How long will I have to wait....

[finny99]

Im just about to start mixing up developer and fixer. I've decided to go with 4 -1 litre water bottles for dev, a 2.6 litre and 1.5 litre bottles for fixer, the fixer and dev I got make 1 gallon, the hypo clearing agent is already mixed, it was a .25 gallon mix and is in a 1 litre bottle, just picked up photoflo, thermometer, and clips to hang, I bought shower hooks that im gonna hang the clips from, so Im basically ready to go. The dev and fixer are both powder form powder form. Later on I might get better bottles or figure out a better system. After I mix these both up how long should I wait until I can start developing? Also how hot should water be to mix up the powder chems. Thanks guys

 

[ann]

there should be directions of both the developer and the fixer as to the temperature needed to get the powder into solution.

It is is hot water, you need to let it cool down before using.

 

[Will S]

It says on the packages how hot they should be for mixing. Usually like 120 (or maybe 140 fahr.) then add cold water to volume after mixing. I've found that the hottest my tap water will get is usually about right.

If you mix and it is too hot to use (developer, for instance is usually only useful between 68 and 74 degree fahr) you will have to cool it with a ice bath or something similar. However, if you are mixing your dev with water you can usually get the temperature correct by varying the amount of cold water added. Getting the temperature of the developer right is very criticial with some developers if you are using a timed development method (not dbi iow.)
Stop bath should be within 5 degrees or so of the developer. Fixer not so important, but some probably will say it is as well. I use a water bath (8x10 tray) that has 72degree water in it to hold all of my bottles to keep them all at the right temperature while working.

No reason you can't get started right away.

good luck!

Will

 

[finny99]

Thanks , off to go mix, got two rolls to do

 

[arigram]

When I mix a powder chemical like D76 that requires hot water to dissolve and then needs to cool down, if I am in a hurry I just stick in the fridge or even freezer. I never had trouble with this method of rapid cooling.

 

[finny99]

Just mixed it all up , ready to go when the temp cools down, I will give it a go tomorrow, I hope I didnt mix the fixer too hot, it was fizzing a bit and after I poured it in to mix I noticed the package the temp is a little cooler for fixer. Its suppose to be a white color I hope

 

[joeyk49]

Don't you just hate the wait?!

Worse yet, having a single roll that you want to develope, but have to wait until the partly shot roll in the camera is finished in order to develope them....

...but its worth it.

I hope it all goes well for you.

Joe

 

[Donald Qualls]

Umm. No, your fixer shouldn't be white or milky. If it fizzed when you mixed it, and is white after standing for a while (to let microbubbles clear), it might be that the too-hot water caused decomposition. Milky fixer usually means it's precipitating sulfur, and is on the verge of failure.

I use a liquid concentrate rapid fixer, and just mix it with cold water (in fact, I've been one-shotting it and mixing it as needed, at half the normal film strength -- works great, and I don't have to keep track of how much film I've fixed, though I keep thinking I should do some tests to see if I can mix it thinner and still get a proper fix).

 

[finny99]

could be why I had purple negs, Forgot to lower temp after mixing developer, have to pick some more up

 

[Donald Qualls]

Purple negs are not necessarily an indicator of underfixing, as long as the clear areas (like between frames or between sprocket holes) are clear, and not cloudy at all. Soak them for a couple minutes in a solution of 2% sodium sulfite with one teaspoon per quart of sodium carbonate monohydrate (aka Arm & Hammer Washing Soda) and any dye still in the negative will either wash out or decolor. Or just ignore it.