Selenium-toner and VC-papers, what does it do?

Dear darkroom-workers. Except for giving the black&white print a

longer life, in what way does a selenium-toner affect the image of

a print (for instance Kodak rapid-selenium-toner)? If I use VC-fiber

paper I can change the contrast in a print by changing filters,

exposure time and also use split filters. But is there something a

selenium-toner can do that cannot be done in any other way, in terms

of the final image?

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Is a selenium-toner only useful when I have already printed to d-max

in the darkest areas, to make them even darker?

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Thanks in advance

Peter, Describing the effects of Selenium toning (in writing) can be a bit difficult. For some reasons, it seems to affect some prints substantially, and others not at all. It seems to vary more with the brand of paper chosen, than with the particular type of paper. I've been using it for years and I still have a hard time predicting the results consistently.

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As with all things photographic, it is usually most useful to simply try it out for yourself, see what the results are, and if you are satisfied.

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Good luck , Sergio.

Peter,

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First of all, the effect of selenium toner does depend on the brand

and type of paper used and the dilution of the toner, so it is

essential to test on work prints. Generally, VC papers tend to have a

greenish tone to them; if you like this, fine, but I do not so

selenium toner is always useful for me. Selenium toner will eliminate

this greenish tone to a neutral black and white while also subtly

deepening the blacks, increasing contrast ever so slightly. You can

take the toning farther, through either more time or more concentrated

solution, to change the tone to a purplish-brown.

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When selenium toning, always have a wet untoned control print on a

slanted surface as a reference so you can begin to see when the toning

is making its subtle changes. Without a untoned control print, it is

easy to feel like you are not seeing the toner doing anything.

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In my experience, Ilford MG is a stubborn paper when it comes to

toning (and localized bleaching) and requires more time than other

papers like Forte (very responsive) or Sterling.

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Is selenium toning necessary? In my view, it is for archival and

image tone reasons. It is not the only archivally advantageous toner,

but it is the one that does the most with the least effect on the tone

of the print, unlike sepia or thiourea, where you always get a

"colored" tone shift.

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Hope this helps.

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Jon

Peter; I have used Selenium toner with Ilford MG FB papers with

good results. I tone prints after a very long washing and a bath

in hypo clear.<p>

Selenium seems to increase the contrast of prints slightly.

Because of this, when I arrive at my final exposure for a print I

intend to tone, I make a few, some slightly lighter than the

others. I have also found that a print that may look good to the

eye will look a little flat when displayed under glass so I don't

make final judgement on which version of the print I prefer to

frame until after I have laid a mat and sheet of glass over it

and looked at it that way(not that I frame a lot of prints).<p>

Selenium also gives my prints a slightly warmish color. I have

found that after toning and drying, many prints with delicate

tonal detail (like clouds in an overcast sky) are easier to see

due to the slight contrast increase.

Thanks Sergio, Jon and Stefan. The reasons I haven't tried it out

myself are mainly that I would have to mail-order it so I'll wait

until I need more things. Also, the university photo-lab that I use

should (in my opinion) be as environmental- and health-friendly as

possible (I have almost/soon succeded in making the photo-club switch

to

hydrokinon-free developers, i.e. Kodak Xtol and Agfa Neutol-plus).

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But with care, if I just use it myself, then I suppose I can do it at

home and not in the darkroom, where some unknowing person may sniff

too deep into the bottle.

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I was not aware of the ability to remove the green tint. I had always

thought that selenium-toner gave a slight olivegreen/black image.

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Thanks anyway, I have to try it out.

Ditton Stefans experience with MG IV FB. I find it helps to use a

fixer without a hardner, in my case concentrated Ilford Rapid fix for

just one minute. I follow with a good wash and then tone in a 19:1

solution for about 5-6 minutes. You have to learn to adjust the

exposure of the final print to compensate for the slight darkening of

the toner(which I have not worked out yet). I love the deep blacks!

Can this toning be made on a print that has already been washed and

dried? Or is it back to the ol' negatives and reprint?

Peter:

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Soak the prints well and then tone. Follow with your hypo eliminator

step and rewash. I hold prints until I have several to tone. I do

that so I only use the toner one time and then toss. Old dilute toner

can cause staining of your prints.

Peter:

One thing that everyone else seems to be leaving out is that you will get greater differences in toning if you use a non-hardening fixer as opposed to a fixer with a hardener in it.

I prefer to mix Kodak Rapid Fix making 1 batch for film with hardener and one batch for prints without hardener. Then I mix the hardener separately to make a working solution. That way I can harden the prints after toning.

Something else you might experiment with is double toning. I used to do a lot of toning where I used Sepia toner first and then over-toned the sepia with selenium toner. The results usually yielded brilliant rusty-red tones, kind of like natural red hair. The results are also different if you selenium tone first and then sepia after.

Try it on some test prints. You might enjoy the results. But try it with a non-hardening fixer for the deepest toning effects. And You will probably want to under print approximately 1/4 stop to allow for the increase in density by both toners. And remember to use the hardener solution after toning and hypo-clearing. E-mail me at vlioce@dps.state.nm.us and let me know what your results yield.

Good Luck!!!