Formulary 130 Developing Time?

[Renato Tonelli]

The instructions that came with it says 1 minute at 1:1 dilution. The "Darkroom Cookbook" states 2-6 minutes (for Ansco 130 which is the same formula); most other sources say 2 minutes.
One minute seems too short to me for fiber papers.

Any thoughts? I guess I will find out in a few days but I just needed to ask.

[Gene McCluney]

I think developing time for paper is very dependent on the paper you are developing. A one-minute time on one paper will be fine, but totally inadequate for another paper. That is why it is hard to give a "set" time for paper developers.

[Merg Ross]

The instructions that came with it says 1 minute at 1:1 dilution. The "Darkroom Cookbook" states 2-6 minutes (for Ansco 130 which is the same formula); most other sources say 2 minutes.
One minute seems too short to me for fiber papers.

Any thoughts? I guess I will find out in a few days but I just needed to ask.

I use two minutes as a minimum time. Of course, as with any developer, you can pull the prints and suffer the consequence. It all comes down to your personal evaluation of a good print. You can alter the print color by addition of BZT or a 10% solution of Bromide, depending on the paper. Glycin has wonderful properties, you will likely enjoy the results.

[Bruce Barlow]

Egads! You could answer this for yourself in the time it takes to make the post. TRY IT! Make three prints. Develop one for a minute, one for two, and one for four. Look at them. Which one do you like?? Why??

Here's another thought: Why 1:1? What happens at greater dilutions? How would you find out? 130 isn't cheap. Diluting more, if it works, could make it much more cost-effective. Can you use one batch for multiple printing sessions? How would you KNOW for sure that you can?

Here's another thought: is development time dependent on the image being printed? How would you find out?

These are scary to try, because you'll learn a lot doing these exercises that may have nothing to do with development time.

Doing them, and learning, is also a lot of fun for some folks.

Sorry - I'm grumpy this morning. No offense intended.

[Mark Sampson]

My own experiece with Ansco 130 1:1 suggests a 3 minute developing time @20C. In my chilly basement darkroom sometimes 4 minutes. (Its active ingredient, glycin, is known to be slow-working.) I don't use A130 any more because I detest long print development times (irrational, I know.)
Mr. Barlow is correct, if grumpy, but I think the OP would just like to get a head start on success.

[Renato Tonelli]

Bruce! Why are you so grumpy? Maybe we don't want to know.:)
All kidding aside, I asked because I was curious about other people's experiences.
As it turns out, I will have time later today to test it with at different dilutions and times with three papers.
I have been in the process testing several papers for a couple of projects. The more I test the more I realize how much I miss the Agfa papers - life goes on.

[Chuck Pere]

You could check over on APUG as they have a thread on 130: http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/5999-ansco-130-a.html

For me 1:2 for 2 m seems to work OK.

[Drew Wiley]

Time varies with the paper and temp. I mix several variations of 130. The age of the
glycin has a great deal to do with the final color or "stain" of the highlights. Sometimes
I "pull" the print early to acquire a particular warmth or subtle split-tone effect. But
actual times can vary anywhere from 1/2 min to 5 min depending on circumstances.
I generally use it 1:1 unless I want a very soft print. Glycin doesn't keep well. When
fresh it has a tan/gray-green color, which becomes soft brown with oxidation, then
finally a deep cocoa color (I'm referring to the dry powder). Dilfferent ages of powder
will produce different results.

[jnantz]

glycin likes warmer temps, instead of 68º try it at about 72º or 73º.
for prints i usually dilute 1:2 for about 2mins, sometimes more.
film on other hand ... around 1:6 for about 8.5mins ..

have fun!

john

[Henry Ambrose]

What John wrote about temperature is spot on.

I use 130 at 1:3.

Ilford RC papers develop in one minute.
Bergger and Ilford fiber need three minutes.

[Renato Tonelli]

My times, tested this afternoon, were:
Ilford Multigrade FB 3:00
Agfa Multicontrast MCC 111 1:00 (two boxes left:( )
Oriental Seagull Warmtone 2:00
Bergger FBVC 3:00

Dilutions were 1:1 and 1:2
1st print of each paper untoned; 2nd print toned in Se 1:19 3-5 minutes; the strongest reaction was with the Oriental Warmtone which I didn't care for so much: yellow/reddish cream which is a much stronger reaction than when the paper was developed in LPD 1:6 and LPD 1:2

Next week: another round but with Neutol WA and then I will be done, for now.
I will be curious to see if the Bergger being produced now has the same characteristic look as the old production