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.