• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

Weird sedimentation in FomaFix

With FB papers, in order to speed up fixing and washing, an alkaline fixer is even better. Quoting PE: Swell is maximized at pH 9 and minimized at pH 4.5. Washing and fixing are best at pH 9 and worst at pH 4.5.
There is only one true alkaline fixer available off the shelf to my knowledge.
 
miha said:
There is only one true alkaline fixer available off the shelf to my knowledge.
Click to expand...
The problem with alkaline rapid fixers is their ammonia smell. You can do this in film tanks, but tray are painful. Sure, there will be heroes who'll do it anyway, but it's definitely a hard sell. Obviously you can make arbitrarily alkaline fixers if you stick to Sodium Thiosulfate.
 
I'm sure we discussed this before, Moersch alkaline fixer, pH 7.5, doesn't smell. It's an odourless fixer.
 
miha said:
I'm sure we discussed this before, Moersch alkaline fixer, pH 7.5, doesn't smell. It's an odourless fixer.
Click to expand...
I believe, that pH 7.5 rapid fixer is mostly odorless. I bought a few canisters of Tetenal minilab C-41 fixer replenisher, it gives working solutions at about pH 7.5, and it is mostly odorless. The term "mostly" means: there is a distinct odor, if you smell directly above the liquid surface, but you can not smell a tray sitting in front of you.

TF-2, TF-3 and TF-4 are much more alkaline than pH 7.5, and I am firmly convinced, that these produce a noticeable smell in open trays. I still remember the smell of my initial quick fixer test formulas at too high pH.
 
Based on msds available TF4 is pH 5, which doesn' look right (same for TF5).
 
miha said:
Based on msds available TF4 is pH 5, which doesn' look right (same for TF5).
Click to expand...
I talked to Bill Troop, the "T" in TF-4, about this. The MSDS is pure nonsense, the Formulary should repair this ASAP.
 
Good to know, thanks. Also 15% of ammonium thio. doesn't look much. Most rapid fixers have 40% or more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register