Regarding Pete's question:(posted 8731 days ago)How do I determine that alkakai fixer doesn't soften the emulsion? Empirically. The way I do with most things.
The 1st time I tray-developed 8x10 film (single sheet) the emulsion had a "solid" feel to it during developing and rinsing. Immediately upon submersing in the fixer (Kodak Fixer, at the time) which is acid base, it got soft, and I gouged it with my finger tips, not my finger nails.
With TF-4 this doesn't happen.
Now whether it's the absolute pH determining the softness of the emulsion, or the change in pH (delta-pH) causing expansion of the emulsion as the absorbed developer out-gases or expands the emulsion, I cannot say. I don't really care. I am only report what I experienced.
Others may have different experience, as water pH varies quite a bit throughout the country.