Topic: Film base fog - fixer problem

[DonkeyDave]

Simple question, but in my many years of developing haven't had it, so asking some advice!

Film base is quite fogged, looks like I was tardy in renewing my fixer. Simple question, can I just refix after its been washed to get the clear base? Do I rinse again first?

My darkroom is hovering about 6 degrees, obviously I'm heating the dev up to 20deg C but could using fixer at ambient temp reduce its effectiveness?

[Andrea.]

Well Mr Donkey,
It rather depends how long your fixer was on the film. I have found that if the film was not fixed properly, it's in the middle, away from the edges of the film rather than the edges.

[Ezzie]

Yes you can re-fix. You might want to wet the film first, but not really necessary.

[Francois]

Re-fixing can be done.

Fixer can be good for an incredibly long time. Just fix for double clearing time. You can use a bit of film leader to test it.

[DonkeyDave]

I'll have a go at refixing in the morning - ta

[DonkeyDave]

new fixer - crystal clear - nice!

another school day 

[This-is-damion]

one (stupid) question ive often wondered... when it says "double clearing time" - how long is that, becuase the film is in the tank...i dont know how long it takes to clear

[LT]

D - save your 35mm film leaders and use those in daylight to see how long they take to clear.

[Francois]

You can get a few tests out of a single leader. Use only B&W film or you'll get screwy results.
You pour a bit of fix in a small cup and soak half of the test film in it. Once the submerged part starts looking weird, dump the whole thing in and start timing. You'll see the weird looking part go clear and then the line between parts will disappear. Once you see that, stop the watch and take the time. Write it on a piece of tape on the bottle.

Fix for double that. When the tests start to indicate that it takes double the original time to clear, it's time to dump the fix.