John Sessoms wrote: > From: > Scott Loveless > >> Next is fixer. Depending on the film and the age of the fixer, it >> usually takes around 5 minutes. This goes back into the bottle, too. >> As the fixer depletes it will take longer to clear the film. So keep >> an eye on it. There are quite a few methods for determining fixer >> strength. When the fixer takes more than 10 minutes I dump the bottle >> and mix up another gallon. My only exception is with T-grain films. >> Any fixer I use to clear T-Max or Delta films goes right down the >> drain. Those films deplete the fixer more than traditional black and >> white, such as HP5 or Plus-X. >> > I don't think it's such a good idea to pour used fixer down the drains. > Silver is a cumulative toxin like mercury. > > > You're probably right about it not being a good idea. At the peak of my processing I was doing about 6 rolls a week. However, with the number of people doing this sort of thing (not many at all anymore) and the small amount I do, I seriously doubt it's any worse for the treatment plant than the stuff I use to clean the toilet. If it was, we probably wouldn't be able to buy the film or the chemicals.
Granted if I was processing multiple rolls per day, every day, I would collect it and find some way to dispose of it. I imagine businesses aren't allowed to dump that stuff down the drain. -- Scott Loveless http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/ -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
