Milky Negs Again

[Keith Tapscott.]

Originally Posted by HopALong

Ilford Delta 400, 120. (the last 2 films that went milky were the same).

Fotospeed FX20 Rapid Fixer, mixed 1+9, temp 20 degrees, recommended time 2 minutes. I used to fix religiously for 5 minutes until the last 2 films went milky.

Use the fixer 1+4, not 1+9, it's too weak. Fix for 4 to 5 minutes with T-Max and Delta films and agitate vigorously every half a minute.

[Mike O'Pray]

Yes. It is why I have twice got the clearest set of negs you could ever hope to see. Clear as in nothing there at all where exposures should be :

So to turn it into a more serious note, mark your dev and fix beakers so you never mix them up. If you pour in fix first and it is easier done than you might think instead of dev then you will clear the film of everything.

Mike

[Richard Gould]

We've all done that Mike, nearly put me of for life when I had really tried to take a very special photo only to get a pink roll of Verichrome pan, mind you,I was only 10 at the time

[Brian]

Originally Posted by HopALong

Just to confirm on this test strip test.
I can take a leader from a 35mm which has already been exposed to the light. I don't use developer or stop. I literally drop the strip straight into the fixer in the light and watch for its clearing time.
Once fully clear take the time and triple it and that's the fixer time for that particular fixer/film combination.

Ilford recommend that you drop a spot of fixer on the leader for 30 seconds prior to dropping into the fixer. In this way the 'spot' is 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the leader: when the spot is no longer visible the film is clear.

[Mike O'Pray]

Originally Posted by Richard Gould

We've all done that Mike, nearly put me of for life when I had really tried to take a very special photo only to get a pink roll of Verichrome pan, mind you,I was only 10 at the time

That reminds me of another good tip. Never try and develop a film against too tight a deadline such as Match of The Day as I did on the second occasion of producing wonderfully clear negs.

Mike

[Dave miller]

Originally Posted by HopALong

Just to confirm on this test strip test.
I can take a leader from a 35mm which has already been exposed to the light. I don't use developer or stop. I literally drop the strip straight into the fixer in the light and watch for its clearing time.
Once fully clear take the time and triple it and that's the fixer time for that particular fixer/film combination.

That's correct, but double the clearing time is enough, we only double the time as a safety margin, I believe that it is possible to over-fix a film and thereby remove detail. Tony's & Brian's tip about putting a drop of fixer on the film first is a good one which makes it easier to see when the film has cleared. Note that you should agitate continuously whilst fixing.

Be aware that fixer (just like the other chemicals we use) exhausts, so each time it is used the clearing time should be rechecked. You will find that it gets longer. Without going into why that is I suggest that you use fresh fixer for your films to start with. You can then use the fixer for your prints.

[MartyNL]

Originally Posted by Keith Tapscott.

Use the fixer 1+4, not 1+9, it's too weak. Fix for 4 to 5 minutes with T-Max and Delta films and agitate vigorously every half a minute.

I think Keith's hit the nail on the head.

Even with Ilfords rapid fixer the 1+9 "economy" dilution is only recommended with paper development otherwise 1+4 for both film and paper.

[cliveh]

Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray

So to turn it into a more serious note, mark your dev and fix beakers so you never mix them up. If you pour in fix first and it is easier done than you might think instead of dev then you will clear the film of everything.Mike

If you colour code the containers for dev, stop, fix, say blue, yellow and red, there is less chance of this happening.

[Richard Gould]

Solved that problem, fix is stored in a squezy bottle with a red top,stop in same bottle, with black top and as developer is mixed just before as needed that is in the cylinder Richard

[HopALong]

Thanks again for everyones help.
With a 1+4 mix I found the film cleared in 3 minutes.
I therefore fixed the next film with the stronger 1+4 mix for 6 minutes and hey presto it was clear.


Andy