very old Azo

[Mateo]

I found an unopened box of F4 Azo dated 9/64 and thought I'd try it just for the heck of it. I put an unexposed sheet in some old ansco 130 and no fog. I had to do the same with some new F2 to compare because I couldn't beleive it. How long does this stuff last?

 

[Michael A. Smith]

Almost forever. Read my articles on Azo (www.michaelandpaula.com under "Azo"). If you would like, I will trade you a new box of the generally more useful Grade 2 or Grade 3 for the old 4. If interested, e-mail me off-forum.

Where do you get your Azo? Do you know that we are Azo dealers?

 

[Jorge]

Mateo if Mr. Smith is willing to exchange with you a box of grade 3 for a box of grade 4 I say go for it! it will help the both of you. Smith being an experienced Azo user probably has better use of the grade 4 and if you use the grade 3 it will force you to get good negatives to beguin with.
Sounds to me like a good deal!

 

[Mateo]

I agree that it is gracious offer but I'm going to keep the paper. It does trouble me to be so stingy, but I have found a good use for it. I bought a lot of paper that included the Azo and some Velox that was dated between 1956 and 1970. It turns out that all of the paper is good and the Azo is not the same as it is now though I don't have any new grade 4 with which to compare it. Maybe someone out there knows a little about the Velox. When I did a search all I found was that it was used to make postcards and and that the name velox used to synonimous with a proof or copy. Is it also a chloride paper?

 

[avandesande]

Velox is a contact paper and was one of the papers used by Weston. You made a good find!
--Aaron

 

[Michael A. Smith]

Yes, Velox is also a silver chloride contact printing paper. It has a very cool print color. Good for making proofs and not much else. It was discontinueds around 1976.

I do not recall ever seeing any prints by Weston on Velox. He did not like the d cool color it has.

 

[b.e.wilson]

Michael, I got some Velox from my father's darkroom (2.25 x 3.75 inch, I recall, for printing 6x9 cm negs), and I'm curious to use it. Will it develop in Dektol or Polymax dev.?

 

[Mateo]

Mr Wilson,
I've tried the Velox in Amidol, Ansco 130 and Ilford Multigrade. They all work but the color is different and they don't have same look. In the 130 1:2 the Velox is decidedly warmer than the Azo but in any dev either paper goes cold when dev for long enough.

 

[b.e.wilson]

And while we're at it, anyone know about Luminos ZF Bromide paper? I have a 100-sheet pack of 8x10 of that paper, which Dad said was for contact printing, but he wan't sure. I haven't played with it yet.

 

[bmac]

Its good to hear that the Azo lasts a long time. I Aquired a few 4X5 and 5X7 boxes of it dated for 67 - 69 with my D2 enlarger. I'll have to check it out tonight.

Brian

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Velox was one of the first papers I ever used. I remember it was popular in the newspaper industry, and indeed my grandfather, who used to write for the Cleveland _Press_, used to refer to proofs in the context of the production of the newspaper as "veloxes."