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Adox Variotone Warmtone Paper

Just a bump, and update on some progress with this lovely paper... I did some toning yesterday in sepia, selenium and gold. I didn't care much for the gold, and it took me a few tries to get the bleach to a dilution that I felt I could control it. All a learning process. Anyway... here are my faves, each toned in sepia then selenium on Adox Variotone. (Fotospeed Sepia toner, Ilford Selenium toner)
 

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Very nice Suzanne, when my three boxes of paper turn up, I think I'll try this combination, amongst others.

Mick.
 
Suznne, this is wonderful information. The Selenium toner gives a nice subtle warm tone. This is one I will have to try. I am always looking for something to fill the Agfa gap in my life.

Michel
 
Suzanne,

Obviously, scans can't replicate the experience of looking at the originals, but these images look incredibly lush. The look of this paper looks fabulous. Beautiful work!

Andrew
 
I'm interested in adding some of this paper to my next Freestyle order. Any remarks on the gloss finish vs semi-matte? Also it seems that Freestyle only stock it in packs of 25. Does it come in 50s or 100s?
 
Matt5791 said:
Out of interest, how much do Freestyle charge to ship to Australia?Matt
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It's reasonable, depends on how much stuff you're buying of course. If you want to see for yourself, go to their site & put various items you are interested into the shopping cart & then click the postage quote tab. Choose Australia & 2000 (Sydney city) as the postcode & you'll get an accurate amount. For tiny orders it doesn't make sense but when I order a decent qty it averages out quite painlessly.
 
Suzanne... wow. just wow. Lovely work.

I just tried this paper this week, and I really liked it. I developed in Agfa Neutol. I tried the glossy, and I loved it...not too glossy, just enough. The paper looked neutral, but there's just something deliciously creamy about it. The paper surface is really nice, too. Again I'm just going to say creamy. I'm sorry I'm so terrible at descriptions.

I went yesterday and toned in the Moersch selenium, and the tones are lovely. I'm sorry I don't have a scan. The shadows went brown as opposed to the sort of purply that I'm used to seeing. However, I guess like most toning, once the color shift started happening, it happened FAST, and I couldn't get the paper out of the toner fast enough. I probably should have pulled it before I could see the color shift, but it was kind of an experiment.

Anyway, I came home and ordered boxes of this paper. It's backordered at Freestyle. But I'm happy to wait for it!
 
I've used the Moersch selenium, and it indeed tones to a nice deep brown in it. I ran out of that toner, and used the Ilford yesterday, and it toned similarly to my eye in the Ilford selenium.

Someone asked about the gold toner... I didn't care for it as a matter of my own taste. Alone, it's too cold for my work, and with the sepia the color of the gold goes too far toward a salmon pink for my taste.

I can't speak to the matte vs. glossy surface as I've only used the glossy, which is just right for me!!

I just wish you could buy it in greater quantities than 25 sheets.

Edited to add... the prints I toned were initially developed in Ethol LPD at 1 to 4.
 
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How about plain old Dektol developer and/or KRST? I've ordered this paper and those are the chemicals on my shelves at the moment. Thanks!
 
I have just printed with the Adox Variotone and Dektol 1:2. The results are entirely consistent with those posted here for the developers mentioned. I got a very noticeable warm tone but nothing even close to "dramatic" -- perhaps, that is attributable the the white paper base. No green tint either. The result is quite pleasing.

In comparison: With Dektol, I find the Adox MCC & MCP are just warm enough to take the "edge" off whereas the Variotone goes just that next little step warmer.

I will try the KRST with the prints sometime soon but wouldn't expect anything different from the results already seen here. I will give 1:20 for 5 mins a try and adjust as necessary -- hoping to enhance the rich brown of the blacks and increase tonal separation in the high tones.

I have the glossy surface which seems a little shiny but perfectly fine -- anyone tried the matte and how would you describe it versus a "satin" finish RC paper? My preferences would be to be somewhere in between the two -- I think "eggshell" is a good description of the surface I like most.
 
