biesifoto
Hello,
What is the best way to use the 1-litre pack of Adofix P when developing film?
My Jobo tank holds about 500ml, so I always prepare 500ml of working solution when using liquid concentrates.
However, as we all know, you shouldn’t make partial batches with powder chemicals, so I end up with 1 litre of working solution, enough for 10 films.
- Is it best to split this into two 500ml portions and use each half to fix 5 films at a time?
Or
- Do I use the whole litre, simply pouring 500ml into the can each time and then pouring it back into the residue, repeating the process until I’ve fixed 10 films?
What do you think, which is better?
Thank you and best regards,
Thomas
CommodoreMan
So I’m going to make the second version.
I can’t say to what extent using the fixative makes sense, but I haven’t had any problems yet.
1 litre simply lasts longer. But you have to mix it up anyway.
An alternative would also be a liquid concentrate. Adofix Plus costs more, but has a larger capacity, so it evens itself out depending on the quantity you buy.
Regards, Christian
Olivinyl
Hi Thomas,
I always use the full amount as well. For example, I take 500 ml of it for film development and pour it back into the remaining 500 ml.
I’ve been doing this for years without any problems.
Best wishes, Oliver
biesifoto
Thanks, Christian and Oliver, for your helpful tips! :-)
@Christian: Normally I prefer liquid concentrates too – but unfortunately I’ve run out of Adofix Plus, and there aren’t any shops in my area where I can just pop in and buy some fixer – and I don’t really want to place an order just for that.
I ordered the Adofix P last time out of curiosity, as I’d never used a powder fixer before, and because of its virtually unlimited shelf life, I kept it as a sort of emergency reserve. And now I’m breaking into it... ;-)
Thanks again,
Thomas
CommodoreMan
That’s exactly why I’ve got a bag of Adofix P here too ;).
HGR
I’ve had some adofix p (5 litres) sent to me and was actually planning to halve the powder and
make 2.5 litres to start with, as that fits perfectly in my Novatank. If that isn’t such a
great idea after all, will I have to switch back to liquid fixers, or is the risk of getting the
proportions wrong not actually that high?
Best regards,
Hansgerd
MirkoBoeddecker
I’ve had some adofix p (5 litres) sent to me and was actually planning to halve the powder and
make 2.5 litres to start with, as that fits perfectly in my Novatank. If that isn’t such a
great idea after all, will I have to switch back to liquid fixers, or is the risk of getting the
proportions wrong not actually that high?
Good light
Hansgerd
?
With fixers, the risk is lower than with developers, but the fundamental problem remains: here, when we weigh it out, everything is still perfectly mixed, but the longer the bag is transported over a bumpy road, the more the substances separate if they have different grain sizes and/or weights. In principle, splitting the batch would be possible, but this would require ensuring a good mix is achieved beforehand. For this, you would need, for example, an orbital mixer (Ränrad). That is why we do not recommend making partial batches. We’ve been working on a solution for some time and have come up with an approach, but unfortunately this would mean that around 10% of the substances would be lost (the fine dust), and knowing our lot – I mean, of course, our beloved customers – they’d avoid a product that’s 10% more expensive like the devil avoids holy water. So it looks like it will remain forever a bag of grains and fragments or dust that should only be used in full – and ideally not inhaled :-)
HGR
Ah, thanks. Now I get it.
The bag is packed very tightly, almost as if it were vacuum-sealed. I don’t think much
of the contents will have separated yet. I’ll give it a go...
CommodoreMan
I actually find it a shame that it’s so difficult to buy products in smaller quantities.
As an occasional user, what am I supposed to do with a 5-litre bottle of Kodak Xtol developer?
Of course, there are various ways to preserve it, but it’s not exactly ideal.
Adox, on the other hand, sells everything in sizes that are perfect for home users :)
Regards, Christian
Xenar
Hello,
Well, when it comes to powder-form fixers, I wouldn’t be too concerned about the batch size (as Mirko mentions above). I can share the following insight based on my long-term experience:
In the second half of the 1970s, I was in charge of a black-and-white darkroom in a student hall of residence. We all had to economise wherever (reasonably) possible. Films, for example, were bought by the metre, and in the lab, it was the chemicals. I would always buy a 1kg bag of fixing salt (I think it was from Tetenal; Impex didn’t exist back then :) ) and divide the contents into 10 equal portions using a letter scale. My films and baryta prints from that time – and also those of others with whom I am still in contact – have remained free of visible damage to this day. And it has been about 40 years since then.
