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Fixer reuse


Wayne

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I have begun reusing fixer for B&W processing. I am curious:

 

1. How does one determine when fixer has lost its capacity to fix?.....Without sacrificing a roll of processed negatives?

 

2. As Fixer loses it potency, through additional uses, does it also become less toxic/hazardous?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Wayne

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Take the undeveloped leader you cut off a roll and immerse an end in the old fixer, moving it to agitate. When the film takes twice as long to clear the film as when the fixer is fresh, replace the fixer.

The fixer instructions should say how many 36 exp. rolls are expected before it is exhausted.

Most old fixers seem to smell worse, and sediment builds up coating the bottom of the bottle.

 

I use Eco-Pro fixer from Freestyle, mix a qt. of stock at a time and do the leader test.

Edited by TomB_tx
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I have begun reusing fixer for B&W processing. I am curious:

 

1. How does one determine when fixer has lost its capacity to fix?.....Without sacrificing a roll of processed negatives?

 

2. As Fixer loses it potency, through additional uses, does it also become less toxic/hazardous?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Wayne

Wayne,

 

I've always thought it becomes more toxic in that, as it collects more un-reduced silver salts it becomes more of something you don't want in the ground water. There's threads on various forums about what to do here but I've been using a "silver magnet" that electroplates silver out of fixer onto a metal plate (google is your friend). One can also use steel wool but then you're left with an odorous sludge to get rid of, and I can't even find a company to take film ends and scraps of paper. I have a plastic tub full.

 

The whole Film Thing is still very much worth it,

s-a

Edited by semi-ambivalent
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In my experience and given how much b&w film I shoot (about 15-25 rolls a year) it's less a problem of fixer losing its potency and more a problem of the built-up sediment (I always tend to err on the side of caution and fix longer).

 

The sediment is virtually impossible to wash away completely and leave millions of little white specks on the negs that are a royal pain in the backside to spot in Photoshop.

 

One can filter fixer which helps a bit once it's getting older. I asked about that here a while back and received the great suggestion of using a funnel and cotton ball of a suitable size to balance flush-through capacity and blockage of the funnel. This works really quite well (and vastly better than coffee filters which tend to break after a while) even though it doesn't remove all sediment. But it does extend the life of the fixer. With my usage I tend to mix a new batch every 12-14 months or so.

 

br

Philip

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Thanks to all for the responses.

 

My concern for fixer life revolves primarily around a desire to avoid accumulation of excess amount of old fixer. While problems associated with quality of processed negatives can never be of no consideration, the quality of my results, even at peak, are such that it is no matter to cry over if some degradation, related to process chemistry serves, to diminish results, a bit. :)

 

I am curious about the sediment comments. I store my fixer in a plastic container that, while not crystal clear, is about as transparent as one can expect from such containers. The clarity of the plastic is such that, were there a substantial accumulation of sediment at bottom, it would be apparent and detectible....at least in terms of what I normally think of as a "sediment" layer. Is the sediment present in fixer normally such that it produces a layer visible to the naked eye,? or is it an accumulation of small particles that may not be easily recognizable to the naked eye?.....Given that the container of fixer has stood undisturbed for a period of time, prior to examination.

 

A second question comes to mind: Once silver has been substantially removed from used fixer, is the remaining liquid non hazardous/toxic, essentially?

 

I use the Eco Pro fixer from Freestyle.

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I never keep fixer, to me the cost savings aren't worth the filtering etc. necessary. I use Ilford rapid fixer and just mix as much as I need for the batch of films I am processing that day. If I just process one film the fixer costs me $1.67. If I process 4 films it costs me 63c per film.

 

I don't see the point of trying to re-use it at a later date.

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I agree with you on the cost: it is not expensive stuff. Disposing of the used fixer is a bit of a concern for me. In fact, it is the only dark cloud hovering over a hobby in which I have found a great deal of joy. I see reuse of fixer as a means of dissipating said cloud.

 

Best

 

Wayne

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The limit for film fixer is about 2g/ltr. - 2,5 g/ltr. Ag+ ions. You can test this with a fixer tester, hypo check. In fact a titration on the Ag+ Silver ions with PotassiumIodide (KI).

Alternative fixer strokes from Machery Nagel, also sold by Tetenal.

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I have been using "Hypo Chek" by Edwal. Squeeze bottle of .75 fluid ounces. Two drops in the fixer, forms a white precipitate if fixer is exhausted (at whatever point that is). Edwal is an old name and I trust the product for film fixer but I still use two fixer trays in the paper workflow and rotate at about 50 8x10s or equivalent.

 

s-a

Edited by semi-ambivalent
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In case fixer differs, I should have added earlier that I use Ilford's fixer which is designed to be re-used and re-plenished. Using fixer as one-shot is a true waste, it seems to me.

 

I have it in transparent PET bottles which, with time, get a pretty solid black layer on the inside. Most of the sediment is stuck there but small particles do float about.

 

In a hybrid workflow it is readily apparent when it is time to mix a new batch or replenish the old one because one sees a slight gradual build-up of white specks in the scans. So it's not a case of "oh my god the film is ruined" but more "hmm, this spotting in Photoshop is taking a bit longer, time to mix new/replenish".

 

To simplify, necessary because I am a forgetful individual, I always write the mixing date on the bottle and typically mix a new batch every 12-18 months or thereabouts which works well for me.

 

 

 

Is the sediment present in fixer normally such that it produces a layer visible to the naked eye,? or is it an accumulation of small particles that may not be easily recognizable to the naked eye?.....Given that the container of fixer has stood undisturbed for a period of time, prior to examination.

Edited by philipus
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I agree with you on the cost: it is not expensive stuff. Disposing of the used fixer is a bit of a concern for me. In fact, it is the only dark cloud hovering over a hobby in which I have found a great deal of joy. I see reuse of fixer as a means of dissipating said cloud.

 

Best

 

Wayne

I take used fixer to the rental darkroom I use for printing, as they are happy to recycle it (i.e., extract the silver from it). Before I started using them, I had to schlep it to a local x-ray processing lab, who did the same thing. You might check with your local/state environmental agency and/or sewer utility to see if they can suggest someone who deals with used fixer.

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