ordorless Stop

[David Hall]

After nearly knocking myself unconscious using glacial acetic in one form or another, I noticed some odorless indicator stop at Freestyle.

Clayton's a pretty reputable company. Anybody use this stuff?

dgh

[clogz]

This Clayton stuff is not available in my country but I have used a similar product with good results. There's even a variant which changes colour when it gets exhausted.
So give it a try.

[docholliday]

Havent' used the Clayton stuff either, but I use Ilford Ilfostop often. It's based on Citric Acid instead of acetic acid, so it doesn't have the odor. However, the dilution is lower (the citric is weaker) and the print load is lower per litre.

Works good, though. It has the phenolthalein indicator also. And, hell, it citric acid...I use the citric acid for preserving fruit as a supplement when I run out and I need some quickly.

[Robert]

Depends on what you're used to. Don't you put vinegar on your chips? Your fish?-))) I checked the citric acid sold by the local grocery store for canning. It's mostly sugar. I think you can buy bulk pure citric acid for very little from the same people that supply the food processing industry.

[avandesande]

I mix a couple teaspoons of citric acid in 2l of water and toss at the end of the session. It dissolves very easily. Artcraft chemicals has it pretty cheap.

[Ole]

Citric acid or sodium bisulfite are both cheaper and better than "premixed" stop. Acetic acid is too strong, and tends to produce pinholes if the developer contains carbonate.

Water bath is the cheapest of all, besides being completely odourless. And it's particularly recommended when using alkaline fix and/or tanning developers.

[Ed Sukach]

The only place I use shortstop now is immediately after the Color Developer and before Bleach-Fix in color printing. Developer holdover - even after a water wash, is simply too great for me in RA-4 printing.

Check Ilford. Last I knew, they were NOT recommending the use of an acid shortstop in black and white film developing (due to the danger for pinholes), substituting a water wash instead.

I've heard those who complain about the odor of acetic acid. Possibly a more dilute mix than the standard - 16ml per liter of water would be less offensive.

Come to think of it ... I once used common white vinegar diluted 1:4 to 1:10 instead of the expensive photographic stuff.

[blansky]

David:

I too, use the Ilfostop. Great stuff. Lately howeverI have been using TF-4 alkaline fix which requires only a water stop.

Before that I used to use stop bath and fix in their trays with plexiglas covers over them so the fumes were virtually unnoticeable.

I still have plexiglas covers for all my trays that use strong substances like fix, selenium, etc. Even with proper ventilation, leaning over the trays while working gave me more of a snoutfull than I liked.

Michael McBlane

[Aggie]

HMM none of you guys would like the few comments about this thread I have made here at home...Of course I had to stop laughing first! MEN complaing about smell? excuse me? since when has a little smell bothered the male of the species? But then you have not had to walk into a darkroom behind a guy who has not had a shower or such in a week, with no usage of deoderant. Now that stinks. It even permeates past the stop bath odor. Come on guys toughen up!

[blansky]

Aggie:

Obviously you have not spent enough time around civilized men. Men who were properly housebroken by their mothers or wives. You truly do need to get out more.

In fact while I write this I'm soaking in a bubble bath surrounded by potpourri. I'm....sh*t, I just dropped my laptop in the water......

I'll get back to you.........

Michael McBlane