The third step in black & white processing, this 12 oz bottle of Arista Universal Liquid Rapid Fixer is a rapid-acting, non-hardening fixer for both film and paper. Depending on the use, the recommended dilution varies between 1:4 for film and 1:9 for paper.

Rapid, Non-Hardening Formula    For Black & White Film and Paper

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. the bottle I have has the date 2021/09/20. It is now 2024. It is completely sealed. You figure it's good?

A: Since the Kodak Professional Kodafix Fixer is sealed, it should be good.

Q: 2. Not so much a question as a bit of information, I saw in reviews that some one had said to mix this 1 part chem to 3 parts water this is not correct. It seems be misleading and 1:3 actually represents the fraction 1/3 a whole of 3 parts with 1 part chem and 2 parts water. Just wanted to clarify this to all.

A: Jeremy, the product comes in a 1 liter bottle and instructions say mix 1:3 to make 4 liters. From the original manufacturers website: The stock solution which has a shelf life of 1 year is diluted 1:3 to make the working solution. The working solution has a shelf life of 6 months.03-0141 Ships as 1 liter to make 4 liters

Q: 3. is water a good enough stop bath for this fixer?

A: The Kodak Professional Kodafix Fixer can be used with a water "stop bath" when developing film or printing on RC paper. For fiber base papers, a stop bath is required.

Q: 4. Is this indicator fixer? Will it turn color when exhausted?

A: Unfortunately, no, the Ilford Rapid Fixer (Liquid,1 Liter) does not have indicator dye in the fixer. However, the Ilford Ilfostop Stop Bath (500ml), B&H # ILISB500ML, is a stop bath from Ilford that does have dye that is pH sensitive and changes color from yellow to purple as the stop bath becomes exhausted.

Q: 5. Hi, if I'm processing two rolls of 35mm films at a time, Is it better to prepare 500ml of this (125 ml fixer to 375 ml water) each time? Or to mix the whole bottle into a gallon at the beginning? In the latter case, would I pour the used content back into the gallon bottle after I'm done? Or do I discard it? Do I need to keep the gallon bottle full if I discard the used content? Thank you!

A: I only mix 1 liter at a time of TF4 as this will cover even dual processing of 120 rolls. I then pour it all back in the liter jar. I don't do quite enough film now to mix 1G at a time. TF4 is excellent on BW film. 6 min removes virtually all the magenta from Tri-X. I use it for all my BW stocks.

Q: 6. I purchased this product about 4 years ago and never opened it. Would it still be good to mix and use today?

A: If one purchased the Photographers' Formulary TF-4 Archival Rapid Fixer for Black & White Film & Paper ,and never opened it up, and stored it in normal temperatures,(not too warm), it should still work fine. Just to make sure it would be good to do a test in the darkroom, by fixing a paper sample for the normal fixing time, and then turn the lights on to see if it will fog.

Q: 7. can you use just part A as a fixer? or do you need part b mixed? so can this be used as a fixer sans harder?

A: Yes just use part A. Part B is a hardener for films and some kinds of paper but mainly unnecessary.

Q: 8. After manifestation in PMK and fixation and washing for 25 minutes, the Tri-x 400 film turned out to be slightly brown. This is normal?

A: Yes. Pyro developers, like PMK, produce a colored stain on the image. This can be brown or yellowish depending on the film. That stain is why people use Pyro developers; it gives smoother tonal transitions, especially in highlight tones.

Q: 9. Hello, my fixer has arrived but is a milky white liquid. Normally fixer is clear - is this fixer white and opaque?

A: Yes the Photographers' Formulary TF-4 Archival Rapid Fixer in concentrate is milky. Make sure when you mix it you stir very well before and after you add water to it. It will mix and be less milky.

Q: 10. Do you need to use a stop bath with this fixer? Any substitute?

A: Best practices say you should use a stop bath after developing and fixing. You could consider using a monobath developing (basically an all-in-one developer/fix/stop) like this Cinestills Df96. Results may look a little different but it will depend on the results/aesthetic you're trying to attain. See the last link provided below for Cinestills' developing times and more info. https://bhpho.to/3Exg05e https://bhpho.to/3ArKmU5 https://bit.ly/3tUshvr