I think that you will need to either go straight from 2nd fixer to selenium toner or fully wash before you store.So I should be able to do the 1st & 2nd fix, rinse & store, then tone without any issues?
So I should be able to do the 1st & 2nd fix, rinse & store, then tone without any issues?
Selenium toner has a fair amount of fixer in it, so I expect that is why you can go straight from fixer to selenium toner.
I wonder if Selenium toner was a lot cheaper than fixer in AA's day?
I'm with you, but Adams did mention diluting his Selenium with Kodak Hypo-Clear.Whatever Ansel did, I can absolutely confirm if you go straight from Ilford Rapid fix to Ilford selenium toner on some papers you will get staining. Particularly after lith. I find a full wash is necessary to eliminate staining.
Because this second bath is plain hypo NOT rapid fixer.Why does Ansel recommend going directly from the 2nd fixer into the selenium toner bath?
What problems will I encounter if I do the 2nd fix and then store before putting the print in selenium toner?
I give my FB prints a 1 minute rinse after a 1 minute ilford rapid fix 1+4. No stains. After toning; another rinse, HCA, wash. BTW selenium toner can be replenished practically forever. No need to discard it. Search for Doremus Scudder's post on this.
Because this second bath is plain hypo NOT rapid fixer.
Ansel Adams sequence was 3 minutes fixing in an acid-hardener fixer for three minutes followed by a thorough rinse. You then fix again using Plain hypo (Sodium Thiosulfate) for three minutes.
What is important is that Selenium toning requires an alkaline environment.
Many people confuse Ansel's two bath fixing with the contemporary usage of the phrase. What Ansel meant was that you fixed in a fresh bath of acid-hardener fixer, then thoroughly washed it to get the acid fixer out of the paper and then used a second bath of plain hypo (which is approximately PH neutral) to 'prepare' the print ready for the Selenium toner. As the acid has been removed and the print is not coming from an acid fixer bath, it can be placed directly into the toner without any staining problems.
The contemporary usage of the phrase 'two bath fixing' is generally using two separate baths of rapid fixer to ensure full and effective fixing of the prints. The first fixer bath does most of the hard work but gets contaminated relatively quickly so the print is then moved to a second bath of fresh fixer to complete the task of fully fixing the prints. By testing the first fixer bath, the photographer can determine when it has reached the end of its useful life as an archival efficient fixer whereupon it is discarded. Being relatively uncontaminated, the second fixer bath can then be used as the first fixer bath and a new fresh batch of fixer can be made up for use as the second fixer bath.
Because rapid fixer is acidic, it is essential to thoroughly rinse the prints before introducing them to Selenium toner. Failure to do so will often result in staining of the print.
Bests,
David.
www.dsallen.de
What the others said. If you are going to store the print before toning, you must full wash the print.
Thanks for clarifying the need for a more neutral PH for the Selenium toner.Because this second bath is plain hypo NOT rapid fixer.
Ansel Adams sequence was 3 minutes fixing in an acid-hardener fixer for three minutes followed by a thorough rinse. You then fix again using Plain hypo (Sodium Thiosulfate) for three minutes.
What is important is that Selenium toning requires an alkaline environment.
Many people confuse Ansel's two bath fixing with the contemporary usage of the phrase. What Ansel meant was that you fixed in a fresh bath of acid-hardener fixer, then thoroughly washed it to get the acid fixer out of the paper and then used a second bath of plain hypo (which is approximately PH neutral) to 'prepare' the print ready for the Selenium toner. As the acid has been removed and the print is not coming from an acid fixer bath, it can be placed directly into the toner without any staining problems.
The contemporary usage of the phrase 'two bath fixing' is generally using two separate baths of rapid fixer to ensure full and effective fixing of the prints. The first fixer bath does most of the hard work but gets contaminated relatively quickly so the print is then moved to a second bath of fresh fixer to complete the task of fully fixing the prints. By testing the first fixer bath, the photographer can determine when it has reached the end of its useful life as an archival efficient fixer whereupon it is discarded. Being relatively uncontaminated, the second fixer bath can then be used as the first fixer bath and a new fresh batch of fixer can be made up for use as the second fixer bath.
Because rapid fixer is acidic, it is essential to thoroughly rinse the prints before introducing them to Selenium toner. Failure to do so will often result in staining of the print.
Bests,
David.
www.dsallen.de
Thanks Doremus for chiming in. I've adopted your Se-toner replenish method and I find that it works well. With respect to the fixing method you describe here, are you doing the 10 min rinse to limit the buildup of thiosulphate in the print? So oversimplified, get the 4 min fix benefits with only the 2 min thiosulphate buildup? For what it's worth; Ilford states for both the Rapid and the Hypam fixer that the pH is 5.0-5.5 for both the 1+4 and the 1+9 dilutions.
Menno
Not by Ansel's instructions. You store, then do the 2nd fix (pure hypo) then tone, hypo clear, and wash.
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