Agfa Paper developer suggesions?

[gasha]

Hi all,

approx month ago i got enlarger, and i want to start printing.

I have Agfa shop near me and plan to get spare bottle of Rodinal, and also some paper developer.

Which one will be best for a beginner?

Thanks,
Gasha

 

[srs5694]

Don't get too comfortable with Agfa products. Agfa (or at least, the part of Agfa that handled film and chemistry) has recently ceased to be. Its various assets and parts are being sold off, and there's no guarantee that anybody will be manufacturing the current Agfa products in a year, under any name.

That said, if you've got ready access to Agfa products, you can certainly use them; the current stuff in the supply pipeline is perfectly good (give or take personal preferences). Rodinal equivalents are manufactured by others (Calbe R09 and Fomadon R09 are two that are very similar to Agfa's Rodinal, for instance), so if you want to try Rodinal, you'll probably be able to get something similar when your initial purchase is used up. Agfa's main paper developer line is Neutol, with several products in that line. I don't know if there are any products that are similar to any of the Neutols, though. I've also never used any Neutol product, so I can't advise which would be best for a beginner, if you must buy Agfa products for some reason.

 

[Daniel Lawton]

I have been using Neutol as my primary paper developer for the past several months and love it. It is at least as good as Dektol but easier to use since it comes in liquid concentrate. Another plus is that the stuff seems to last forever once mixed to working solution whereas most people don't recommend using working solutions of Dektol once it has sat for more than a day or two. I don't even bother keeping track of the number of prints I run through Neutol and routinely use it for 2 weeks or more with no ill effects as far as I can tell. I only mix a new batch because it puts my mind at ease. Unfortunately with Agfa going kaput it looks like it may not be around for much longer.

 

[Bob F.]

As others have said, Agfa products may not be available for much longer. In any case, if you can get it, Neutol NE is an excellent paper developer.

If you can not obtain Agfa, then Ilford's Multigrade Developer and PQ Universal Developer are also good. You probably do not want to mess with mixing powdered developers such as Kodak's Dektol at this point. Liquid concentrates make life easier when you are starting out. You will also need stop bath and fixer of course. Both Agfa and Ilford make versions of these.

Good luck. Bob.

 

[gasha]

Thanks,
I know Agfas problems, but that shop is only 2 blocks from my office
I'll get some rolls of apx too. (if they are still here)

 

[titrisol]

Go get'em!

Agfa developers are outstanding, get the Rodinal for your film and buy a couple of Multicontrast developer for your paper.
Buy as much APX100 as you can

 

[gbroadbridge]

Although this is not recommended, Ilford MG dev will last a long time if you bottle it up after each session in an airtight bottle.. Just keep using it until the blacks start to fade. This is for RC paper.

For FB mix up new dev for each session.

Graham.

 

[PeterB]

I have Agfa shop near me and plan to get spare bottle of Rodinal, and also some paper developer.

Which one will be best for a beginner?

My paper developer of choice and recommendation is AGFA Neutol Plus.
regards
Peter

 

[MikeM1977]

I have been using Neutol as my primary paper developer for the past several months and love it. It is at least as good as Dektol but easier to use since it comes in liquid concentrate. Another plus is that the stuff seems to last forever once mixed to working solution whereas most people don't recommend using working solutions of Dektol once it has sat for more than a day or two. I don't even bother keeping track of the number of prints I run through Neutol and routinely use it for 2 weeks or more with no ill effects as far as I can tell. I only mix a new batch because it puts my mind at ease. Unfortunately with Agfa going kaput it looks like it may not be around for much longer.

Huh. I found the exact opposite. I never encountered paper developer going bad until I bought a couple bottles of Neutol plus. Now it happens all the time and I am tossing developer far more often than Dektol and PolyMax.

 

[Bob F.]

Huh. I found the exact opposite. I never encountered paper developer going bad until I bought a couple bottles of Neutol plus. Now it happens all the time and I am tossing developer far more often than Dektol and PolyMax.

Never used Neutol Plus, but I have had Neutol NE & WA in my Nova vertical slots for well over a month many times without a problem. Ilford MG developer also lasts a loooooong time in the Nova, as does Ansco 130. Neutol Plus uses iso-ascorbic acid rather than hydroquinone so perhaps that explains its shorter life (doesn't vitamin-C oxidize readily? - any chemists about?)....

Never used Dektol or Polymax. At the moment, I am still looking for a replacement for when my Neutol WA runs out in about 2 months...


Cheers, Bob.

 

[srs5694]

I have been using Neutol as my primary paper developer

I never encountered paper developer going bad until I bought a couple bottles of Neutol plus.

Neutol Plus uses iso-ascorbic acid rather than hydroquinone so perhaps that explains its shorter life (doesn't vitamin-C oxidize readily? - any chemists about?)....

Neutol Plus is indeed a phenidone/ascorbic acid ("PC") developer, like Kodak's XTOL for film. These developers have a reputation for going bad suddenly and unexpectedly. The developer referred to by Daniel Lawton is probably another in the Neutol line -- Agfa has (or perhaps I should say had) multiple developers called "Neutol." AFAIK, only Neutol Plus is/was a PC developer; the others are/were more conventional in composition (probably metol/hydroquinone, but I'm not positive of that).

FWIW, I've been using DS-14 lately. This is a mix-it-yourself PC developer that's supposed to work well in a replenished system -- mix the amount you need, store it between sessions, and periodically top it up with a replenisher which is DS-14 minus the potassium bromide. So far it's working well, although I only mixed my initial batch a couple of months ago.