smell of fixer in the morning but some insist on an odourless formula.

You don't need a scale, though they are cheap enough these days. I use measuring cups and measuring spoons as they are a lot faster than a scale - exact quantities are not needed.

After 50 years on this merry-go-round I have settled on "F-6": ~24oz/0.75l. hot water; 2 cups S. Thiosulfate crystals; 2 tsp S. Sulfite; 3 tsp S. Metaborate; 3/4 C. vinegar (or 50ml 28% acetic acid); water to make 1qt/1l.

If you use a pyro developer some will insist you use an alkaline fixer. I'm sure many will chime in with their favorite formulas and all the reasons to use same.

Artcraft Chemicals is a good and reasonably priced supplier. Sometimes ebay can be cheaper - look for "chlorine reducer" for swimming pools for a cheap source of S. Thiosulfate in 10lb bags, often with "free shipping" (nothing free about it...).

Neutral/Alkaline fixers have a greater capacity--can process more film--than acid fixers, which could extend their life. Some people recommend discarding the fixer working solution after several months or less, regardless of the amount of film processed. If one doesn't develop much, this could be the limiting factor on shelf life. I think that Formulary TF-5 fixer is the most advanced fixer today.

Neutral/Alkaline fixers also wash more rapidly.

Buy the smallest bottle of Ilford rapid fixer. 500mL or 1 L bottle. No wash aid required with a non- hardening fixer like the beautiful Ilford product. Consider Adox Rodinal (Baby size 100mL or regular 500mL) developer. Water rinse between developer and fixer.

If you run some simple tests for fixing time and exhaustion time for the fixer, you can use fixer one-shot. You can do the same for developer and stop bath as well. Not much help for tray processing however.

For film:

Any rapid fixer will work well, be it Ilford or Kodak's slightly acid fixers or TF-5 or some other nearly-neutral rapid fixer.
TF-4 is alkaline and can get smelly (ammonia), so go for one of the others if you're sensitive or working in a smaller space.

Mix up a working solution at whatever volume is convenient for you. Do a clearing-time test with your films. T-max and Delta films take longer to fix than "conventional" films, so make sure you do tests for all the films you use. Note the clearing time in fresh fixer. This is your baseline for two things: fixer capacity/lifespan and determining minimum fixing time. Fixer should be discarded when the clearing time in the used fix reaches 2x that in fresh fix. Testing your fix with the clearing-time test and discarding it at precisely this point will give you the best economy while still ensuring that you are not underfixing any film.

Films need at least 2x the clearing time to be fixed adequately. This time, however, changes as the fixer gets used and its activity slows. There are two strategies to deal with this. The first is to do a quick clearing time test before each batch of film to find the minimum fixing time. Find the clearing time and multiply by two. Again, when the clearing time in used fix reaches 2x that in fresh fix, discard the fix and mix new.

The second strategy, and the one I prefer, is to simply standardize on 4x the clearing time in fresh fix as your fixing time for whichever film you are fixing. This works because film is not sensitive to that much extra fixing. Films in fresh fixer will be fixed longer than needed, but as the fixer gets used, that gap decreases. You do have to do clearing-time tests as the fixer approaches the end of its capacity or age limit to know when to discard it and mix fresh, but once you've been through a cycle, you'll have an idea of throughput capacity (rolls/sheets per liter) and then be able to dispense with the clearing-time test before each batch for the first 75% of capacity. As long as you discard the fixer before the clearing time exceeds 2x that in fresh fix, the 4x fixing time will ensure that even the last batch through the fix is fixed adequately.

Do be aware that fixer also loses activity with age, so even if throughput capacity has not been reached, if stored for too long, the fixer will be too degraded to fix adequately. The clearing-time test will show this, however, so do the test if you feel the fixer has been sitting too long as well.

You don't need a wash aid for film, just wash a bit longer. The fill-and-dump method is most water-saving, but also most labor intensive. A slow running water wash with a couple of dumps and refills is what I use, for 30 minutes (overkill a bit - 20 minutes should do the job, but not less without wash aid).

If you want to test the efficiency of your wash, do the HT-2 residual hypo test on clear areas of your processed film. Search here and over on unblinkingeye for instructions, etc. You may even be able to buy the ready-mixed test solution from Photographers Formulary, etc.

