Stop Bath & Fixer - A Newbie Question

JDW22 · Feb 29, 2016

For nearly a year now I've been shooting with Fuji Acros 100 in my Hasselblad. Although my local lab does a good job developing the negatives, I want to start doing that myself. Not just to save a few cents on each roll, but I also want to gain personal control over the development process so that, over time, I can become confident in experimenting with different film and chemistry.

I've chosen Kodak HC-110 as the developer I'll use for my initial foray into this process. However, I'm looking for recommendations from the fine folks at APUG for the appropriate stop bath and fixer. I want to start with a proven combination of chemistry that will help me enjoy success. I prefer a liquid over powder; otherwise, I'm open to all recommendations.

Your kind assistance is sincerely appreciated.

Regards;

Jeff D Welker

bvy · Feb 29, 2016

They all pretty much work the same. A stop bath is even considered optional by many. You can opt for an indicator stop bath which changes color when it's "pooped" -- otherwise, you can do what I do and use one part distilled white table vinegar with four parts water as a one-shot stop bath.

Ilford Rapid Fixer is a liquid concentrate -- it's easy to acquire, mix and use. You should do a clearing test periodically to make sure your working solution still viable.

Pick up some Photo-Flo while you're at it.

Jim Noel · Feb 29, 2016

bvy said:
They all pretty much work the same. A stop bath is even considered optional by many. You can opt for an indicator stop bath which changes color when it's "pooped" -- otherwise, you can do what I do and use one part distilled white table vinegar with four parts water as a one-shot stop bath.

Ilford Rapid Fixer is a liquid concentrate -- it's easy to acquire, mix and use. You should do a clearing test periodically to make sure your working solution still viable.

Pick up some Photo-Flo while you're at it.

Photo Flo is a catalyst and wil build up on your reels over time causing over-development of the edges. There are other safer surfactants. One is LFN.

jeffreythree · Feb 29, 2016

I use a water stop with film and whatever fixer I happen to have put in my cart in the last order. A lot of fixers are pretty much the same thing doing the same thing, but a few are different. I am about to switch to TF-4 fixer once my Ilford Rapid Fixer is exhausted.

JDW22 · Feb 29, 2016

jeffreythree said:
I use a water stop with film and whatever fixer I happen to have put in my cart in the last order. A lot of fixers are pretty much the same thing doing the same thing, but a few are different. I am about to switch to TF-4 fixer once my Ilford Rapid Fixer is exhausted.

Thank you Brian, Jim and Jeffrey for your quick and thoughtful responses.

I have been considering TF-4 for my fixer and have read that a water stop bath works well with TF-4. Is your water stop bath method/time the same as when using a chemical stop bath? Do you perform any agitation during the water stop bath?

I read somewhere that with TF-4 you go for 1-minute with the water stop bath and change water at the 30-second mark. Recommendations please.

Jeff

anikin · Feb 29, 2016

Jeff,

TF-4 is perfect for film. There are clear directions on the bottle. You do want to agitate during the water stop bath, just like with the regular stop. The only difference with water stop bath is that you want to change water a couple of times. Unlike developer, stop it's not super critical step, so I just fill with water, agitate a bit, drain and repeat once or twice. What's cool about TF-4 is that you don't need HCA, so your chemical list is just developer and fix, and an optional drop of photo-flo at the end. Easy.

Eugene.

jeffreythree · Feb 29, 2016

JDW22 said:
Thank you Brian, Jim and Jeffrey for your quick and thoughtful responses.

I have been considering TF-4 for my fixer and have read that a water stop bath works well with TF-4. Is your water stop bath method/time the same as when using a chemical stop bath? Do you perform any agitation during the water stop bath?

I read somewhere that with TF-4 you go for 1-minute with the water stop bath and change water at the 30-second mark. Recommendations please.

Jeff

I have not used the TF-4 yet, only mixed it this weekend. I will let the experts weigh in here, but I am going with the instructions on the bottle with a 68 degree running water wash for 1 minute. Previously fixers I just did a couple of fill tank and dump cycles.

MattKing · Feb 29, 2016

You can basically mix and match. I would recommend a non-hardening Rapid Fixer though. And a surfactant like Photo-flo or LFN as well.