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Just an update: I toned some prints on the Adox Variotone paper developed with Dektol 1:2 in KRST 1:20 for 7-8 minutes. Quite similar results to those posted above with other selenium toners. It definitely brought the warm tone to a very, very deep chocolate brown -- an identical untoned print appeared to have a more yellow-brown tone when viewed side by side. The toned print really had a lot of life to it and I am quite please with the results. Next time I might try a 1:30 dilution and/or a 4-5 minute time in addition just to compare.

I also gave the semi-matte finish in this paper a try which I did not like nearly as much as the glossy - at least for images I was working with. It just sucked up the light and looked flat -- similar to a satin finish RC paper in that regard.
 
Thanks for the update mhanc,in the process of trying out Adox 110 and the Varione in ansco 130.
Mike
 
I have really been wanting to give Warmtone paper a try and I love the Adox MCC-110 so I'll have to try the Adox warmtone. Great examples!
 
Semi old thread, but was wondering with how it compares to the foma papers, such as 131 or 532, or the adox 110, or the Beregger VCCB for that matter. I'm looking for something that has a hint of warmth, and I've been going crazy trying to find one to settle on, or would just using a different print developer do that as well, like the ansco 130, mostly been using dektol/tektol.
 
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Not sure about the Foma papers but the Adox MCC 110 developed in Dektol 1:2 is a very neutral tone paper - no hint of warmth at all. The difference between the Variotone and MCC 110 is quite dramatic with respect to warmth when viewed side by side.

The Adox MCP 310/312 does have just enough warmth to take the edge off when developed in Dektol 1:2 - but it is a RC paper.
 
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Semi old thread, but was wondering with how it compares to the foma papers
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It doesn't.

Fomabrom is neutral toned, responds very weakly to changes in development, doesn't respond to selenium (well, it does, but weakly and in an unattractive way), and tones extremely beautifully in indirect sepia toners, giving deep brown tones even when toned to completion. If you like sepia, that's the paper to use.
On the other hand, Variotone is a semi-warm toned paper, which responds to changes in development (though not as strongly as true warm tone papers), gives beautiful dark brown tones in selenium, but in indirect sepia toners gives weak colors when toned to completion, so it needs to be split toned to look good.

Fomatone is a true warm tone paper, which responds readily to changes in development, can be used for lith printing, gives nice reddish brown tones in selenium, but is unfortunately coated on an ugly yellow base.
On the other hand, Variotone is not quite as responsive to developer changes (I mean, it does respond to changes, but not as strongly as Fomatone), doesn't lith, and is coated on a beautiful clean white base.

So I'd say that Variotone has nothing in common with Foma fiber based papers.
I'm using both Variotone (for untoned or selenium toned prints) and Fomabrom (for prints I intend to tone in sepia). I think they complement each other very well.
If you're looking for just a hint of warmth, give Variotone a try. That's precisely what I like about it - it's warm, but not overly so.
 
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mhanc said:
The difference between the Variotone and MCC 110 is quite dramatic with respect to warmth when viewed side by side.
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Yes, maybe in Dektol, but develop the MCC 110 in a warmtone developer, namely Tetenal VariospeedW, and you would have trouble seperating the print from a Variotone print made in the same developer. The Variotone will have the edge over MCC on warmness, but only very, very slightly.

Best

Stoo
 
I just printed on Slavich Bromoportrait after using Variotone and MCC110 for the last few months, as I had a negative that really needed little contrast manipulation and OMG! what a beautiful paper. I mixed ID78 and some Ansco 130 to try the paper in those developers and right out of the ID78 it looks beautiful and in the 130 it is slightly cooler and the contrast increased about a 1/3rd grade. Still beautiful but when I toned the prints in 1+19 KRST for 5 min. the prints just came alive with the most gorgeous, deep, liquid, brown-black and highlights that just seem to glow. Of all the papers and toner, developer, combinations I've tried, this paper is something special. If you don't need MC and you can match your negatives to a graded paper, I believe that this is the one paper you should try if you want or need a warm tone that is rich without being too brown or red and just exudes warm and rich. Here is a rather poor scan of the film developer test print and as it turns out, paper discovery. I have no idea what the scanner will do to the tones in the print so the verbal description is probably much more accurate.
Denise Libby
 

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