Suggestions for Adox MCC 110. Exposure times and developers?

[Jeff Dexheimer]

I have read a number of threads on this, but I still have not found my answer. I have been working with Ilford MGWT for a while now, developing it in Dektol 1:3. So far it is a decent combination, but I want to give some experimenting a try. I ordered a the 5 sheet 8x10 sample pack of Adox MCC 110 from freestyle.

I know I need to test for myself, but to get started, my questions are this (note, I am printing on FB glossy paper):

1. If anyone has experience with both papers, MCC 110 and MGWT, how do their respective exposure times under the enlarger vary? If I expose MGWT for 30 s, would 30 s for MCC 110 be comparable? Again, I ask only for a starting point. I still plan on testing, but since I only have 5 sheets to work with, I'd like to nail the exposure with minimal errors.
2. Dektol has been my go to developer only because that what I learned on. I ordered FP 130 to try along with the new paper, but does any other favorites they would suggest? Again, I know I need to test for my own preferences, but I want to get a feel for want others experience.

[chuck461]

Hi Jeff
I use both papers primarily with PF 130 developer. In my experience the Adox is more than twice as fast and greater than 1 grade less contrasty. So if I had an exposure of 30s G3 on Ilford WT, I would try about 13s G1.5 for the Adox.
I hope this helps.
Chuck

[Drew Wiley]

All kinds of developers work. 130 is my personal favorite for both these particular papers, esp with regard to toning response after development. Dektol would be one
of my least preferred options. MGWT is a little slower speed than MC110.

[Steve Goldstein]

My cold-light enlarger has a V54 lamp. When I compared these papers I found the exposures for an "average" negative (neither extremely high nor extremely low contrast) to be very similar. I have consistently found MCC110 to be 1 to 1-1/2 grades less contrasty than MGWT using Ilford filters with this light source, so to match a print made using a 1.5 filter on MGWT I need to use a 2.5 or 3 filter with MCC110 (Chuck, are you sure you didn't mix these up? Your stated results are exactly the opposite of mine.)

These days I use Ansco 130 mixed from scratch, but substitute Benzotriazole for Potassium bromide to get a slightly cooler result. From memory, I use 15 millilters of 1% Benzo solution per liter of developer stock. I've never used Dektol/D72 with MCC110, but used to with MGWT (at 1+2 dilution as I recall, whatever Kodak said was standard for Dektol) and slightly preferred the results with 130, it's got a bit less olive coloration before toning.

I also found drydown to differ slightly, 8% for MGWT and 6% for MCC110.

[Drew Wiley]

When I choose to substitute benzotriazole for KBr, I use it at 1/4th the gram wt for powder. I simply buy my glycin powder from Formulary, but fresh or frozen glycin
gives a different color effect in the print than significantly aged glycin. That is an inherent characteristic that is often overlooked in stereotypes about 130.

[Steve Goldstein]

I keep my glycin in the deep freeze, and only take it out the day before I need to mix up stock.

Drew, can you give a little more detail about your experiences with color changes? I can go a few months without printing sometimes, so regular tests of aging room-temp-stored glycin would be hard for me to do. But I'd make the effort if it sounded like it would provide a result I'd be interested in.

[Jeff Dexheimer]

Ok, I feel good about purchasing PF 130 to try with the MCC 110, but feel ignorant in asking this... Is FP 130 souped in glycin?

[Drew Wiley]

Answering two different questions: Yes FP130 is glycin-based. I like to keep a fresh bottle of glycin in the freezer, then one or two opened ones to age. Fresh glycin
is a light tan color and results in the most neutral or cool tone characteristics, apples to apples. It starts turning a mocha brown and develops some more character to it (like aging a wine for complexity), then a chocolate brown, etc. Once it turns relatively black it will distinctly stain the paper itself, much like tea. The other day I wanted just a hint of base off-color, so mixed a little of the otherwise too-old black glycin in with some chocolate color powder and got what I wanted.
Seems to take a couple years or more for glycin to oxidize to the endpoint.

[chuck461]

I have consistently found MCC110 to be 1 to 1-1/2 grades less contrasty than MGWT using Ilford filters with this light source, so to match a print made using a 1.5 filter on MGWT I need to use a 2.5 or 3 filter with MCC110 (Chuck, are you sure you didn't mix these up? Your stated results are exactly the opposite of mine.)

Sorry. Yes I got that backwards. I find Adox 110 to print about 1.5G softer than MGWT.