In my case, for film I use Kodak Indicator Stop Bath at twice the recommended dilution (usually one shot), Kodak Rapid Fixer without added hardener (re-used according to clip tests and capacity recommendations indicate otherwise), Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent and Kodak Photo-flo.

Sirius Glass · Feb 29, 2016

All the stop baths and fixers are about the same. I recommend using Stop Bath with Indicator so that you can see when it starts going bad. I use replenished XTOL for finer grain, smoother tonality and better sharpness. Replenished XTOL for 120 film [Read: Hasselblad] is fantastic.

Check out this URL: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/prof...wFilmProcessing/selecting.jhtml?pq-path=14053

RalphLambrecht · Feb 29, 2016

JDW22 said:
For nearly a year now I've been shooting with Fuji Acros 100 in my Hasselblad. Although my local lab does a good job developing the negatives, I want to start doing that myself. Not just to save a few cents on each roll, but I also want to gain personal control over the development process so that, over time, I can become confident in experimenting with different film and chemistry.

I've chosen Kodak HC-110 as the developer I'll use for my initial foray into this process. However, I'm looking for recommendations from the fine folks at APUG for the appropriate stop bath and fixer. I want to start with a proven combination of chemistry that will help me enjoy success. I prefer a liquid over powder; otherwise, I'm open to all recommendations.

Your kind assistance is sincerely appreciated.

Regards;

Jeff D Welker

as others said,which doesn't matter much;get the ones that are easy to get ahold of for you or consider mixing your own from scratch but then you have to start liking powders, which is just fine.

Kirks518 · Feb 29, 2016

I have always used water as my stop. As for fixer, I started with Photographer's Formulary, and then one day I didn't have enough left, so I added some Ilford fixer to the PF, and I've been using that concoction for about a year (I'm surprised it's still working).

In other words, as has been said, which doesn't matter, as long as you do it and do it well.

Sirius Glass · Feb 29, 2016

Stop bath is used to prolong the use of fixer [hypo]. If you do not use stop bath, the fixer goes bad sooner. The cost of stop bath is so low that it is worth using it to extend the fixer's life.

All so a bottle of PhotoFlo or equivalent will last forever and help eliminate spotting or streaks on the negative. Follow the dilution instructions for best results.

JDW22 · Mar 1, 2016

All the wonderful replies, suggestions, and recommendations are sincerely appreciated. Time for me to move past the talking stage and develop a roll of film. I'll report back.

Jeff

bdial · Mar 1, 2016

If you use an alkaline fixer like TF-4 or TF-5, it's recommended to use an acid stop instead of plain water. Otherwise, any leftover developer can continue working in the fix and you may get some unevenness. In any case, for a water stop, plenty of agitation and at least two changes are recommended.

For acid stop, ff you want to economize, grocery store white vinegar diluted 1 to 1 works well.
Ilford Hypam hasn't been mentioned as a fix choice, works good, it's a liquid concentrate, as are pretty much all rapid fixers.
My preference for stop is water, but I don't use an alkaline fix.

Doc W · Mar 1, 2016

jd, one thing to watch for is the dilution of HC-110 and the amount of developer in the solution. Regardless of which dilution you intend to use, make sure that there is a minimum amount of the developer in the solution. Depending on whom you ask, the minimum for a roll of 120 is somewhere around 3-6 ml.

JDW22 · Mar 2, 2016

Doc W said:
jd, one thing to watch for is the dilution of HC-110 and the amount of developer in the solution. Regardless of which dilution you intend to use, make sure that there is a minimum amount of the developer in the solution. Depending on whom you ask, the minimum for a roll of 120 is somewhere around 3-6 ml.

Doc - Thanks for the heads-up on mixing a dilution of HC-110. After reading your comment, I recall reading somewhere that a minimum amount of developer is recommended. I anticipate going with dilution H to start and my Nikor SS single 120 tank takes 400 ml of fluid. If my calculations are correct, I would mix 6.3 ml of HC-110 with 397 ml of distilled water and I should be good to go for "one shot" development of a single roll of 120.

Doc W · Mar 2, 2016

6ml is more than enough. Good luck!

Stop Bath & Fixer - A Newbie Question

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency