sodium sulfite as HCA

George, IIRC, using a HC with TF4 will increase recommended wash times for FB papers and wash times over 45 minutes seem excessive to me.

Right now I'm using Ilford Rapid Fix with double thick FB papers and Ilford recommends a 5 minute water bath after 1 minute of fixing, 5 minutes in HC and after Selenium toning, 30 minutes wash time. I am using either dishpan basins of standing tap water for washing or very little water flow with a single basin, depending on what I'm doing. Keeping prints separated seems to be more important than volume or water flow, at least that's the doctrine I'm using now.

Is anyone else here using similar methods?

Photo Engineer said:

........... It is really only needed if you are short on water and we have a lot of that hereabouts.

PE

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You are very lucky! May your good fortune continue into the age of global warming!

Where I am, saving 50% of washing water is sensible. In fact, with our strict water restrictions, I'm sure that if more people did photo processing at home it would come under strict regulations (like various activities like car washing, etc.)

john_s said:

You are very lucky! May your good fortune continue into the age of global warming!

Where I am, saving 50% of washing water is sensible. In fact, with our strict water restrictions, I'm sure that if more people did photo processing at home it would come under strict regulations (like various activities like car washing, etc.)

Click to expand...

I have compounded a fix for just this sort of problem. It takes a lot less wash water to complete the wash cycle.

PE

john_s said:

One chemical I bought in bulk had on the label "83% pure" and about half the remainder was "insoluble". It wasn't a photo chemical, but remember that many of the chemicals we use have many non-phoographic uses, and purity isn't important to some of them.

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The insoluable material can become trapped in your swollen wet gelatin and then when it dries it will leave imperfections in the image. This is very bad when the insoluable matter forms a colloid that cannot be filtered out and very bad for small format negatives.

PE

john_s said:

Where I am, saving 50% of washing water is sensible. In fact, with our strict water restrictions, I'm sure that if more people did photo processing at home it would come under strict regulations (like various activities like car washing, etc.)

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Likewise here in California. Water is a very precious resource and we cannot afford to waste it. I have not washed my car, for example, in probably a year or more.

Photo Engineer said:

But then who needs 50 # of Na2SO3? In fact,
I don't even use HCA. PE

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Bill Troop has uncategorically stated that an ALKALINE fixer
obviates the need for a hca. Search rec.photo.darkroom
for, ephraums 10.5 .

Bill believes a ph of about 10.5 is a reasonable top. The
more decidedly alkaline the better. A 1999 post/thread.
Read all about it at rec.photo.darkroom. Dan

Photo Engineer said:

I have compounded a fix for just this sort of problem. It takes a lot less wash water to complete the wash cycle.

PE

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Have you ever posted this formula, or do you plan to? I'd be very interested.

dancqu said:

Bill Troop has uncategorically stated that an ALKALINE fixer
obviates the need for a hca. Search rec.photo.darkroom
for, ephraums 10.5 .

Bill believes a ph of about 10.5 is a reasonable top. The
more decidedly alkaline the better. A 1999 post/thread.
Read all about it at rec.photo.darkroom. Dan

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Dan;

I don't even use HCA with an acid fix.

PE

Steve Goldstein said:

Have you ever posted this formula, or do you plan to? I'd be very interested.

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Plans are in motion for this new fix.

PE