hi ryan
i have never used KBr or salt ... and haven't had much trouble with thebasic recipe either.
congratulations on your first roll !
regarding the salt/fixer thing ... it takes a long long soak and it really doesn't fix it as much as stabilizes it
so you can fix it later. while i have a big pickle jar filled with 1 lb ( the cardboard cylinder salt comes in ? )
and water, i haven't actually used it yet ( its been sitting on my darkroom floor under the sink for maybe 2 years
) ...
i eventually thought i would use it as my salt bath to make salt prints, and haven't done that either LOL
good luck with your processing !
you are off to a good start, some people have trouble when they first start out ...
john