Stop and fixer

[sam_elliott1]

Hi. I've decided to *splash out* on some fairly expensive Ilford DD-X film developer, and am currently

trying to decide between PQ Universal and Multigrade for my prints (new darkroom, blablabla.)

 

So, i'm trying to find some decently priced stop and fix chemicals. 490ml of Ilford IN1 stop bath is selling

at Jessops for about 7 or 8US, which i gather you dilute 1+31? There are no details on the Ilford site, i was

wondering if anyone had some experience of this particularly re: shelf life of the concentrate in a half

bottle.

 

Alternatively theres "Kodak MAX-STOP (Stop Bath) + Indicator (1 Litre)" listed at about the same price.

Kodak have been very irritating with the name - it might be a weaker version than the type that you can

dilute down to 1+63.. can anyone enlighten me?

 

And there's a whole maze of fixer solutions. Does anybody know anything economical (like any experience

w/ Jessops econofix/stop or Patterson acufix.)

 

Any answers will be appreciated, thanks.

[evan_goulet]

You could use a water stop.

[randall ellis]

Use water for a stop and Formulary TF-4 for fixer. TF-4 also allows you to skip the HCA step for paper, further cutting costs.

 

- Randy

[scottl]

Why do they even make stop? All I ever hear is people saying to use water for a stop. Doesn't ACTUAL stop bath allow for more accurate processing by ending the development more quickly?

 

Am I the only person still using stop bath? Anyway, I like Ilford stop. It's not expensive, and is a liquid, which I prefer.

 

Scott

[photojim]

Stop lets you know precisely when development ends, and if you use an acid fixer it prolongs the life and capacity of the fixer.

 

If you use an alkaline fixer (which is hard to get but can be found), life and capacity are non-issues. Photographers learn to anticipate the tiny amount of development that will occur in the highlights of a print (or shadows of a negative) until the film or paper is fully fixed.

 

I use a stop bath for printing because I use acid fix, but I use a water bath for film because I use an alkaline fix.

[discpad]

I use a stop bath in my Jobo, and since it's a chemical step I then program in a quick 60 second rince before fixing.

 

I use Adorama indicator stop at 1:128, which is half the strength of the 1:64 normal strength. Alternately, I use plain $1.49/gallon distilled vinegar 1:10, depending on whether I mix my chemistry upstairs in my kitchen instead of down in the darkroom...

[john_shriver]

Stop bath is dirt cheap if you buy Acetic Acid and make it yourself. (I think I mix it 1:40.) Even cheaper if you buy Glacial Acetic Acid, and understand how to compute the dilutions and not give yourself an acid burn in the face mixing it. (Always add acid to water.) It is so cheap that there's no reason not to use it, no modern film gets pinholes from acid stop bath, and it gives you the most consistent processing results and the longest fixer lifetime.

 

Cheapest fix is the bottle of Kodak Flexicolor C-41 fixer, the size that makes 5 gallons. Not something you'll find at a high street merchant, perfectly fine for B&W film as well. About 1/4 the cost of B&W fixers.

 

TF-4 appears to be consistently a little more expensive than the competition.

 

Of conventional B&W fixers, Kodak Rapid Fixer is probably the cheapest. You can use it without the optional hardener on modern B&W films, allowing short rinse time. Or, Ilford's Rapid Fix is probably easier to get in the UK. Buying larger jugs is the way to save money, the concentrate has a long shelf life. But since you can use fixer many times, it is much cheaper per roll than use-once developers.

[jim_appleyard]

I make TF-3 fixer from Anchell's "Darkroom Cookbook". My guess is that it is a bit slower and has less capacity that TF-4, but 2 gallons of amm. thio will last me about a year.

[frank.schifano]

For paper developer you really can't get much better or cheaper than Dektol. It comes as a powder, so if mixing stock solutions from powder doesn't bother you, it is the way to go. IN the big NY stores, B&H and Adorama, you can get enough powder to make 1 gallon of stock solution for under $6. Dilute one part dektol with two or three parts water for a working solution. Large capacity and very economical. What's not to like?

 

I have no idea about Kodak's MAX-STOP. I've never seen it marketed where I buy my chemistry. In any case, the regular indicator stop bath is really cheap. Less that $6 will buy you enough concentrate to make 8 gallons of working strength stop bath. You can't do that for less with white vinegar and there is no indicator to let you know when it is exhausted. Vinegar will work in a pinch, but it's not a good substitue from an economical standpoint for an indicator stop bath. Stop bath doesn't go bad in the bottle like developers. Shelf life is indefinite.

 

One of the most economical and effective fixers I've used is Kodak's Flexicolor Fixer and Replenisher. This is formulated for the C-41 process, but works equally well for both B&W paper and films. $4.50 US buys you enough concentrate to make a gallon of working solution. The fixer is nearly neutral PH and doesn't behave badly if you use a stop bath before. It is less expensive per gallon of working strength solution than Kodak's powdered sodium thiosulfate B&W fixer and has at least twice the fixing capacity.

[john_shriver]

Oh, I got the stop bath concentration all wrong. I mix 40mL of 28% acetic acid into 1L of water.

 

This reference: http://www.digitaltruth.com/techdata/stopbath.php says 50mL/L. Same difference.

 

But a big difference from 1:40, which would be waaay too strong...