VC paper High contrast layer dead?

marbrog · Nov 11, 2023

Hi! My darkroom and all it's stuff has been in storage for the past six years due to moving and other life stuff getting in the way. Last week I finally set it up again. I am a bit rusty and I tried using my old paper. A box of Adox mcc110 variable contrast paper.

I tried testing different different VC filters but instead of increasing the contrast the image got lighter. They were all done at the same time, all I did was vary the filters. It's a box of Ilford filters. The rightmost one is without a filter. Does this mean that the hard emulsion in the paper is dead?

Anon Ymous · Nov 11, 2023

No, it likely means that you need to give it more exposure. Using the Ilford filters with the Ilford papers, one has to double exposure with the 4 to 5 grade filters.

EDIT: Yes, that's it, have a look at the datasheet: https://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/images/products/media/38305_4_PDF-Datenblatt.pdf

marbrog · Nov 11, 2023

Thank you! It seems consistent with what I'm getting. I'll try twice the exposure with G5 as my next starting point.

I probably really should buy some fresh paper just so that I know that what I'm getting isn't affected by age.

Sirius Glass · Nov 11, 2023

I recommend that one do test strips, doubling the amount of time for each strip. That means moving two pieces of cardboard or cutting a strip in a sheet of cardboard.

otto.f · Nov 11, 2023

marbrog said:
box of Adox mcc110 variable contrast paper.

I wouldn’t be so sure that it’s your way of filtering/exposing. The Adox papers aren’t produced anymore and that is for a reason. It is already a very long time that Adox says they’re working on it which is starting to become a bit suspect. In the mean time Rollei has made a very good paper which resembles very much the old Agfa Classic. But I‘ve seen here answers from Adox itself, so perhaps they can respond.

koraks · Nov 11, 2023

otto.f said:
I wouldn’t be so sure that it’s your way of filtering/exposing. The Adox papers aren’t produced anymore and that is for a reason.

Yes. It's because they find it uneconomical to produce these papers as the retail price would be roughly twice what it was when they stopped producing. When they stopped producing, a lack of internal production capacity had a lot to do with it, but by the time they fixed this, costs had become a serious issue. This is all documented very explicitly in the Adox forum where Mirko has personally indicated this many times.

One thing that's certainly not the case is that these papers would be somehow sub-par or store badly. I can say from personal experience that Adox MCC110 of this age (ca. 6 years) prints magnificently at every selected grade and is a paper that's hard to beat in just about any respect.

otto.f · Nov 12, 2023

koraks said:
Yes. It's because they find it uneconomical to produce these papers as the retail price would be roughly twice what it was when they stopped producing. When they stopped producing, a lack of internal production capacity had a lot to do with it, but by the time they fixed this, costs had become a serious issue. This is all documented very explicitly in the Adox forum where Mirko has personally indicated this many times.

One thing that's certainly not the case is that these papers would be somehow sub-par or store badly. I can say from personal experience that Adox MCC110 of this age (ca. 6 years) prints magnificently at every selected grade and is a paper that's hard to beat in just about any respect.

Thanks!

VC paper High contrast layer dead?

marbrog

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VC paper High contrast layer dead?

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