Don't throw away your darkroom fixer, replenish it!
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- čas přidán 13. 03. 2023
- For the home darkroom, fixer is an important chemical but there is no need to throw it away. Your fixer can last for years if you simply clip test and replenish it as needed. This video will show you how to get years from a 500ml bottle of fixer.
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Thank you. This makes the Ilford instructions clear (pun intended).
Ok I’m not quite certain what you are saying here.
@@jsollowsphotography I'm guessing that the thing he actually means is that the Ilford instructions are too abstractly mentioned, making the official manual a difficult read, while your instructions are a clear and easy to follow process.
This is fantastic, I've been clip testing my fixer for decades, but when my working stock fails the 50% of fix-time point I've always thrown it out and mixed a whole new bottle. Obviously that stops today. I don't know how or why I've never fully read the instrux (in fairness film chem data sheets are far from the only written instructions I've ignored in life) but I've wasted many gallons, then many litres of fixer and $$ over the years. I've consumed tons of film dev and darkroom content over the years and this is literally the first time I've seen how simple the fixer replenishment process can be. As long as you make videos I'll be watching them - big thanks!
Thank you for your kind comment Doug! Yes your fixer can last for many years. I used my previous batch for 12 years, until I accidentally poured stop bath into it 😂
That is so true and very easy to check. I never undestood those who just throw away an old fixer batch without first testing it.
Yes I had a conversation with someone recently who has been doing darkroom work for years and didn’t know you could do this.
Jim: thanks for the informative video and a reminder that you can replenish fixer. Back in the early 80s I was involved in an E6 lab in London. We used to run the old fixer through a special device that collected the silver content, that is in the fixer. It was then picked up and sent away to a company who used to extract the silver and send us a cheque for some hundreds of pounds. I’ve just finished building my dark room. I don’t plan on putting through the volumes of film that we used to process at the lab. I will be processing black-and-white film and if my memory serves me correctly transparency film yields more silver due to the different process?
Yes in fact there are ways to do silver recovery for a home lab using steel wool but there is such a small amount that its not economically feasible unless you do a lot of processing.
Jim: thanks for this. Your videos are easy to understand and useful.
Thank you very much Larry!
Very informative! Thanks
You're welcome!!!
This is awesome! Thanks!!! I am just getting back into film after 33 years. I was surprised that most people now seem to throw out stop bath and fixer after every use. I couldn't remember exactly, but i always thought that i reused those a lot. The Developers i kind of remember throwing out, maybe the print developer less? I will be using your method here! Stupid question, where do yuu get the film pieces? Should i just sacrifice a roll of fresh film and cut it up? Thanks fir your videos, simple, easy to understand, on really helpful topics, and nicely filmed.
Thanks for your kind comments! Every time I develop a roll I cut off the first bit of the leader so it can fit in the film reel. I use them for clip testing.
Awesome, great idea!
Thanks!! I am in the PNW too!!
Hi @jsollowsphotography. Thank you so much for this video, this is the only resource I could find on the internet explaining the replenishment section of the Rapid Fixer TDS.
I still have some confusion regarding what's on the TDS and hope you could explain it. On page 3 of the TDS it says for "Replenishment of Working Strength Fixer: 45ml/135-36". Is 45ml supposed to be the minimum amount of newly mixed working strength solution added to the existing working strength solution, or is this how many rolls to expect to fix when replenished. From your video I'm thinking it's the former, since it sounds like you're able to fix more than one roll when you replenish using 50ml of working solution. How many rolls would you estimate you can do between replenishment?
Thanks again for this video, it's very well done and has just the information I needed
Yes you are correct. It means .. when you are going to replenish, dispose of 45ml of your current working strength fixer and replace it with 45ml of freshly mixed working strength fixer. In other words dump out 45 ml of the old stuff and add in 45 ml of fresh (4+1). This boosts the concentration of your working strength solution. Make sure to dispose of the waste 45ml properly. I put it in a mason jar and when full I take it to my municipal chemical waste disposal site. Does that help? Please feel free to message me directly linktr.ee/jsollows
@@jsollowsphotography Perfect! Thanks for the super fast response!
Thanks for this information. How much working solution do have for film development? I have a one gallon jug of working solution 1:4 that I use for film and paper. How much replenishment would you add for a gallon?
@@hksht It totally depends on the fixer you are using. Most can be replenished but a few can’t. Refer to the instructions provided by the company that makes your fixer.
Thanks for explaining the process but didnt you mean 'replenish' the (old) fixer by adding fresh fixer at a ratio of 1:9 instead of using (as mentioned in the video) a ratio of 1:4 which is what you would use when mixing an entirely new solution.
No it’s replenished at 1:4 for General Purpose film as specified in the data sheet for Ilford Rapid Fix on page 3 under Replenishment. 1:9 is only used for paper, not film. I still replenish for paper at 1:4 and have done so now for 51 years.
@@jsollowsphotography Thanks for the clarification, got it!
Thanks for the video. My problem is that I am getting a lot of black I am guessing silver salts floating around in the fixer. Do you somehow filter your working solution from time to time?
Depends on the fixer. My Ilford Rapid Fix doesn’t have that issue but I have seen it. Run your fixer through a coffee filter occasionally.
@@jsollowsphotography Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about trying this. I guess I shouldn't throw the filter away to normal bin?
Does this technique work for the Ilford Rapid Fixer for prints as well?!i am planning to use Ilford Rapid Fixer for both film and prints, but to have sperate batches for each. Is that correct? And can the print batch be replenished the same? Thanks!
You can use exactly the same fixer for both. No need for separate batches with Ilford Rapid Fix.