TF5 re-use

[jp]

This gallon jug holds the gallon of TF5 fixer I've used for developing film for a couple months now. I keep re-using it and it keeps going with almost no slowing down. I test it from time to time with a scrap of pre-washed tmax400 film and a shot glass of fixer. Despite the silver stained jug, it's still completely clearing the film in <1 minute at about 65f. Tmax is a slow film to fix and clear, so that's a good time. I think I'm at the recommended capacity of the fixer and the capacity seems quite conservative.

104021

[photobymike]

I would not use the clearing time as an indicator on how good your fixer is. There is a liquid you can buy that tests the fixer...couple of drops and if turns milky throw it out. Problems with your fixer will not show up for years in your film or prints as a stain. i have some negatives that are 30 years old and are just now showing staining from exhausted fixer. i have photo prints that are showing stain and yellow after 45 years....Some photographers i know scan there negatives right away and do not care about the negatives so......yea i t takes years for the effects of bad fixer to show on your negatives. Some of the pictures i develop are really important to me so i "on shot" the fixer and toss it after only one batch...So i bet if you have silver coming out in your container ..its a safe bet its bad....course my experience is not with TF5 ...but kodak rapid...kodak plain....non acid fix from freestyle Ilford fix i cant remember all of the brand names.... but your film can still have a load of silver in it even thou its clear.....

addendum .. staining also happens when there is fixer not washed out of the film also... For that i use Orbit wash to remove the fixer.....i never use fixer more than a 3 rolls of film max....

[Michael Clark]

Use the same stuff for film and paper. Get the gallon size bottle to make up 4gallon working solution. For film in the 3005 jobo tank just use once . For prints in trays it last all day.

[jcoldslabs]

This is unscientific, and as Mike points out I may end up regretting it in 30 years time, but my own experience has taught me to keep a gallon of fixer (from any manufacturer, though I've had good experiences with TF-5) no more than two months. I used to track the exact capacity by keeping a chart of the number of square inches of film I'd processed, but two months at my average rate of LF shooting seems to keep me in the safe zone in terms of capacity and exhaustion.

Jonathan

[IanG]

Use the same stuff for film and paper. Get the gallon size bottle to make up 4gallon working solution. For film in the 3005 jobo tank just use once . For prints in trays it last all day.

Don't use fixer that's been used for films with papers because of the high iodide content of modern films, this leads to a higher level of residual silver being left in Fibre based papers and long term stability problems.

Ironically the use of some plastics to store fixer increases it's capacity because the silver plates out on the sides of the container. The best test method is silver test papers and check the manufacturers recommended maximum levels films can tolerate quite high levels of silver in fixers with no long term issues, fibre based papers can't because some of the semi-soluble silver/thiosulphate complexes formed bond with the cellulose in the papers base, increased iodide content makes this even worse.

Ian

[jp]

There is a liquid you can buy that tests the fixer...couple of drops and if turns milky throw it out.

I've got such chemical to test fixer as well. It does not indicate the fixer is full till way past this.

Separate fixer is also used for paper.

[IanG]

Capacity of a typical Rapid fixer is 24 sheets of 10x8 film per litre, 96 sheets of 5x4, 24 rolls of 36mm or 120. That's 90 35mm, 120 or 10x8 films per US Gallon, or 360 sheets of 5x4.

Ian

[Jim Noel]

Stains are far more likely from insufficient washing than fixing, and are common. If the time it takes to clear film is doubled the film will be adequately fixed. There is no god method I know of to test for adequately fixed paper.

[photobymike]

Stains are far more likely from insufficient washing than fixing, and are common. If the time it takes to clear film is doubled the film will be adequately fixed. There is no god method I know of to test for adequately fixed paper.

jim i agree ..it depends on how you store your negatives also.... if stored in print file sheets in a notebook... it takes a long time for the silver to show up .fixer stain is the silver in the fixer that is left in the emulsion and can show in weeks.. i will be long gone by the time my negs start to show silver streak...but just maybe my children.. children will want to explore my negative files..... who knows what this world will be like in a hundred fifty years.... but we still negatives from people long dead.....Almost feel like i capture time and place on a negative... it will never be the same the instant after you take the picture.... almost like the Kodak slogan... making memories ...

[Petzval Paul]

I recently started using TF-5 and have to say that I absolutely love it. I mix it up quart-sized containers and just use it one shot, using just enough for a session and then toss it out. Maybe it's a bit wasteful, but I don't want to take any chances and fixing is just too important.

[photobymike]

I recently started using TF-5 and have to say that I absolutely love it. I mix it up quart-sized containers and just use it one shot, using just enough for a session and then toss it out. Maybe it's a bit wasteful, but I don't want to take any chances and fixing is just too important.

+1

[IanG]

Using fixer one shot is extremely wasteful. It's 45+ years since I first started processing film and I've never seen an issue with film fixing as long as it's done past the clearing time and the film has sufficient washing.

There's no risks in re-using film fixer what so ever, best archival practice would be two bath fixing but quite frankly it's unnecessary.

Ian

[Doug Howk]

A problem I've experienced is that some films such as TMax 400 have a magenta appearance with nearly exhausted fixer while other films in the same process chain do completely clear. Extra washing doesn't help. But re-fixing in fresh fixer clears them.

[photobymike]

A problem I've experienced is that some films such as TMax 400 have a magenta appearance with nearly exhausted fixer while other films in the same process chain do completely clear. Extra washing doesn't help. But re-fixing in fresh fixer clears them.

again +1

getting ready to develop 60 sheets of HP5+ i will use fresh fixer 5 times and dump. There will be no question about how long these negatives will last....