Can you over-fix?

djchris · 10th December 2003

After developing, is it bad to let the fixer fix the negative for more than 5 mins? say 10-15 mins?

Will I sorta over-fix the thing?
Or is it safe?

sfhuang · 10th December 2003

Originally Posted by djchris

After developing, is it bad to let the fixer fix the negative for more than 5 mins? say 10-15 mins?

Will I sorta over-fix the thing?
Or is it safe?

I don't think there's any problem in doing so. After all, fixing is supposed to stop the chemical reaction. Experts am I correct?

leewt214 · 10th December 2003

actually that is not true, from what i know, overfixing can actually cause the fixer and silver crud to cling on tightly and you'll not be able to wash them out. This is more of a problem in prints and i'm not sure if it applies to negative. but 10min in fixer is generally ok..

the general rule is to fix 2-3x the clearing time.

helium · 10th December 2003

over fix can cause the negs to appear thinner i.e. making it seems like under expose...

Pro Image · 11th December 2003

Hi guys you might want to read this article........

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Ar.../archival.html

Extract from the site:-

Ilford does not provide information regarding the number of films that can be fixed per volume of fixer. They recommend fixing film in either their Universal fixer (diluted 1:3) or Multigrade fixer (diluted 1:4) for 2 to 5 minutes. They state: “In general, fix film for twice the time it takes for the emulsion to clear. If working with used fixer, discard if films do not clear within half the recommended fixing time.” They also state that there is no harm in overfixing films.

ellery · 12th December 2003

One good reason not to - takes longer to wash out the neg's or prints if they are fiber based.

There are some who hold that high concentration of fixer and prolong fixing has some effects on highlight details - they appear to bleech out.

10th December 2003	#1
djchris Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 876	Can you over-fix? After developing, is it bad to let the fixer fix the negative for more than 5 mins? say 10-15 mins? Will I sorta over-fix the thing? Or is it safe?

11th December 2003	#5
Pro Image Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Last planet from the sun Posts: 2,822	Read this article..... Hi guys you might want to read this article........ http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Ar.../archival.html Extract from the site:- Ilford does not provide information regarding the number of films that can be fixed per volume of fixer. They recommend fixing film in either their Universal fixer (diluted 1:3) or Multigrade fixer (diluted 1:4) for 2 to 5 minutes. They state: “In general, fix film for twice the time it takes for the emulsion to clear. If working with used fixer, discard if films do not clear within half the recommended fixing time.” They also state that there is no harm in overfixing films.

10th December 2003	#3
leewt214 Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 170	actually that is not true, from what i know, overfixing can actually cause the fixer and silver crud to cling on tightly and you'll not be able to wash them out. This is more of a problem in prints and i'm not sure if it applies to negative. but 10min in fixer is generally ok.. the general rule is to fix 2-3x the clearing time.

10th December 2003	#4
helium New Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 35	over fix can cause the negs to appear thinner i.e. making it seems like under expose...

12th December 2003	#6
ellery Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 785	One good reason not to - takes longer to wash out the neg's or prints if they are fiber based. There are some who hold that high concentration of fixer and prolong fixing has some effects on highlight details - they appear to bleech out.