Questions about Agfa 120/123 Toners

[walbergb]

1. Are they as archival as polysulphide toners?
2. Do they affect the full tonal range equally as do polysulphide toners?
3. Are they the same as Agfa Viradon New?
4. Do they give the same range of brown tones as polysuphide toners?
5. Can they be used as indirect toners?

(So many questions; so little time!)

I ran out of potassium polysulphide for a polysulphide toner, but have the ingredients for Agfa 120 & 123 and was wondering what I can expect with Ilford MG IV FB and MG Warmtone FB.

 

[Ian Grant]

Agfa 120 and 123 are both Hydroquinone based Warm tone paper developers, the only difference between the two is the amount of Bromide 2g per litre in 12 and 25g in 123. Agfa 12- does give excellent warm tones with warm tone papers but needs longer exposures and development times than a developer like D72/Dektol etc.

Just to confuse your thgeres also Agfa Ansco /GAF 120 which is a Soft working print developer.

There's two approaches to brown tones, use a regular bromide paper that could be a VC paper like Ilford MG IV FB & process in Dektol/PQ Universal/Multigrade developer then tone in Polysulpide or an indirect bleach/toner using Sodium Sulphide or Thiourea. Alternately use a warmtone paper and a warmtone developer like Ilford Warmtone Paper & Warmtone developer and this is where the two Agfa developers 120 &123 fit in.

With the right paer/developr combination it's possible to get very warm reddish brown tones just by development. I can do this with Forte Polywarmtone.

Ian