For film and paper developers, we generally use liquid concentrates, so there was naturally no risk involved in dividing them up.
Btw.: Instead of an orbital mixer, a so-called sample divider will do the job. I’m actually still on the lookout for one of those...
Regards
Xenar
HGR
Blimey, a student hall of residence with a darkroom back in the seventies!
That really makes me jealous now, looking back...
Thanks so much for the memory and the confirmation.
Xenar
Blimey, a student hall of residence with a darkroom back in the seventies!
That really makes me jealous in hindsight...
€
Well, it was all improvised, but it worked.
€
The room in the basement was barely 5 m²<sup>2</sup> in size, a former ‘bathroom’. The bath was still there.
On the worktop, the enlarger was on the left, the trays on the right, and right underneath them, for rinsing, a plastic basin that sat in the bathtub. Plus a narrow shelf for the equipment. Done.
€
We started with a flatmate’s personal gear, which he’d brought from home, including a Durst M301. Later, we gradually bought everything ourselves, much of it second-hand. And my successor upgraded the Krokus 66 to colour processing in the early 1980s. But that was already after my time.
€
As you can see: where there’s a will, there’s a darkroom :)
Florek
Hello,
What is the best way to use the 1-litre pack of Adofix P when developing film?
My Jobo tank holds about 500ml, so I always prepare 500ml of working solution when using liquid concentrates.
However, as is well known, you shouldn’t make partial batches with powder chemicals, so I end up with 1 litre of working solution, enough for 10 films.
- Is it best to divide this into two 500ml portions and use each half to fix 5 films at a time?
Or
- Do I use the whole litre, simply pouring 500ml into the can each time and then returning it to the residue, repeating the process until I’ve fixed 10 films?
What do you think, which is better?
Thank you and best regards,
Thomas
Hello Thomas,
I’ve opted for another method: a two-bath fixing process, even for negatives.
I prepare two 1-litre solutions and use the first fixer for the duration of a single rinse cycle, then the second fixer for a further cycle, again for the duration of a single rinse cycle. This ensures the negatives are definitely exposed to a fairly clean fixer. The first is discarded after 10–12 negatives and replaced by the second. Downside: you need two bottles and end up with slightly more prepared chemicals. I’ve achieved consistent results this way, particularly with slightly more problematic films (T-MAX, etc.).
Best regards,
Florian
Wolf_XL
...well, why keep it simple when you can make it complicated... I’ve been developing film since the late sixties – so far, all my negatives have survived, despite using a single-bath fixer... ;-) The only thing I treat myself to is regularly checking the fixing bath with a drop of potassium iodide – the so-called KJ test...
€
http://www.niklas-ruehl.de/blog/fixer-testen
Florek
...well, why keep it simple when you can make it complicated... I’ve been involved in film development since the late sixties – so far, all my negatives have survived, despite using a single-bath fixer... ;-) The only thing I treat myself to is regularly checking the fixing bath with a drop of potassium iodide – the so-called KJ test...
€
http://www.niklas-ruehl.de/blog/fixer-testen
€
... well, why take a risk when it’s no effort at all? You just have to decant the chemicals once. And you save money in the process, because you can use the first fixer right up to its capacity. The KJ test is, of course, also a clever method.
€
Let’s see what Ilford has to say about this in their instructions for Rapid Fixer ;-)
“An
extremely efficient method of
fixing film or paper is to use the
two-bath fixing technique. Prepare two separate fixing baths of the same solution volume. Fix the film or paper in the first bath for half the recommended fixing time and then transfer them to the second bath for the remainder of the time. Continue to work in this way until the capacity of the first bath is reached, then discard it and replace it with the second fixer bath. Prepare and use a completely fresh second bath. Repeat this process as required, ensuring that the film or paper is always thoroughly fixed by the relatively fresh fixer in the second bath."
€
Best regards,
Florian
KlausWehner
Fixing with two baths makes full use of the chemicals (the first bath can be used until it is exhausted)
and still produces a very reliable result (the second bath is always fresh).
€
In my opinion, there is no better method.
It can be used for both the negative and positive processes.
€
I have been using this method myself for many years (including in my ATL 3) and also demonstrate it in my laboratory courses.
It is really worth it, as it saves chemicals and ensures reliability.
€
Best regards
Klaus
