What Powder Fix?

Jon Butler · Aug 28, 2005

I'm off to Greece for month in ten days time, as normal I will be processing my film out there as I go. this time I'm not starting in Athens where I can buy some Ilford fix.(they do not like fix in your suitcase with air travel) I have bought some powder fix Calbe A300 but seems long fixing times 8-12 mins is this fix OK or is there any other better powder fix in UK.

JON.

Tom Hoskinson · Aug 28, 2005

JON@jb-ci said:
I'm off to Greece for month in ten days time, as normal I will be processing my film out there as I go. this time I'm not starting in Athens where I can buy some Ilford fix.(they do not like fix in your suitcase with air travel) I have bought some powder fix Calbe A300 but seems long fixing times 8-12 mins is this fix OK or is there any other better powder fix in UK.

JON.

I don't know what is available as a dry mix in the UK.

Ole's OF-1 fix is a dry mix that contains Ammonium Ion (desireable for film fixing). The recipe is listed in the APUG Chemical Recipes section.

Regarding Calbe A300 fixer:

(Translated from the German, source: http://www.sw-magazin.com/fotochemie.html)

-----------------------------------

Calbe A 300 is a single powder acid fixing bath that is based on Sodium Thiosulfate. It may be used for fixing black-and-white materials. It is suitable as fixing bath for the processing of photo films and photo papers. Fixing time at 20° C for films 8 to 12 min, for photo papers 5 to 8 min.

-----------------------------------

Used for film fixing, it would be safest to use A300 as a one-shot fixer (since it is a Sodium Thiosulfate based fixer). You can use the "fix for twice the clearing time" rule to insure that your film is fully fixed.

David A. Goldfarb · Aug 28, 2005

Sounds like a pretty standard thiosulfate fixer. Kodak Fixer would do as well. Maybe it isn't what you want to use all the time, but for developing film on the road, the convenience of a powder probably outweighs the extra few minutes of fixing time. You could fix in sea water, allegedly, but it would take hours.

Tom Hoskinson · Aug 28, 2005

Kodak F-5 non-hardening acid fixing bath.

Sodium Thiosulfate (crystal).....250 grams
Potassium Metabisulfite.............25 grams
Water to..................................1 liter

An acid fixing bath is somewhat slower in its action than a plain fixer.

Source: Basic Photographic Chemistry by Keith M. Hornsby. Published 1956 by the Fountain Press, London.

Tom Hoskinson · Aug 28, 2005

Tom Hoskinson said:
Kodak F-5 non-hardening acid fixing bath.

Sodium Thiosulfate (crystal).....250 grams
Potassium Metabisulfite.............25 grams
Water to..................................1 liter

An acid fixing bath is somewhat slower in its action than a plain fixer.

Source: Basic Photographic Chemistry by Keith M. Hornsby. Published 1956 by the Fountain Press, London.

Hornsby was in error. Kodak K-5 is an hardening acid fixer bath. The Hornsby recipe is actually for Gevaert G-301 (Source: Darkroom Handbook and Formulary by Morris Germain, A.R.P.S. Ziff-Davis, 1940).

Donald Qualls · Aug 28, 2005

Another option would be to convert the fixer you have to a rapid fixer. One way would be to add ammonium chloride in a suitable quantity; another would be to add ammonium hydroxide (household clear ammonia cleaner). The latter would reduce the acidity of the fixer, but that's not harmful, and that cleaner is likely to be readily available even in Greece.

dancqu · Aug 29, 2005

JON@jb-ci said:
...(they do not like fix in your suitcase with air travel)...

I'd think security would check any stores of chemistry.
If you think you can get away with it take a container
of sodium thiosulfate along and also a spoon.

Predetermine the amount needed and spoon up a
one- shot fix. As a starting point use 20 grams
anhydrous or half again more of the penta.
I find 16 grams anhydrous plenty for a
120 roll of Pan F+. Dan

Jon Butler · Aug 30, 2005

Thanks guys. see new thread (AIR TRAVEL WITH B&W DEV & FIX)

Regards JON.

