Rotary fixing -- how much, how long?

[Dirk Rösler]

Hi, there is a lot of material on rotary development (times etc.), any consideration for fixing in a rotating drum? How do I determine right volume, time etc.?

[Mick Fagan]

Hi Dirk, I've never given the difference of rotary processing a second thought, as far as fixing goes.

I've been rotary processing for 20 odd years, it hasn't been an issue.

With 4x5 film I use the same amount of fixer solution as I do for developing. For example, 4 sheets of 4x5 requires 270ml, I use 300ml and the same amount for fixer, 300ml.

The only difference I make is between conventional films and TMax, with Tmax getting longer fixing times.

Mick.

[Ron Marshall]

I do the same as Mick stated. Have a look at the minimum volumes specified by the manufacturer on their website.

[Louie Powell]

As the others have pointed out, the minimum volume of chemical won't change with rotary processing. Fixing will be accelerated by continuous agitation, so if you use the same time that you would use in, say open tray processing, that should also be fine.

Obviously, it would not be hard to do a test - load some sacrificial unexposed and undeveloped film into your processor, go through a wetting cycle, and then fix. Periodically, check to see if it has cleared. The final fixing time should be twice the clearing time.

[Dirk Rösler]

Thanks all, I was not sure if the rotation accelerates it or makes it slower (because no permanent coverage by the chemical). I will make a clearing test and double that.

Happy Easter!

[Jon Wilson]

My limited experience has been with my Jobo CPA-2 and the 3010 and 3005 drums. Today, I played with my Deardorff V8 in my office and took a handful of "portraits" using Efke PL100 8x10. I developed them in the large drum (3005) with 5 sheets of 8x10 with 200ml of chemicals per cycle. I presoaked for 5:00 +/- with tap water; used D76 1:1 9.5-10 minutes; H2O rinse 2:00 +/- ; fix cycle with Kodafix 1:3 for 10:00 +/-; H20 rinse 2:00 +/- ; permawash 8:00+/- ; then in the tray of photoflo for 2:00 +/-. I truly find the jobo system convenient for me. I just started contact printing and truly love those 8x10 shots.....can't wait to hone these efforts and pull out my 11x14 for contacts. BTW, I have been setting the rotation on the system as minimual speed with the larger film sizes and their corresponding increase in chemicals.

Happy Easter to all!

[Dirk Rösler]

And you did all this in your office? Impressive :D

I thought one was not to use washaid in the Jobo drums.

[John Powers]

Dirk,

I use Rollo Pyro developer from Bostick & Sullivan for 4x5, 8x10 and 7x17 in a CPP-2. The Rollo Pyro directions suggest 350ml of fixer for five minutes. The directions say to change the water twice rapidly after dumping the fixer, then change the water every two minutes for twenty minutes. The rotation speed stays at #4 throughout the process. I have been doing this for three years and none of the three year old images have faded away. Hope this helps.

John

[Brian Ellis]

"Today, I played with my Deardorff V8 in my office and took a handful of "portraits" using Efke PL100 8x10. I developed them in the large drum (3005) with 5 sheets of 8x10 with 200ml of chemicals per cycle . . . . "

I used to have a bar in my office, I've known people who had showers in their office, I even knew a guy who separated from his wife and had a bed in his office for a while. But this is the first time I've heard of someone having a darkroom in their office. : - )

[Jon Wilson]

Well it is the best set up I can develop at this time. My office, i.e, a law practice, is located a home built in 1947. It essentially was a 2 BR, 1 bath, living room, Kitchen and laundry room....the attached converted garage has been used as office space too, but I am working to get half of it made into my wet/darkroom and the front portion into a portrait studio.

At present, I use my jobo CPA2 set up in my office kitchen. I was just able to get 5 8x10 sheets of PL-100 developed this afternoon. The sheets will be dry by morning.
I need to get back to doing more contact work in the bathroom. It does provide me a nice place to handle/use my V8, my Improved Empire State 11x14 with complimentary equipment. Once I get the actual darkroom built in the next month or so, then I can get my Saunders 4x5 enlarger going.
It is a lot easier to have my photography with my office given the nature of my practice. It has taken a few years to get things lined up, but I definitely is shaping up nicely.

Here is shot take a few weeks ago with my V8 with a 4x5 back and a 45cm Zeiss APO lens in a compound shutter.
If you (LF community members) are in my neighborhood, please come by and see it. I am always learning and welcome assistance. Thanks. Jon

[Neal Wydra]

Dear Dirk,

It makes me feel better to split the fixing time between two bathe (1/3-2/3). The first bath almost always shows precipitate when adding Hypo-chek. Yes, I realize I'm overreacting, but as I said, it makes me feel better.

Neal Wydra

[Jim Galli]

I'll run through one of my 8X10 development cycles just for comparison sake. Efke R100 Cirkut film cut for the 8X10. 5 sheets. 12.5 min. with Pcat HD 2:2:100 @ 70 degrees. I pour in 800ml developer. This is in a JOBO CPA. Slowest rotation. At 6.5 min I change the developer with 800 ml fresh Pcat.

After the development I wash in regular water for 5 minutes. 3 washes over the 5 minute period, the first being the shortest to remove most of the remaining dev.

Fix with 800 ml TF-4 for 7 minutes. Then the washes begin. Eight 2 1/2 minute washes. Wash no. 2 is with Kodak Hypo Clear. All others except #8 are just water with the machine rotating as normal. On the final wash I introduce some Calgon. It doesn't take much. I "save" that final Calgon H2O wash water and add 1 drop of photo-flo to it in a tray to give the sheets a final swish just before they get hung to dry. This has been giving me spotless negs. Time consuming but I feel satisfied that all those washes have prepared the 3005 drum for the next batch of developer with residual fix being impossible.