Agfa Insignia

Mark Layne

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #1

I developed a couple of prints on Insignia last night using both Ansco 130 and Neutol WA.. The image is very warm but what is disturbing are the pinkish brown highlights.
Has anyone used this paper in a previous life?
Mark

 

Oren Grad

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #2

Yes, I've used it. In Dektol and Ilford Universal Paper Developer it was always well-behaved, giving an overall warmish tone but with nothing unusual going on in the highlights. My last batches of Insignia did not keep well in extended storage, though - they went flat and muddy after a couple of years - and it's been several years since I last used it.

 

OP

OP

Mark Layne

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #3

Oren
It could be just that - muddy fog.
On the other hand it looks just like an Adams print entitled Half Dome from Glacier Point. 1930's with 4 spectators leaning on the rail. Also brown highlights
Mark

 

wilhelm

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #4

I used that stuff back in the day, pretty much exclusively in Dektol. Never saw any pinkish tones or overly-warm highlights, but it was definitely a warm-tone paper.

Insignia was my favorite paper of all time. That superdense warm black was wonderful! I was crushed when I heard they discontinued it.

Will

 

df cardwell

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #5

I used Insignia / Record Rapid for ages with 130. Sounds like you have some fog problems. See if more Bromide will help... assuming you want the warm tones.

If you want cooler tones, BENZOTRIAZOLE will help with the fog.

good luck.

 

Les McLean

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #6

Coincidentally I was printing today for the forthcomming Silver Conference and decided to use some of my dwindling Agfa Record Rapid to show a comparison with more recent papers and got the same results that Mark described. It is definitely fog so I'll try some benzotriazole to see if I can rescue the remaining paper.

 

glbeas

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #7

I wonder if this stuff is developer incorporated? That seems to be the downfall of many a good papers keeping quality.

 

Photo Engineer

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• Feb 8, 2006

• #8

The incorporation of developers into papers not intended for activation processing is a rather recent 'innovation' and was not done much before the 90s AFAIK. Earlier than the 90s it would be a rare paper that had an incorporated developer unless it stated that on the package.

All papers have some sort of tint material in the baryta layer. Some used barium sulfate and others use barium oxide, but they all use tint.

In addition, some early Agfa papers 30s, 40s, etc. used Erythrosine as a green sensitzing dye to increase speed. This would give the final print just a hint of a pinkish dmin. I don't have a list of those that did and did not contain erythrosine.

PE

 

ChuckP

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• Feb 9, 2006

• #9

My old Insignia is also fogged. Even with deep freeze storage. I'm saving it for those images with bad hot spots. It was a great paper.