Rapid fixer?

[Max Hao]

Could someone share experience on rapid fixer? Adding ammonium chloride speed up fixing? Any side effects? Thanks.

[blueribbontea]

the 2 fixers available from Photographers Formulary are ammonium based and alkaline, TF4 without hardener, TF5 with. They are very quick rapid fixers and have worked very well for me. and they eliminated the need for acid stop bath.

[Bruce Osgood]

I've been using the TF fixers for a couple of years without a Stop Bath and can see no ill effects. From 1 minute fix into water holding bath for washing when I'm finished with the session.

[jp]

tf4 is stinkier than tf5. Both work well though. I use either for film, and tf5 for paper as it's less odorous in the tray.

[Max Hao]

Thanks gents. A bunch of ammonium chloride is on the way!

[Dan Dozer]

I've used TF4 for many years without stop bath (normally with Ilford warm tone fiber paper and 130 developer). I never had any problems at all. However, once I got some Liquidol developer to try out and had real problems with prints coming out creamy colored. I ended up throwing the developer away. After that, people told me that I needed to use stop bath with that developer.

[Richard Wasserman]

I have used Ryuji's neutral fixer without stopbath for several years—

ammonium thiosulfate 120g
(or 60% solution 200 ml)
sodium sulfite 15g
sodium metabisulfite 5g
water to make 1.0 liter
target pH 7.0 plus/minus 0.5

This fixer gives rapid fixing and rapid washing, same benefit as what's claimed for alkaline fixers, but with minimum of swelling.

[jack_hui]

Hi Richard,

Fixing time = 2 mins or less?

Thanks
Jack


I have used Ryuji's neutral fixer without stopbath for several years—

ammonium thiosulfate 120g
(or 60% solution 200 ml)
sodium sulfite 15g
sodium metabisulfite 5g
water to make 1.0 liter
target pH 7.0 plus/minus 0.5

This fixer gives rapid fixing and rapid washing, same benefit as what's claimed for alkaline fixers, but with minimum of swelling.

[Richard Wasserman]

For prints I use 2 baths of 1 minute each. Film gets 4-6 minutes—some films such as Tmax require longer times to remove the pink dye.


Hi Richard,

Fixing time = 2 mins or less?

Thanks
Jack

[Max Hao]

Thanks Richard. I will try the formula you posted. I had problems dissolving enough ammonium thiosulfate to get to 57% solution.

[Richard Wasserman]

You're welcome Max.I don't know where you are located, but if you are in the US Photographer's Formulary sells 60% solutions already mixed. It is very convenient.

[jack_hui]

You're welcome Max.I don't know where you are located, but if you are in the US Photographer's Formulary sells 60% solutions already mixed. It is very convenient.

Do you use it straight or dilute 1:1 or 1:2??

[Richard Wasserman]

I use the formula I posted a bit earlier, and use it full strength for both film and paper.

[Donald Qualls]

For prints I use 2 baths of 1 minute each. Film gets 4-6 minutes—some films such as Tmax require longer times to remove the pink dye.

FWIW, if your film is fully fixed, the pink dye will clear just as well with a longer soak in sodium sulfite solution (I've used a couple tablespoons of granulated sodium sulfite in a liter of water; a more rigorous formula would be 25-30 g/l), without the possibility of unwanted reduction (potentially leading to loss of detail in low density areas, i.e. shadows in the negative) from prolonged soaking in rapid fixer.

[rob4x5]

For me, the pink dye in TMAX just disappears in the wash, in under 10 minutes, after five or so minutes of fixing.

[jp]

My pink dye disappears in wash too, but after about 15-20 minutes as I probably have colder water here.
If the fixer is bad, it won't wash out at all, so the dye is useful in that respect.

[Tin Can]

I really prefer TF5 for film.

And, according to Anchell's "Darkroom Cookbook' no acid stop is ever used to preserve the alkalinity of TF5 from drip through. Water stop only. In other words acid stop vastly shortens the life of alkaline fixers. duh

I think my negs look better with TF5, but have no rationale for that. With filtered Chicago tap water I don't need Photoflo and get no spots. 2 chems eliminated.