I would be interested in other workers formula for mixing from scratch a rapid fix.
Currently I am using Hypam but would like to hear about what others here are using.
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I would be interested in other workers formula for mixing from scratch a rapid fix.
Currently I am using Hypam but would like to hear about what others here are using.
My fixer, my only fixer, I make it from scratch - is Ilford Hypam. I only need two ingredients - Hypam and water.
How much easier can you get than that?
It's not the answer I bet you were hoping for, but why waste time not using easily obtained ( and great performing) products?
PS - I use Kodak Indicator Stop bath for printing as well...
TF-3 stock solution - 800mL of 57-60% Ammonium Thiosulfite per litre, then 60g sodium sulfite per litre, then 5g sodium metaborate per litre.
Use at 1:4 for film or paper. pH can be fine tuned to be closer to TF-4, so it smells of ammonia less.
My closest supplier that I chose to look for of Amm Thio was Claire at JD Photochem, who has stopped trading. The seal on my last gallon jug from her has recently been cracked.
For the fixing after that I will be going with Ilford Hypam. I picked up 5L of Hypam stock at Film Plus for less than just the 60% Amm Thio per galloon cost me from Claire excluding her shipping costs.
You are right of course, till now that has been my position.
I have been spoiled by Mike Chan of Eight Elm Photo, believe it or not he would deliver to my Lab within 4-8 hours of my call any darkroom consumables I neeed, that included Sat or Sun , as I am a 7 day a week printer. He is closing his business and I will lose this very valuable resource. I kept him active so he could stock and be confident the product would move and I got on demand service.
I have been considering scratch mixing for all my chems, yesterday I was out of hypo clear, so I went to the bookshelf and picked up Anchells cookbook, 200 g of sodium sulfite and water to working and I was good to go, rather than ripping the bag and mixing. So I got to thinking about the others. Dev I can pre mix in containers and just add water , Glacial acid and water both pretty simple.
Rapid fix formula looks a bit more time consuming. Not sure about selenium toner. To chemists this may seem like simple stuff but I am not a chemist. Therefore I am looking for a way of introducing a scratch rapid fix formula into my workflow.
I use so much of this stuff, I would hazard a guess of around 6-8 k for chemicals a year, mixing from scratch would cut that in half, but if it doubles my time then the savings are minimal , as time is money in a darkroom like mine.
Also I am finding paper and chems to be harder to find and get on time. I cannot blame the local warehousers who work with Harmon or Kodak . Contrary to what this site is all about , I feel we are on a knifes edge regarding availability.
The chain of purchase is dwindling and even if there are 50k members here on APUG , I really wonder what % actually order the product lines on a regular basis. I mean fresh product , not trying to scoop 5 year out dated product on the internet for a good price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirk Keyes
Mike - have you tried Nymoc for chems?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Wilde
I got tired of the shipping cost overhead on rapid fixes and decided to switch to C41 fix which comes from Kodak in 5 gallon cubetainers, my local camera shop just added it to their regular chem order. The cost is an order of magnitude or so less, including shipping.
Haven't actually started using yet, as I'm still finishing up the last of my old stuff but there are several threads here on using it.
There's always Ole's formula too, http://www.apug.org/forums/forum226/...k-fix-1-a.html
Oles formula is not viewable?
C41 fix, how would it compare to Hypam?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdial
Kodak C41 Flexicolor Fixer could be an excellent option - see this thread here:
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/7...-41-fixer.html
And stay away from making your own selenium toner except as a very, last resort. The selenium dust used to make it is rather toxic.
Here is another, older discussion on using C-41 fix, with some dilution recommendations; http://www.apug.org/forums/archive/i...p/t-22113.html
In that thread, PE states that it is alkaline;Hypam is slightly acid, from the discussions I've seen in here.Quote:
Properly compounded C41 fix is pH ~6.5. The correct range is about 6.3 - 6.8 for proper activity. (20 deg C)
Don't know why the link to Ole's fix isn't working, it's in the articles/recipes section; http://www.apug.org/forums/articles.php?c=226
hallo
i mix one (kodak f-8, i think)
works very well
not because its cheap etc. for me itīs fun.
--
thomas
edit:
360 grams of sodiumthiosulfate
50 grams of ammonium chlorid
per liter