fixeringsbad

Fixeringsbad is a term of Swedish origin that refers to a specific type of chemical treatment used in photography, particularly with traditional film and photographic paper. It describes the bath solution used to permanently fix the image onto the photographic material after it has been exposed to light and developed. The primary function of the fixer is to dissolve and remove any unexposed silver halide crystals from the emulsion layer that were not acted upon by light and the developer.

Without a proper fixeringbad, the remaining silver halide crystals would continue to be sensitive to light, causing the image to darken and degrade over time, eventually obscuring the intended photograph. Common chemicals used in fixeringbad solutions include sodium thiosulfate or ammonium thiosulfate, which act as the fixing agents. The process involves immersing the developed image in the fixeringbad for a specific duration, typically several minutes, depending on the solution's strength and the type of photographic material. After fixing, the image is thoroughly washed to remove any residual fixer chemicals, ensuring its archival stability. The term is therefore directly linked to the crucial step of making a photographic image permanent and light-stable.