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stop bath

stop bath

1 7.4
A weak acid liquid used to stop the chemical that makes an image on film or photo paper
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : baño de parada
  • After developing the film, he submerged it in the stop bath to halt the chemical process.

Examples

  • He'd check on my supply of stop bath or Panalure.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I actually did pick up some Dektol, stop bath, and paper on the way back from the expo (but I didn't take the shuttle bus).

    Blog text (11)
  • Use water in lieu of a stop bath and change often.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Finally, I put the print into stop bath and fixer for the normal amounts of time, then wash as usual.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Filtration of all the chemicals, i.e., developer, stop bath, fixer, and even wash water, is essential.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Process the Kodalith negative at 68 degrees, using constant agitation: 2.5 minutes in the Kodalith developer, 1 minute in the stop bath, and 4 minutes in the fixer (you can turn on the room lights after the first minute).

    Academic text (1996)
  • The photographer prepared the stop bath to ensure the developer didn't overexpose the images.

  • Using a stop bath is crucial to prevent the developer from continuing to act on the photographic paper.

Synonyms

short-stop
vsstop bath
  • Specialized
9.9

A liquid used after developing film to stop the chemical reaction

is a weak acid solution specifically used to halt developer action
short-stop bath
vsstop bath
  • Specialized
9.6

An acidic liquid that stops film or paper from developing before fixing

is a weak acid solution emphasizing mild acidity rather than general acidity

Surface Forms

stop bath singular
stop baths plural

Morphology

stop + bath

The term is directly compositional: 'stop' (to halt) + 'bath' (a liquid used for processing) clearly yields a bath whose function is to stop the developer. Although it's a technical photography term, the noun-noun compound follows straightforward logic that a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer.

Etymology

Stop bath comes from the darkroom. Photographers put film in a short bath of weak acid to make the developer 'stop', so stop + bath describes the solution that stops the developing process.