Can I reuse fixer?

[vijaylff]

Thanks for all the informative replies.

-Vijay

[Brian Ellis]

"Storing the used, working strength fixer and using it during a different session days later (not at all a good idea - working strength fixer will oxidize quickly even if it wasn't exhausted when you bottled it up for storage - The tray life of diluted fixer is 4-5 hours. Once bottled up, I doubt it can survive much longer no matter how much you tighten up the bottle cap."

Once again, I respectfully disagree. I've never heard that the tray life of working solution fix is only 4-5 hours though I wouldn't argue about it and I'm open to accepting that if you have a source. But if that's the case then not only shouldn't used fix be stored between sessions, we should be mixing a fresh batch every 4-5 hours in a single session, which maybe is what everyone else does but if so I haven't heard of it.

For paper I used to use the two bath system of fixing, in which one fix bath is stored and reused. Since the two bath method is commonly recommended, and since that method of necessity requires the storing of used fix, it would seem that there must be no problem inherent in storing and reusing fix, at least with that system.

While tightening the bottle cap is certainly a good idea, the most important factor (I think) in preventing oxidization is keeping the storage bottle full. I keep a gallon of used fix stored in one gallon jugs so there's little air that gets in the bottles.

[Nick_3536]

I use two bath for films also.

I guess something like Ansel's plain Hypo fixer would be the only thing that shouldn't be kept. But if you are mixing your own hypo based fixer I would expect you to know that it won't keep. But the more common fixer formulas keep fairly well. That's the point of the sodium sulfite.

[Andrew O'Neill]

working strength fixer will oxidize quickly even if it wasn't exhausted when you bottled it up for storage - The tray life of diluted fixer is 4-5 hours. Once bottled up, I doubt it can survive much longer no matter how much you tighten up the bottle cap."

I have bottled working strength fix that has sat for a couple months and still clears film.

[Ole Tjugen]

...
2- Storing the used, working strength fixer and using it during a different session days later (not at all a good idea - working strength fixer will oxidize quickly even if it wasn't exhausted when you bottled it up for storage - The tray life of diluted fixer is 4-5 hours. Once bottled up, I doubt it can survive much longer no matter how much you tighten up the bottle cap.)...

Cyrus,

What kind of fixer are you using? The only fixer I know of with that bad keeping properties is the "plain hypo fix", and there are lots of other good reasons not to use that. Even adding a tablespoon of sodium sulfite per liter of fixer extends the tray life to several days.

I've had fixer that's been left in a tray while I was offshore for two weeks. When I got back it was all crytallised and hard! Just as an experiment I added water to the full original volume, and tested the resulting solution: It still worked...

[cyrus]

Cyrus,

What kind of fixer are you using? The only fixer I know of with that bad keeping properties is the "plain hypo fix", and there are lots of other good reasons not to use that.

Yeah that's the one. You mean the other commercial stuff has a different life span? I;ve been mixing my own for a while and I do add sulfite but I still would not trust it for paper. For film, you can see the clearing. Its just not financially worth the hassle IMHO.

[cyrus]

While tightening the bottle cap is certainly a good idea, the most important factor (I think) in preventing oxidization is keeping the storage bottle full. I keep a gallon of used fix stored in one gallon jugs so there's little air that gets in the bottles.

Glass bottles can be a great help to since some of the plastic bottles are not actually impermeable to air.

[Armin Seeholzer]

"2- Storing the used, working strength fixer and using it during a different session days later (not at all a good idea - working strength fixer will oxidize quickly even if it wasn't exhausted when you bottled it up for storage - The tray life of diluted fixer is 4-5 hours. Once bottled up, I doubt it can survive much longer no matter how much you tighten up the bottle cap.)"
What a bulls****
I use my fixer sometimes over one year or not much less I only put from time to time a bit of new fixer in it and use the Tetenal teststrips from time to time and use 2 bath fix.
I did it in the past with Tetenal Superfix and now with Ilfords Rapid Fixer!

Sorry but Fix can be very old and still works fine!

Armin Seeholzer

[Ron Marshall]

I have bottled working strength fix that has sat for a couple months and still clears film.

Same here, many times. I always run a clearing time test before using it, with thin strips cut from a 4x5 sheet.

[fhovie]

As long as they work - I toss my developer when I don't get good blacks in 20 seconds on Fiber paper or in 10 seconds on RC paper - about 20 8x10 per liter I guess. If I use it longer, I will not get consistent blacks and contrast.

I don't save stop bath - too cheap - It is usually exhausted anyway - call me wasteful

Fixer - My TF-3 fixes everything in 30 seconds - when it takes 40 seconds - I dump it - it is SOOOO embarrassing to have a print brown out in a year - then I wash them plenty

Dumping all my chems everytime is way wasteful - keeping them too long is just as bad