Agnekolor Print Processor

[Ron Bose]

Has anybody got experience with Agnekolor print processors ?

I'm thinking of using one to do sheet film development.

Thanks, Ron

[Bob Salomon]

I use to sell them to camera stores and used the large one for C prints and Cibachrome (not recommended). The company has been out of business for 20 years or so.

[Abe Slamowitz]

I've used them and they work very well. You have to clean it out every time you print a new print. It will work!

[Jim Rice]

I used to have one, and it did pretty well for prints. Carry-over from first to color developer was a problem, you have to keep the little green foam thingy really clean.

I tried some c-41 with it, but i never succeeded. I suspect it might be a lttle better at e-6, but for type-r prints it was really pretty nice.

-J

[Jay DeFehr]

If you're talking about the laminar flow processor; I tried to use mine to develop 8x10 film without success. Development was very streaky and uneven. I don't know how to keep the film from moving during develoment or floating on the stream of developer. Good luck.

[Ron Bose]

Thanks for the responses guys, I'll likely use it to keep developer at the right temperature and use tubes for developing sheet film.

I'll then use it to develop prints ....

If it doesn't work, I can always use it as a temperature controlled bath.

[Cap Frank, Narragansett]

I have used the Agnekolor processor for years, dragging it around the country since 1983. Mine is the 11X14 size. It seems to work best with RC papers. It does have trouble with single weight papers and films. I have successfully developed TRI-X 8X10 film in it by manually changing the orientation of the film every minute (which kind of defeats the purpose of the processor as you are doing the same thing as if you were using a traditional film hanger and open tank or tray). I also only use it with just the developer and move print/films to trays for the finish to the processing. I think I may still have all the instructions if anyone would like a photocopy of it for the price of copying and mailing. Good luck, it's a pretty good device. Cap

[R. Smith]

The Agnekolor worked GREAT with paper - that's what it was designed for. We never had any success with film though. We tried every possible way of doing film and could never get consistant results. Seemed as though the film base was just too thin to properly "float" on the laminar flow of chemistry. We had four of the 16x23 sized Agnekolor processors for our color program and used them for three years until we replaced them with a Colenta EP-2 processor - that machine was a real dud and it was replaced 2-years later with a Kreonite RA-4 machine. We've still got two of our Agnekolor machines and we pull them out of storage every now and then for special processes, like solarization printing. It's too bad they went out of business (like 20-years ago!) because when something breaks down we have to improvise to fix it. A couple of years ago, one of the pumps died and we had to have our electrical engineering department literally rebuild the motor to make it work again! In closing, I'd say have fun processing prints, but forget about film.... the machine just wasn't designed for it.

[BigPic]

+1^ Yes, great for print processing. I have an Agnekolor 1623 model in good working order, but just registered here, so can't offer it in the For Sale/Wanted forum for 30 days. :(
Somewhat odd size at 16"x23" (actually closer to 16"x22.5"), but the extra width allows processing two 11x14's at the same time (or four 8x10's, or obviously one 16x20).