Hello,
I've just read in an older publication (Die Ilford Positivtechnik by Jost J. Marchesi) the recommendation of testing wash water for hypo content with a Pot. Permanganate / S. Carbonate solution.
For the record, here's the recipe (I paraphrase as the publication I have is in German):
Pot. Permanganate 0.1g
S. Carbonate (sicc.) 2g
Aqua dest., fill to 100g
Put a drop in a sample of the wash water. If the time it takes for the color to disappear is longer than one minute, the hypo content is under 0.001% and washing sufficient. Do a parallel test with fresh tap water for comparison.
Any opinions on it? Has it not proven reliable, as what seems to be recommended these days is the Kodak HT-2 residual hypo test with Silver Nitrate/Acetic Acid?
If it is a good approach, how long lived can I expect the solution to be? Special requirements for purity, is drugstore washing soda ok?
Now that we're at it, same question for HT-2 if I decide to go that route; is distilled vinegar ok or does it require acetic acid of higher purity?