Ilford Rapid Fix for fiber paper-how long?

[Eric Brody]

I have been using Kodak Rapid fixer for years and have recently been trying Ilford Rapid Fix for my Ilford fiber paper. I read the instructions and have a bit of a hard time getting it through my head that at the 1+4 dilution, 25.6 oz fixer and 102.4 oz water, I can get adequate archival fixing in only two minutes.

I'd love to hear from other users regarding their experience and usual practice with this fixer.

Thanks so much.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I use this fixer and yes, it should be 2 mintues max. It is a nice fixer and I think you will like it.

Have a great day.

[Donald Qualls]

Not only can you get a full fix that quickly, doing so will allow a much faster archival wash because less fixer will soak into the paper base. A very quick fix, five minutes in hypo clearing agent, and you might be able to wash archivally in as little as ten or twenty minutes.

[Oren Grad]

Actually, you can get a proper ("archival") fix in one minute. Keeping the print in the fixer for longer makes the wash more difficult.

If you haven't seen it, download the MGIVFB data sheet here (http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20061302013402375.pdf) and read the sections on processing, especially the section "Optimum Permanence" on the last page.

The only catch in doing a one-minute fix is that you have to be sure that the paper you're using clears within 30 seconds. The Ilford FB papers do, and almost every other FB paper I've ever tested does as well. The only one I can recall that didn't was Kodak Polymax FA, and that one's gone now so it's moot. In any case, that's something that's easy to test on your own.