Ilford Rapid Fixer only good for 7 days?

[f/16]

I got my chemicals today. On the bottle it states that at 1+4 it will keep for 7 days. Is it good for longer than that or should I adhere to the 7 days? If it's only good for a week I'm not going to get many rolls out of it.

 

[Carriage]

I think the data sheet says longer (2-6months depending how full). Have a look on the Ilford website

 

[MattKing]

From the data sheet on the Ilford website:

"Unreplenished ILFORD RAPID FIXER working strength solutions should last for up to:-
6 months in full tightly capped bottles
2 months in a tank or dish/tray with a floating lid
1 month in a half full tightly capped bottle.
7 days in an open dish/tray."

The 7 days refers to print processing or sheet film processing trays.

 

[f/16]

OK thanks. Can fixer be poured down the drain when it's exhausted?

 

[MattKing]

OK thanks. Can fixer be poured down the drain when it's exhausted?

There are reams of posts throughout APUG on just this question.

Used fixer has a fair bit of silver in it, which can be profitably reclaimed. As silver is a bactericide, I wouldn't dump it into a septic system.

John Nanian ("jnanian") here on APUG sells units called "Silver Magnet" that help you reclaim silver.

If you cannot do that yourself or you cannot find anyone else to help you with that, you should check with your local authorities about "hazardous" good disposal rules. They vary from location to location.

 

[MattKing]

This appears to be relevant: http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/hhw.html

If there are restrictions, most likely they will provide you with a place to discard it.

And most likely the staff there are interested in the health of your community.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I got my chemicals today. On the bottle it states that at 1+4 it will keep for 7 days. Is it good for longer than that or should I adhere to the 7 days? If it's only good for a week I'm not going to get many rolls out of it.

I use fixer only as one-shot or withthe two-bath fixing routineandhave ruined many negs by using fixer more than once.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

OK thanks. Can fixer be poured down the drain when it's exhausted?

the legalities depend on your local laws but as it contains heavy metals,I drop it at my local haz mat recycling deposit site just to act environmentally responsible.

 

[M Carter]

I use fixer only as one-shot or withthe two-bath fixing routineandhave ruined many negs by using fixer more than once.

I use 1-shot for negs, but I go through far more fixer for paper than film… I'd assume many of us do?

I'm loathe to waste money - even small amounts of money - I think it's not the money but the idea of "waste" (and the highly metaphorical act of pouring something "down the drain"…)

So for fixer and developer, I pour the trays into bottles after use, and top them off with butane. It's amazing how long dektol (Liquidol in my case) stays fresh. I start most printing sessions with tests on RC to experiment with dodging, contrast, etc. So when I set up, if I'm getting out used chemistry, I do a fixer test, which tells me if the fixer is good and if the developer is giving solid blacks. (I test my fixer all through a print session so I can fix as minimally as possible - TF-5, even late in the day, will clear paper in 20 seconds or so. Doubling that time beats fixing for 5 minutes…)

When I get out the fiber paper, I make fresh chemistry. But I often have sessions that are "all testing", as I'm wanting to learn more about registering and masking, duping film, etc. Package labels are pretty conservative - I imagine they want even sloppy workers to get decent results.

 

[Terry Christian]

This should be needless to say, but only mix the volume of fixer that you need, and re-use it until it exhausts. Don't mix the whole bottle at once.