SamuliSchielke
Yesterday I went to a camera shop in Vienna and bought some film, and the owner gave me three packets of acidic fixing salt as well – the Unal brand. Judging by the packaging, they’re from the 1970s, or perhaps even later. The question now is, how long does something like this keep? With fixer, you usually only realise too late when it’s gone off. The packets are unopened, and the powder inside feels hard (though I haven’t opened the packet yet). Does it have an indefinite shelf life and is therefore perfectly usable? Or should I just take the packets straight to the hazardous waste collection point?
Gast
Hi Samuli,
1. ‘Hard’ probably means it’s stuck together, so it’s absorbed moisture. That’s not good news.
2. Fixing salt is essentially sodium or ammonium thiosulphate. It actually keeps for ages, as long as it doesn’t get wet.
On the one hand, you can test the fixer easily. (I still do it with the film tab; silver test strips are actually no help at all here.)
On the other hand, the film costs money, and you’ve gone to the trouble of taking the shots. I’d say either use it for test prints that won’t be archived anyway, or bin it.
You could also auction it off on eBay for collectors. Ideally, if fixing the print of a negative against a white wall produces an image of the Pope.
Regards
Martin
cfb_de
Hi Martin,
As a bit of a nerd (=chemist), I couldn’t have put it any more practically than that.
Thanks!
Franz
Gast
Hi Franz,
There’s nothing like a deep well of half-knowledge;-).
Re: eBay
Given the age of the fixer, the picture shouldn’t show JPII but Pillenpaul.
Best regards
Martin
Gast
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your reply. Special waste disposal or eBay seems to be the answer, as I would have needed this stuff most for POP paper from Retro, which doesn’t tolerate ammonium thiosulphate. So these wouldn’t be test prints, but would actually need to last. However, the alternatives from Retro or Calbe are so cheap that it’s not really worth the effort of testing them.
Samuli