Hope this helps,

Doremus

All great advice, but there is a third strategy -- use your fixer one-shot. Sure, you need to run tests to figure it out, but you just do the testing once -- and if you only mix what you need, you don't have to think about shelf life.

For a roll or 35mm, I use 10 oz. in a tank. For four 4x5 sheets, I use 2 oz. in a tube. And almost all my prints are processed in tubes which use next to no chemicals at all. No need to mess around with testing & storing & testing.

If time is a issue for you then just standard fix, it is a little cheaper than rapid fix, Photowearhouse (Ultrafine) sells gallon size for just under $10.00. I use T4, I get it in the liter size that makes a gallon, from Freestyle. As noted above with a Alkaline fix wash time is reduced.

Yes, hypo (sodium) fix is cheaper than rapid (ammonium) fix -- you just need to fix for a bit longer. But if you have a good stereo in the darkroom, it's just one more reason to spend more time there.

xkaes said:

Yes, hypo (sodium) fix is cheaper than rapid (ammonium) fix -- you just need to fix for a bit longer. But if you have a good stereo in the darkroom, it's just one more reason to spend more time there.

Click to expand...

The non-rapid fixers do struggle a bit though with the T-Max and Delta films. You will have to fix those films for a considerable length of time, and those films in those fixers will exhaust the fixer quite rapidly.

I use both Ilford Rapid fixer (1L) and Arista Premium Odorless Liquid Fixer (32 oz). The latter is cheaper, and smells less.

From the stock chemical, I mix 1+4 into 1L working solution. And per Ilford/Arista datasheet, 1L of working solution should last 24 rolls of 135/120 or 24x 4 sheets of 4x5.

If you keep your chemical in air-tight light-tight bottle in cool area, it should last the whole summer before the school starts again.

Powder fixers like Kodak Fixer (yellow pouch, 1 gallon size) have hardener which will require longer wash times.

Anyone try eco-fix? Not sure if it's sodium or ammonium
Would perma wash not be necessary with it?
(or any other ammonium fixer)

Ilford Rapid.

Old's OF-1

Paul Howell said:

If time is a issue for you then just standard fix, it is a little cheaper than rapid fix, Photowearhouse (Ultrafine) sells gallon size for just under $10.00. I use T4, I get it in the liter size that makes a gallon, from Freestyle. As noted above with a Alkaline fix wash time is reduced.

Click to expand...

xkaes said:

Yes, hypo (sodium) fix is cheaper than rapid (ammonium) fix -- you just need to fix for a bit longer. But if you have a good stereo in the darkroom, it's just one more reason to spend more time there.

Click to expand...

MattKing said:

The non-rapid fixers do struggle a bit though with the T-Max and Delta films. You will have to fix those films for a considerable length of time, and those films in those fixers will exhaust the fixer quite rapidly.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that "conventional" sodium-thiosulfate-based fixers are not recommended for Delta and T-Max films. They not only take longer and exhaust more quickly with theses films, but they may not be able to fix the films adequately due to the fact that these films use a lot of iodide compounds, which sodium-thiosulfate fixers have a hard time converting to soluble compounds. Many other modern emulsions use some iodide in their formulations as well, so, just to be certain, it's probably best to stick to rapid fixers for film.

Best,

Doremus

Heico nh5,
anyone know of the top of their heads is rapid?

Chuck1 said:

Anyone try eco-fix?

Click to expand...

This? https://www.macodirect.de/en/chemis...eloping/fixer/1618/maco-ecofix-fixing-bath-1l

They can call anything "eco" if they want, but fixer will be fixer. Calling it "eco" isn't going to make a difference one way or another. I'm sure it's a fine fixer.

If it happens to be a different product called "ecofix": see above.

Chuck1 said:

anyone know of the top of their heads is rapid?

Click to expand...

No need to guess. You can find it in the MSDS:

Rapid fixer.

You'll be hard pressed to find a fixer from any commercial, major (or even minor) brand that's not rapid today. I think Kodak still has/had/has again (?) a single non-rapid fixer for reasons unknown to...the universe I guess.