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My lab partner told me my fixer smells like gym socks and now I can't stop sniffing it
She caught a whiff at the kitchen sink where I was dumping a batch after 4 rolls of HP5 and said it smelled like a locker room, which sent me down a rabbit hole on whether my fixer was actually going bad or I just never noticed. Anyone else ever have someone else point out something about your darkroom routine you'd been nose blind to for years?
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lopez.quinn26d ago
Did you check if it's the fixer or just the smell of the stop bath mixing in? I had the same thing happen, my wife walked by while I was pouring out a batch and said it smelled like a wet dog. Turns out my fixer was fine, I was just using it way past when I should have. Now I do a quick clip test before each session, drop a piece of film leader in and time how long it takes to clear. If it takes more than two minutes the fixer is done and I mix fresh. Also store it in a sealed bottle instead of an open tray, that alone cut down the smell a ton.
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