Headache from Fixer Fumes?

[Two23]

I've been spending about an hour each night in my bathroom tray developing glass plates. My method has been to set up the HC-110 with lights on, then turn them off and immediately slide the plate into it. Water stop bath, and while that's going on I then pour my Photographer's Formulary 4 fixer into the tray and move the plate from the stop into the fixer. Fix for ~4 minutes, then into a rinse. While I have rinse water running I pour the fixer back into the bottle. The tray remains wet from the fixer, of course. I do have my bathroom fan on, and I'm wearing a glove on my right hand which I only dip into the HC-110 to retrieve the plate. Have not been wearing a glove on my left hand, which I use to pull the plate from the fixer. I wash my hands first chance I get.

All of this has been working sort of OK, but tonight I went for a double batch. That meant leaving the fixer in the tray while I started my second batch. Fan on but bathroom door closed, with towel blocking the crack at the bottom. I did get a slight headache afterwards--rarely get headaches. My sinuses and eyes also feel a bit irritated. Don't have this problem using the Stearman 445 tank, of course.

So, any suggestions? I'm positive it's the PF4 that is bothering me. I could try turning on the central air fan to pump more fresh air into the bathroom, but I'm not sure that would be enough. I have two other thoughts. After I do the stop bath, can't I then open the door to the subdued light while doing the fixing? I think that would solve my problem. I surely should be able to open the door during the final rinse I would think. I could then put the fixer back into the bottle and rinse out the tray. Or, should I change fixers? Eventually I plan on building a real dark room in my basement and would have better air circulation in that. Likely won't do that for at least a year or two though. What do you guys do? I feel like the headache and slightly burning eyes/nose is a warning to heed.


Kent in SD

[Alan9940]

I can't stand the ammonia smell of TF4 or TF5 in open trays or my dip-n-dunk film processing tanks and I work in a fairly large darkroom. I much prefer Kodak F-24 which is odorless. Downside is you have to mix it yourself from raw chemicals.

[G Benaim]

If it's an ammonium thiosulfate fixer that may well be the cause. I had similar issues plus nausea and switching to plain fixer, sodium thiosulfate for any open tray work made a big difference.

[Two23]

If it's an ammonium thiosulfate fixer that may well be the cause. I had similar issues plus nausea and switching to plain fixer, sodium thiosulfate for any open tray work made a big difference.

Might well have to do that. Could use up the PF4 in the tank, and use something else in trays. What are some examples of Na thiosulfate fixers?


Kent in SD

[G Benaim]

The old kodak powdered fixer is one but you can buy the ingredients at the formulary and mix yourself, not too difficult at all. Also pool supply stores may carry the thiosulfate.

[Duolab123]

Kodak's standard powdered fixer (F5) stinks. You cam make up Kodak F6 which is very low odor and still has a hardener for your precious plates. It's formula is listed all over just Google it. It's a Sodium thiosulfate based fixer. Ansel Adams used this back in the old days.
Once the plate is in stop bath you can turn on subdued lights as long as you proceed directly to fixer no problem.

[Pere Casals]

Fan on but bathroom door closed, with towel blocking the crack at the bottom.

This provides null ventilation.

If no fresh air can enter then no air can go out, the air volume that enters it's the same than the one that exits, if not your bathroom would be left with no air.

You should provide a free (light tight) entry path for fresh air, then you'll have a ventilation.

____________________________


Use a daylight tray, this is a paper safe, you can develop with lights open and the door open.

After development done close lights, place the sheet in the stop bath and wait some 30s , then you may open lights again and fix lights open, and door open.

You only need to close the lights and the door to drop the sheet in the developer (paper safe) and to place it in the stop bath. You also may use a second paper safe for the stop bath, to not wait.

You also may use a citric stop bath

[j.e.simmons]

I found that it was the stop bath that affected me. I’d suggest a session using plain water as stop. At worst, you’ll eliminate that as a cause. If the stop is the problem, you could replace it with citric acid.

[Two23]

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm using distilled water for stop bath, so it's not that. If I can crack the bathroom door open which would allow a lot of air in with just a small amount of diffused light after taking plate from stop bath and dropping into fixer, I think that would solve the problem right there. I would also dump the fixer back into the bottle when finished and rinse the tray while doing the final wash.


Kent in SD

[Tin Can]

I use have used only this fixer for years now. Film, glass plates and any paper.

Try it. you may like it. I don't like mixing powders and it comes as a liquid.

I also check clearing time before every use with strips of X-Ray film.

I am not so sure you should open the door or turn on lights right after the stop bath.

I always wait to turn on lights for 1/2 my fix time, which is determined by the test strip clear time x 3. OR 3 minutes in the fix. TMAX is 6 minutes.