Selenium Toning Tips: Black & White Darkroom Prints

[Distphoto]

This is the workflow I teach my students to help them print with purpose —

[CD-kcop]

I have been interested in trying toning as i have never done it. You are so good at explaining things in a clear and simple way, thanks!

[donyee]

Brilliant technique. I've been doing silver gelatin printing since the 80's. I was taught that any trace of fixer would cause stains. I normally use rapid fixer with ammonium thiosulfate anyway. This technique will save me a lot of time in the darkroom.

[callmeBe]

You are using what sounds to be quite a bit more of Na+ Sulfite as a hypo clearing agent, than the Kodak formula that they recommended for 50+ years (I have formula books that date back to the mid 1940's that show this formula), which has always been 10g to 500ml H20. What you want is simply something modesty alkaline (Na+ Sulfite has a PH of 9) to open up the matrix (increases permeability) of the print gelatin so that it increases the effectiveness of the wash. Some people use sodium carbonate instead because it likewise has a higher PH, but it has a highly variable PH, from strong to weak. And, ideally you want just a weak basic. Now, I use Kodak AZO paper, which has some very different characteristics (due to it's much higher silver content) than modern papers, but I hypo clear first, don't rinse afterwards, and then immerse in Kodak Rapid Selenium toner 15 parts H20 to 1 selenium. The residual Na+ sulfite on the print then drives the coloration towards the colder hues (AZO moves from a slightly olive color into the purples, again because of the high reactive silver content). But you could also rinse the print after the clearing agent, apply just a pinch of something acidic (say, citric acid) and drive your print coloration towards the warm colors. AZO is wonderful in that because of it's reactivity, depending upon how you plan to move your PH, you can obtain really complex toning colors that modern prints will never have--where you get warm combined with cool. For instance, you can get some warming plumb colors along with slight purples. And, this is not split toning, but an even global hue throughout all contrasts. Anyway, you have what seems to be really nice print values at 7:10. Very traditional, all the way back to the 1930's. AZO's colors are much more complex, and more reminiscent of the very early 1900's. Of course, mixed toning makes color matching extremely hard when retouching. But I am armed with several Kodak Color Retouching kits, and combined with a Kodak Spotting Colors kit, I can combine colors to get a match. Great video! I am so happy that someone is still teaching some of the more traditional techniques in an almost totally digital world!

[Erumesson]

Wonderful video! So far I've been trying toning with only single bath of 1+4 Ilford Rapid fixer, tried times from 1 to 3 minutes, but on most prints, mainly when shining light through them, I can see brownish/yellowish staining, especially in highlights. Am I right that probably that's because some residues from already party exhausted fixer and two-bath fixing would likely solve this?

[risby]

Good job and good technique. The only thing that I do differently is my sinks are temp controlled, but probably isn't necessary for toning. When I first started out (back before fire was invented) the stink of the various chemicals we used to tone with was damn near unbearable. The new stuff is so much better to handle.

[lucbeliveau]

Thanks for your excellent video. Can we get the same result with RC paper?

[costaspapageorgiou]

Wonderful work and very informative video! Thank you! Can you tell me please which specific paper you use here, including dimensions? is it Fomabrom Variant 111? Have you ever tried the matt version (Fomabrom Variant 112 I think...)? Looks very nice for presentation in an exhibition, no?

[joseerazevedo]

Hi! I was hoping a look at the dry prints so we could see a comparision. Anyway, a nice video! I believe Ilford selenium tones differently than Kodak's, right?
Thanks again, see you on the next!

[DaisyEye]

Im using ilford fiber mat will this toner give my images a warm tone? Im using eco pro developer and fix. Thanks in advance!