Fixing time for APX400 and Adofix P

JanHSar · 2018-12-14T11:56:29+00:00

Hallo allerseits ? Nachdem ich alles zusammen habe, wollte ich dieses Wochenende damit beginnen meine ersten SW-Filme zu entwickeln. Nun bin ich auf die Fr...

JanHSar

Hello everyone ? Now that I’ve got everything together, I wanted to start developing my first black-and-white films this weekend. But I’ve come across the question of what fixing time I need?! ? Film: Agfa APX400 (new) Fixer: ADOFIX P at 20°C (prepared about a month ago, stored in an airtight container in a cool place) ? After doing a lot of reading, I’ve now worked out the clearing time:

Strips cut from the film
Placed in the fixer
Stirred / moved the strip every minute

The strip became clear from the edges (visible from approx. 2 minutes) and it took 9 minutes 30 seconds for the centre to become clear as well. So my fixing time would be 19 minutes after doubling the clearing time.? ? Now I’m unsure, as ADOX officially specifies a fixing time of 4 minutes (http://www.adox.de/Photo/a300/) and I haven’t read of fixing times exceeding 10 minutes anywhere else either.? ? Could a fixing time of 19 minutes be correct, or have I done something wrong? ? ? Many thanks in advance for your help!

Magirus

Hello Something’s gone wrong The film should be ready after 1 minute with the new fixer. Best regards, Bernd

Xenar

Hello, The 9-minute fixing time is really far too long. Did you give your test strip a good agitation – swirling or shaking it – during that time? It could be that the coated side of the film piece settled or stuck to the bottom of your test container, meaning the spent fixing bath in that spot couldn’t be replaced by fresh solution. On the other hand, I’ve also had problems with Adox fixing bath myself, which lost its potency very quickly. That was the liquid Adofix Plus, though, not the powder. As this had never happened to me in decades before, I switched brands again. To be on the safe side, I’d recommend preparing a fresh fixing solution. With film, you should be generous when it comes to fresh chemicals; after all, unlike prints, negatives are one-offs. And once they’re gone, they’re gone :evil: . Regards, V.

Wolfgg

Hello, It’s wrong to move the film for just a minute; it must be moved CONSTANTLY in the fixer, as fresh fixer needs to be continuously flushed onto the film. Cheers Best regards, Wolfgang

JanHSar

Thank you very much for your replies! My mistake was trying to use the fixer in a shaking flask. Although I did give it a good shake every now and then to ensure everything mixed properly, the neck of the flask is so narrow that the fixer didn’t distribute evenly. The result was a very thin layer of fixer at the top of the flask. After pouring everything back and forth between a measuring jug and the flask a few times, I was able to develop another test strip in 1 minute 20 seconds. Could it also happen over time that the salts in the fixer experience settling? I’ll definitely make sure to give everything a good shake or stir from now on. I’ve just developed my first film too (the APX400 from above). I fixed it for 3 minutes and kept moving the can. It all seems to have worked out. In any case, images are visible on the negative (: It’s now hanging up to dry and I’m really looking forward to the result.

Xenar

Hello, So we managed to get the job done together after all. Three minutes’ fixing would still be a bit too quick for me, though. Occasionally, when I’ve just prepared a fresh fixing bath, I do have such short clearing times, but I never fix for less than four minutes. If you ever use flat crystal films, please bear in mind that you should triple the clearing time for them. Best regards, V.