Removing fixer crud

[MadJake]

hi all, does anyone have any ideas for removing the hard scale like deposits that thiosufate fixers deposit on bottles and trays? A 'recipe' rather than a product would be ideal.

Thanks,

J.

[IanMazursky]

Hi J,
I had that same problem in cleaning out my Jobo ATL 2200 fixer bottle.
I asked a few labs that i work with and they said very hot water and a scrub brush or scouring pad is the best and safest way to go.
It took some elbow grease but it did work. Also soaking in a number of changes of hot water overnight really helped.

Some products do exist for cleaning fixer deposits. Im not sure what they are made of.
Kodak has the KODAK Fixer / Wash System Cleaner and Liberty Photo might have a few also.

I also found a pdf from Kodak, Removal of Silver Sulfide from Fixer, Bleach-Fix, Wash, or Stabilizer Racks/Rollers in Photographic Processors.

I think this would work but the hot water and a scrub brush is a lot safer.

Hope that helps.

[D. Bryant]

hi all, does anyone have any ideas for removing the hard scale like deposits that thiosufate fixers deposit on bottles and trays? A 'recipe' rather than a product would be ideal.

Thanks,

J.

Start out with some very hot water, though not too hot, a few squirts of Lemon Joy and a few glugs of chlorine bleach. Let the tray soak over night and the scrub with a Scotch Brite type product - or just throw the tray out and replace it with a new one.

Don Bryant

[MadJake]

Thanks guys, I'll try hot water and elbow grease first.

J.

[Jim Noel]

I use "Polident for Smokers" in bottles with warm water. Sometimes it takes a couple of treatments. The bottles are then thoroughly rinsed in hot water.
For trays, I use a dish washing detergent with a Scotch Brite immediately after using the tray.

[nolindan]

The Kodak fixer cleaner is a mixture of EDTA, and an equimolar mix of S. Bicarb and S. Carb.