Not a good night (Fixing problems ????)

[faustotesta]

Hello,
i spent last night printing. The bad surprise was seeing this ugly cast

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Does anyone have an idea ? Fixing problems ?. Fixing was fresh (prepared just before printing). Thanks for suggesting

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Insufficient fixing times and/or lack of constant agitation most probably. If you have more that you haven't taken out into direct light you can refix and wash.

 

[faustotesta]

Insufficient fixing times and/or lack of constant agitation most probably. If you have more that you haven't taken out into direct light you can refix and wash.

Sorry for not understanding correctly. I'm not English mother tongue. You mean that i can refix all the pictures and washing them again ?
Thank you

 

[Doremus Scudder]

Fausto,

Sí, é possiblile. Refix with fresh fix at the correct time and wash for the usual time. Make sure you are using the right dilution and time for the paper you are using.

ciao,

Doremus Scudder

www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[faustotesta]

Thanks everybody.
I'll refix/wash.
Ciao

 

[Vaughn]

My guess is that the prints were touching in the fix tray, and fix could not get in between the prints. The outer edges were getting fixer to them, so are clear.

Agitate constantly in the fix and occasionally lift and separate the prints.

 

[George Collier]

I don't know about these stains, but insufficient stop bath before acid fix can stain also.

 

[faustotesta]

Here i am again. In tried to refix/rewash. very little success. Ok i'll reprint again.
I used the same bunch of fixer for fixing a film. same problem. I get a magenta cast.
Maybe fixer is gone ? I bought it three months ago...
Any advice ?
Thanks

 

[faustotesta]

I guess i get it. I have refixed/rewashed the negative and the magenta cast disappeared.
Fixing instructions state times from 1 to 3 minutes. I fixed my negative (the second time) for 25 minutes (found this tips on an Italian site)
and negative became decent.

 

[frobozz]

Sounds like pretty dead fixer...

Duncan

 

[Toffle]

I think most of us here have misjudged our fixer life, or have tried to squeeze a few extra prints out of a batch of fixer. It seldom goes well.

 

[wogster]

I guess i get it. I have refixed/rewashed the negative and the magenta cast disappeared.
Fixing instructions state times from 1 to 3 minutes. I fixed my negative (the second time) for 25 minutes (found this tips on an Italian site)
and negative became decent.

25 minutes to fix a film? Either you mixed the fixer much to weak, or the fixer was sitting on the shelf at the shop long enough to collect a pension.....

 

[tkamiya]

What kind of film was this anyway? 1 to 3 minutes per instructions seems awfully short; however, 25 minutes sounds deadly long. If this was something like T-Max, I am not at all surprised proper fixing takes 5 to 12 minutes depending on type of fixer you are using.

I am not sure if OP meant it TOOK 25 minutes to clear or he fixed for 25 minutes to be "extra" sure this time.

 

[faustotesta]

Sounds like pretty dead fixer...

Duncan

The strange thing is that the fixer is not very old (i bought it three months ago)

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Fixer shouldnt go bad that fast, even in a half full bottle they usually last 6 months. the other possibility is staining from murky developer or indicator stop bath.

Btw what brand fixer are you using? And at what dilutions?

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Oh I forgot to mention the easiest way to check it to use some hypo check! a drop or 2 and if it (the drops) becomes cloudy when it hits the fixer then its no good.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Film can be refixed/washed. Prints are stained and nothing will repair them.

 

[faustotesta]

I tried to refix prints (didn't work) and the film (worked).
Fixer is a "Ornano" superfix. On the label times are within the range 1 to 3 minutes both for films and papers.
On a Italian photography site i found a forum where a subscriber said he usually fixes gis films with Ornano for 25 to 30 minutes.
Film was a Ilford HP5 400 iso

 

[wogster]

I tried to refix prints (didn't work) and the film (worked).
Fixer is a "Ornano" superfix. On the label times are within the range 1 to 3 minutes both for films and papers.
On a Italian photography site i found a forum where a subscriber said he usually fixes gis films with Ornano for 25 to 30 minutes.
Film was a Ilford HP5 400 iso

The best way to determine fixing time, is this:

Clip off a piece of film,it doesn't need to be very big, for 35mm a leader is sufficient, a cm square is big enough. Put a drop of fixer in the middle, let it sit for about 30 seconds or so, then drop the film into a small bowl of fixer, time it until the spot disappears completely. This is called your clear time. Double this
and round up to the next minute. If your worried about pink TMX/TMY then go 4 times and round up. You just don't want to go more then about 20 times. Put the clear time in the fixer working solution bottle.

So if your clear time is say 45 seconds, that means you should fix for 90 seconds so round that up to 2 minutes, anything between 2 minutes and 15 minutes is fine.

Each time you use the fixer, you repeat the test, when the time doubles, then toss it and mix fresh, so if it started at 45 seconds, and your old fixer takes more then 90 seconds, then it's time to mix a new batch. Mind you with fresh mixed, if they are saying 1-3 minutes fixing time, and your not clearing in 2 minutes, then you either mixed it wrong, or the concentrate is no good, try mixing another batch, if you get the same result, look at the concentrate, if there are bits floating in it, it's dead. I would be asking the dealer some hard questions if you had just bought it though.