Thomas Hoppe · Aug 30, 2005

Calbe link

Hello,

here's the link to the Calbe data sheet:

Calbe

and the MSDS:

MSDS

Tom Hoskinson · Aug 31, 2005

Thomas Hoppe said:
Hello,

here's the link to the Calbe data sheet:

Calbe

and the MSDS:

MSDS

Interesting Thomas, Thanks.

The Calbe A-300 data sheet tells me that the fixer is based on Sodium Thiosulfate (which I already knew - from another source). The data sheet contains no other chemical information. It is mute on whether the fix is acid, neutral or alkaline ( I know it is acid from another source). It is also mute on hardening (I know it is non-hardening - also from another source).

The Calbe A-300 MSDS lists only one chemical component - Disodium Disulfite - aka Sodium Metabisulfite. This confirms that the fixer is acidic.

Gevaert G-301 Acid Fixing Bath is a simple recipe that contains similar chemical components:

Sodium Thiosulfate-----------------------250 grams
Potassium or Sodium Metabisulfite----------25 grams
Water to make-----------------------------1 liter

If you add 20 to 30 grams of either:

Ammonium Chloride

or

Ammonium Sulfate

to Gevaert G-301, you will have a moderately rapid acting fixer.

BTW, Ammonium Hydroxide will work as well (to add ammonium ion), but it is more corrosive than the other two chemicals mentioned.

Bob F. · Aug 31, 2005

I can't find a powder rapid fixer (ammonium thiosulphate based) over the counter in the UK. The long fixing times for the Calibe suggest it is sodium thiosulfate (hypo) based. It will work fine as long as you stick to the longer times.

I wouldn't suggest taking a packet of ammonium thiosulphate on a plane: a half kilo plastic bag of white powder in your luggage may be misconstrued...

Cheers, Bob.

GeorgesGiralt · Aug 31, 2005

Bob F. said:
I can't find a powder rapid fixer (ammonium thiosulphate based) over the counter in the UK. The long fixing times for the Calibe suggest it is sodium thiosulfate (hypo) based. It will work fine as long as you stick to the longer times.

I wouldn't suggest taking a packet of ammonium thiosulphate on a plane: a half kilo plastic bag of white powder in your luggage may be misconstrued...

Cheers, Bob.

Hi !
I may be wrong on this, but I think the Agfa Acidofix is an acidic rapid fixer in powder form. And is very cheap too... (I think it was designed for the minilab market) Add to this taht as the package is labeled Agfa, the explanation will be easier to give....

Thomas Hoppe · Aug 31, 2005

Tom Hoskinson said:
Interesting Thomas, Thanks.

The Calbe A-300 data sheet tells me that the fixer is based on Sodium Thiosulfate (which I already knew - from another source). The data sheet contains no other chemical information. It is mute on whether the fix is acid, neutral or alkaline ( I know it is acid from another source). It is also mute on hardening (I know it is non-hardening - also from another source).

The Calbe A-300 MSDS lists only one chemical component - Disodium Disulfite - aka Sodium Metabisulfite. This confirms that the fixer is acidic.

Gevaert G-301 Acid Fixing Bath is a simple recipe that contains similar chemical components:

Sodium Thiosulfate-----------------------250 grams
Potassium or Sodium Metabisulfite----------25 grams
Water to make-----------------------------1 liter

If you add 20 to 30 grams of either:

Ammonium Chloride

or

Ammonium Sulfate

to Gevaert G-301, you will have a moderately rapid acting fixer.

BTW, Ammonium Hydroxide will work as well (to add ammonium ion), but it is more corrosive than the other two chemicals mentioned.

Hello,

I think Tom's suggestion is the best way to go, because rapid fixers usually come as a liquid. I'm not quite sure about the Tetenal Vario Fix, which is a powder fixer as well but requires shorter times. The data sheet from Tetenal says it contains ammonium thiosulfate but the technical service on the phone said, that it is a sodium thiosulfate fixer. I find it very irritating that a company like Tetenal can't give clear statements.

By the way, the Calbe Fixer is the old Agfa A 300 formula since Calbe Photochemie is the successor of ORWO which was Agfa before the GDR was founded.

What Powder Fix?

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