Example: exhausted fixer / good fixer

[Nesster]

To illustrate the symptoms of exhausted fixer (I posted these two pics in the af section, but figure they will be educational here)...


The Dangers of Exhausted Fixer by Nesster, on Flickr

tri-x, hc-110, om2n, zuiko 85/2, t-32 bounced.

The fixer was exhausted - I thought about it, but decided yeah, I should get another roll or two out of this batch. Wrong!

I also omitted swizzle-stick agitation in favor of inversion with the plastic reel/tank. I usually do a combination of swizzle and inversion during development, and swizzle only during fixing.

It was obvious right away that the fix was bad - and spotty too, the end of roll was opaque still - but images were visible. I decided not to mix new fixer and re-fix on the spot (dinner was up). In the scan you can see the low dynamic range and the drag from the sprocket holes. (This sort of thing can also happen with developer, usually due to not enough agitation.)

So this morning I got new fixer and re-did a couple of the cut up strips of film. Sure enough the original problems are nicely cleared up. (This was a quick scan so I didn't go and adjust the white point - I probably can get rid of some of the highlight burn with a more careful scan. Plus, I didn't do such a thorough job with the spotting.)



after fixing by Nesster, on Flickr

[Orio]

Good rescue job!
I never keep my used fixer for more than 1 week.
In my experience, more than the how many uses (you can make up with fixing times longer), it's the "sitting time" that makes it weaker.

[kansalliskala]

Does old fixer smell bad? Like the "darkroom" smell - that is actually old fixer smell. New doesn't smell anything.

[hexi]

Nice tonality and great action capture ! In order to "save the planet" and my money i re use fixer for about 5 times. No troubles so far, and by security i fix a bit longer each time.