Efkefilms vs. acid fixers

AntiLynd · 2006-12-05T16:35:52+00:00

Hallo Nils, Probleme die Jahre später auftauchen würden dann wohl eher auf schlechte Fixage oder schlechte Wässerung zurückgehen :ph34r: Der Grund für das...

AntiLynd

Hello everyone, We often hear that Efke films are a bit sensitive to overly acidic developers, which is why some people prefer to rinse them rather than stop them with acid. How does this actually work with fixers? There are fast/slow and acidic/neutral types (I’m right in thinking that the speed is inversely proportional to the pH value, aren’t I?). So should I steer clear of the fast ones and stick to a neutral one, or can I continue to use Agefix (and whatever else they’re called) without any significant problems arising (perhaps only years later)? Best regards Nils.

MirkoBoeddecker

Hi Nils, Any problems that might crop up years later would probably be down to poor fixing or poor washing :ph34r: The reason for using water as a stop bath is that ADOX CHS (efke) films are still produced in the same way as they were 50 years ago and therefore have a slightly softer emulsion. If an acidic stop bath comes into contact with an alkaline developer, gas bubbles may form during neutralisation, and these could potentially cause the emulsion to peel away from the base. However, once the film has been neutralised (whether by a mild stop bath or dilution with water makes no difference), this problem is resolved and the emulsion is largely unaffected by whether the fixer is acidic or not. We’ve been using Adofix (acidic, fast) in the tank for years without any problems. We stop the film without any issues either, but caution is the mother of film development.... Best regards, Mirko

AntiLynd

Yeah, that occurred to me too: if the emulsion were to peel off, I’d have to be a bit blind not to notice it straight away during development :ph34r: * > If an acidic stop bath comes into contact with an alkaline developer, gas bubbles may form during neutralisation > and these could potentially cause the emulsion to peel off the base. Ah, that’s the crux of the matter. That’s exactly what I was looking for... right then, so I don’t need to worry about that. Thanks for the quick reply... Have a lovely evening! Nils. *) edit: but I was too lazy to edit it.