Rapid fixer milky white color

FWIW, when he was with us, Photo Engineer (Ron Mowrey, the co-creator of TF-5 and quite knowledgeable about TF-4 fixers) posted on more than one occasion that both of those fixers were designed with buffering in order to be fully compatible with a workflow that included acid stop bath. Ron was actually a proponent of using acid stop with almost all workflows.

AndreiF said:

Hi all,



So I realized that my concentrated Ilford rapid fixer got a milky white color when mixed with water (from a 5L bottle, half full) It has more than the stated 6 month by Ilford sheets.

I just mixed a 1+9 dilution and run the "negative strip test" and the fixer cleared the strip in below 1 minute. What should I learn from this? It s white because extended shelf time, but still works well?

Thank you so much in advance!

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will be fine with a two-bath fixing routine, but you'll need fresh fixer soon.

Tsubasa said:

Acid fixers are suggested because being acidic thet get along really well with an acid stop bath so they can be reused over and over.
Alkaline or neutral fixers are better used one shot after an acidic stop bath.
This my 2cents

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I've been using acidic stop bathes and neutral fixers for years now without any issue. Since the indicator dye also carries over, and since this dye carried into fixer remains firmly purple, I am quite certain, that pH stays right up there where it should. I can report this both for my own neutral quick fixer and for Tetenal's C-41 minilab fixer, the latter one used 1+9, i.e. quite dilute. I see absolutely no reason to use this fixer single shot, neither for film and prints.

Also quite surprised at your Tetenal neutral fixer concentrate going bad so quickly. That minilab fixer concentrate has been reliable and stable for almost 3 years by now.

Rudeofus said:

I've been using acidic stop bathes and neutral fixers for years now without any issue. Since the indicator dye also carries over, and since this dye carried into fixer remains firmly purple, I am quite certain, that pH stays right up there where it should...

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I concur, this has been my experience as well.