I'm curious...do you use a stop bath when developing film?

[bosak@flx.masto.host]

@kaiser_franz Since you ask... I just follow the old directions from Kodak: pour out dev, pour in stop bath, agitate 30 seconds, pour out stop bath, pour in fixer. Nowadays my stop bath is 2 ounces of cheap white vinegar + water to make 16 (or 4 in 32), used as a one-shot (because why not).

Like some others, I check fixer by pouring it over a piece of undeveloped film and seeing how long it takes to clear. That piece of film then serves to visually confirm the beaker with the fixer.

[shom@gts.shom.dev]

@coldkennels cheers for that! I do some vigorous scrubbing of my reels and now I know the culprit.
@carusb @kaiser_franz

[shom@gts.shom.dev]

@carusb @coldkennels good shout, thanks!
@kaiser_franz

[kaiser_franz@infosec.exchange]

@shom @carusb @coldkennels I also do photo-flo in a separate container. I haven't personally had any issues with photo-flo on my Jobo reels, but I heard about others having this issue so early in my developing I changed my process to have it in a separate beaker so as to avoid completely. I also use distilled water with the photo flo (between photography and cleaning vinyl records I've always got a decent bit of distilled water around) and rarely have drying spots on my negs. Occasionally if I do, I run a kim wipe with some homemade record cleaning fluid (distilled water, photo flo, small amount of 90% isopropyl) that has ended up being great for this purpose. It dries quickly and removes any remaining spots (I do this ONLY on the non-emulsion side).

An added benefit of the photo-flo in a separate beaker is if I know I'll be developing several rolls over several days, I just put a paper towel on top of the beaker and have it there for dunking the following session's negs into before hanging. I don't let it sit for more than a week or so.

[kaiser_franz@infosec.exchange]

@tmcfarlane @tomnorthfilm @carusb @rustoleumlove I tried to get fixer dealt with locally but in our county I was told either we have a quantity large enough to make it worth paying a commercial chemical disposal company, or it's a small enough amount that the local water facilities can handle. The county specifically told me that fixer wasn't accepted at the local recycling facility that accepts things like paints, used motor oil, etc. So I've come to terms with dumping it down the sink. Luckily I only go through 3-4 gallons per year (if that) so it's not a lot, and I pour it out in stages with the water running so as to not hit the system all at once.

My local photo shop is in the process of getting a silver recovery system going, so once that's in place I'll just save up the jugs until I make it there and have them empty them and give them back to me.