Somebody help this idiot fix his film!

[sidearm613]

so...
I am starting to try out more creative b&w films (I got bored with tri-x..) and I have had to change my developer times, but every forum I have checked makes no mention of changing fixer times. Is this because once the film is developed the fixer time is irrelevant or is this because nobody has asked yet?
What times to other people use with IR or ortho film in your fixer?

 

[tony lockerbie]

Not a silly question at all. Personally, I fix all my films for the same time, and that includes IR and Ortho. I use a standard rapid fixer ( hypam) and fix for 4 minutes at 20 degrees C.
The only exception is TMax 400, which I fix for 5 minutes.... gets rid of the magenta cast. Good luck with the experimenting!
Tony

 

[E76]

Fix times should be the same for all film and papers, but if you're concerned you should conduct a clip test. Take a small piece of unexposed film and place it in the fixer. Double the time it takes the film to clear is your fix time.

 

[Anon Ymous]

Fixing is something that has to be done to completion. If you fix film a bit more it won't hurt. Fixing time depends on the fixer, the amount of films that have been fixed with the solution and the kind of film. TMax films need longer fixing times. Anyway, fixer manufacturers can only give rough estimates. After all it's something reusable and the more it's used, the more it will take. In order to find fixing time you can do the leader test. Cut a piece of the film leader. Dip it in the fixer solution you'll use and count the time it gets to clear. Multiply this by 3 and that's your fixing time. When clearing time doubles it's time to dump your fixer.

 

[Toffle]

Awhile back when I was having a problem with incomplete fixing 35mm, I started putting the film leader in the top portion of the tank during the fix phase of development, making sure there was enough fix to cover the film. When the leader was clear, I knew the film was completely fixed. This really helped to standardize my process, and also let me know when my fixer was nearing exhaustion. You only have to ruin a couple of films before you learn that there is little benefit to stretching your chemicals beyond their capacity. :rolleyes:

Cheers,

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

The below written is good advice. The method tells you two things:
1. How long you should fix for
2. The condition of your fixer
I do it every time I fix film.
I fix paper with film strength fixer. When I'm done with the printing session I pour the fixer back into a jar that says 'Film Fixer'. That way I can use fresh fixer for printing every time, and I can use the fixer for a good while more with film.

- Thomas

Fixing is something that has to be done to completion. If you fix film a bit more it won't hurt. Fixing time depends on the fixer, the amount of films that have been fixed with the solution and the kind of film. TMax films need longer fixing times. Anyway, fixer manufacturers can only give rough estimates. After all it's something reusable and the more it's used, the more it will take. In order to find fixing time you can do the leader test. Cut a piece of the film leader. Dip it in the fixer solution you'll use and count the time it gets to clear. Multiply this by 3 and that's your fixing time. When clearing time doubles it's time to dump your fixer.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

When the leader was clear, I knew the film was completely fixed.

Cheers,

But that is incorrect. The STANDARD as advised by Kodak, Ilford and all film companies is to fix for TWICE as long as it takes the film to clear. You can use this standard for any b/w film.

 

[Toffle]

But that is incorrect. The STANDARD as advised by Kodak, Ilford and all film companies is to fix for TWICE as long as it takes the film to clear. You can use this standard for any b/w film.

See... that's why I like this place. Thanks for the clarification.

Cheers,

 

[jovo]

You only have to ruin a couple of films before you learn that there is little benefit to stretching your chemicals beyond their capacity. :rolleyes:

That's true, but not irreversible. You will see a reddish stain on the film...often a wide streak...that tells you in no uncertain terms that you've either not fixed the film long enough, or the fixer was exhausted at which point all is not lost! Just mix up a fresh batch, and re-fix and wash the film. The stain should disappear, and the film will be none the worse for the remedy.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I second the twice time to clear for your fixing time as well. I shoot a lot of TMax and I have found that the film is clear after 2.5 minutes. (Never thought about taking a portion and checking it that way, don't risk the whole roll.) So once I get through the developer and bath and I'm ready to fix I go for an additional five and a half minutes on the timer from THAT point. See, I have an old red Kodak Darkroom timer (analog timer, go figure) and I have sheets made up for film/dev combos I use and the cumulative time at each stage so that I know where to quit.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

I use fixer check to tell me if my fixer is going bad before I use it.
Otherwise I fix everything for 5 minutes. Clip tests are excellent as well and will tell you how it's doing but I've only done that when things go wrong.

The fixer check I use is nacco or naaco fixer check or fixer test (sorry, 1 little bottle has lasted 6+ years)

1 drop in 25ml of fixer (a large test tube is perfect for this), any precipitate, particularly a milky one, indicates that the fixer isn't up to par. Otherwise clear, or swirly-clear indicates it's good. Don't throw this back into the fixer, you must dump it.

Also wash good.. washing is real important and can be as hard or easy as you want. Just make sure you wash it well..

 

[Anon Ymous]

And in case you can find Potassium Iodide (KI), then you can make your own fixer check. It's just a 5% solution of KI in water. Details can be found here.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

And in case you can find Potassium Iodide (KI), then you can make your own fixer check. It's just a 5% solution of KI in water. Details can be found here.

Thanks for that bit, I wasn't aware of that! KI is pretty inexpensive and very handy if you are a bit paranoid. Turn your darkroom into a bomb shelter! At least you'd have something to do while waiting for radioactive dust to settle..

 

[Anon Ymous]

Thanks for that bit, I wasn't aware of that! KI is pretty inexpensive and very handy if you are a bit paranoid. Turn your darkroom into a bomb shelter! At least you'd have something to do while waiting for radioactive dust to settle..

Eh? :confused: Do I miss something? Is there a connection between KI and nuclear warfare?

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

good old wikipedia;

Radiation protection

Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in April, 1986, a saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI) was administered to 10.5 million children and 7 million adults in Poland[7] as a prophylactic measure against accumulation of radioactive iodine-131 in the thyroid gland.

Potassium iodide was also approved in 1982 by the US FDA to protect the thyroid glands from radioactive iodine. In the event of an accident or attack at a nuclear power plant, or fallout from a nuclear bomb, several volatile fission product radionuclides may be released. 131I is a common fission by-product and is particularly dangerous as the body concentrates it in the thyroid gland, which may lead to thyroid cancer. By saturating the body with a source of stable iodide prior to exposure, inhaled or ingested 131I tends to be excreted. Potassium iodide cannot protect against any other causes of radiation poisoning, however, nor can it provide any degree of protection against most forms of "dirty bombs."