How to know if the stop and fixer are still proper for use???

[marciofs]

I have Ilfo stop and fixer and I save them after develop films... But how to know when they are too old to be reused?

Do they change colour or something like that?

 

[removed account4]

i haven't used that brand, but if the stop bath is an "indicator" stop bath it will turn
a color ( blue? ) when it is spent. as for the fixer ... it depends how long you have used it.
a general rule of thumb is to mix a fresh batch of fixer and take a film leader and with the lights on
put the film in the fixer and see how long it takes to be completely clear ... you fix your film for
2x that time, and when it takes your leader 2x your original time your fixer is used to capacity.
for example, if you put your leader in and it took 2 mins to clear when it was freshly made,
when it takes 4 mins to clear your fixer is used up.

some brands like sprint are a system ...
you use the print developer and stop and fix until the stop bath turns color / indicates
and then it is time to mix fresh everything ...

have fun !
john

 

[marciofs]

Thank you.

 

[dnjl]

Ilfostop is an indicator stop bath and will turn deep purple once it's reached its maximum capacity. You can see for yourself by mixing some developer with a bit of yellow stop bath.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Stop bath - use stop bath with indicator. I goes purple when it goes bad.
Fixer - put in a few drops of Hypo test. If a white precipitant appears, it is bad.

Steve

 

[ROL]

My stop baths for both film and paper are water, per specific developer. It just gets "replaced" as it becomes discolored, and dumped at the end of every session.

Hypo test kits are notoriously inaccurate. John's suggestion is tried and true, if a bit involved. Better yet is to simply conservatively observe the fix manufacturer's film or paper limitation by counting their use. When in doubt, throw it out (or recycle it).

 

[jovo]

If the fixer is exhausted the film will have a reddish stain on the length of it. Just make a fresh solution and refix. The stain will disappear, and the film will be fine. I have a post-it that I put on the bottle of fixer and mark off each use. Even with big intervals between usages, I can keep track of the life of the stuff.

 

[hpulley]

It is much better to clip test fixer and developer BEFORE you use them rather than waiting for poorly developed or fixed film to come off a reel.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Don't save a stop bath it is a foolish economy. Various particulates from the film or paper accumulate in them, bits of emulsion or paper fibers. These can cuase problems when they are reused. If you don't save stop baths then you don't need to pay the added expense of indicator stop baths. Acetic or citric acid is quite cheap. You can even use white vinegar or a water rinse.

The easiest thing to do with fixers is to keep track of the amount of film or paper run through them. Then don't exceed the manufacturers recommendation.

Every time I hear indicator stop bath mentioned I envisage a manager at Kodak, or Ilford rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.

 

[MattKing]

The indicator in indicator stop bath is a very useful aid - it provides a nice, convenient check on whether I've lost track of how many prints I've run through the chemistry. It also conveniently comes included in the highly concentrated nicely packaged stop bath that Kodak and Ilford sell to us.

And it is really cheap.

Now, just in case you think I disagree totally with Jerry, I will say that I wouldn't recommend saving stop bath between sessions except for the very rare circumstance where you have run very few prints through it, and you intend to resume printing very soon.

Such as when you finish at noon, and resume that evening.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The difference between the cost of stop bath with indicator versus without indicator is so small that it is less than the sales tax on the stop bath. The indicator is a useful aid.

Steve

 

[removed account4]

i use water instead of stop bath, its even cheaper

 

[mgb74]

Can someone expand on the "inaccuracy" of hypo check solutions? Do they tend to give false negatives, false positives, both? Do they degrade over time? Are some better than others?

I have a septic system and save my used fixer for disposal at a treatment plant (as well as the first rinse of both prints and negatives). So the volume of fixer I use matters.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Every time the hypo check showed precipitation the hypo could still clear the film but very s---l---o---w---l---y for me.

I would say about on time.

Steve

 

[Bob-D659]

mgb74,

Put your fixer in a screened bucket outside and let the water evaporate in the summer.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I have a septic system and save my used fixer for disposal at a treatment plant (as well as the first rinse of both prints and negatives). So the volume of fixer I use matters.

Septic systems and photochemicals have been discussed at length. Please check the APUG archives.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Can someone expand on the "inaccuracy" of hypo check solutions?

These solutions provide a qualitative check but not a quantitative one. A rough estimate can be made from the amount of precipitate and whether it redissolves on shaking. It is importent to conduct the test exactly as described.

As mentioned before the best method is to keep an accurate record of the amount of film/prints run through a fixing bath. The manufacturer should provide this information. If the bath shows any signs of sulfurization it should immediately be discarded. Do not keep the bath past the manufacturers recommended time even if the total number of film/prints has not be reached. Fixing baths keep best if kept in a cool location. The higher the storage temperature the faster they will sulfurize.