A funny thing happened to my selenium

I decided to try selenium toning before fixing my POP. I rinsed the image for longer than necessary to make sure I washed off any thing still there. I put it in the 3%ish selenium solution for 3 minutes with constant agitation. When I took the image out of the selenium it was perfectly clear. I then went through the two fixing stages. By the time my last fix was done the selenium solution had turned a light Tea color, and it has continued to darken. Now we are looking at Earl Grey.

What caused this?

I decided to try selenium toning before fixing my POP.

What is your POP?

I assume you are talking about toning a print.
To selenium tone a print, dev as usual. Make sure the print is fully fixed before toning. Having said that do not over fix the print. If the print is not fully fixed it may stain, if it's over fixed it may not react with the toner.
If it's RC wash for 3 or 4 minutes before toning. If it's fibre, wash for about 20 mins before toning.
Place in toner for required length of time.
Remove print from toner, for RC wash for 3 or 4 minutes, for fibre wash for one hour.

Your stpes should be, dev, stop, fix, wash, tone, final wash.

That sounds like pretty strong stuff for POP, did it bleach a lot? I bet you bleached alot of the metal silver and any remaining halides into the toner. KRST contains ammonium thiosulfate and is strong enough to bleach silver based POP. Generally you use KRST after fixing in POP processes.

How does the print look?

Gareth, POP is printing out paper-A UV exposed contact print paper. If I were gold toning I would be automatically toning the print before fix in Sodium Thiosulphate. I usually selenium tone POP after fixing but thought I would try to do it before, just like if I was using gold toner.

Brook,
I do use KRST after fixing. I just noticed that I put a 0 after the three. It should be 3 percent (30ml in 1000ml). I'll go fix it after posting this. Just thought I would do it the other way around.
It bleached it a little, not much to speak of really but retained the redish purple look of a freshly exposed print before fixing. That is what i wanted. When I put it into the fix it went to the odd orange color but did not fade/bleach at all. I put it into a fresh toning bath but could not get the color back entirely. Now it is poop brown. Not very pleasing at all. It will be filed in the round bin

I am wanting to arrest that reddish purple look of the freshly exposed print. I love that color. Going fix and then selenium I can keep a warmish chocolate color that is nice but I really want that reddish color. Any idea how to keep it?

Gareth, POP is printing out paper-A UV exposed contact print paper.

Mmmmm, that went right over the top of my head!

Cheers Mark, hope you get it going how the way you want it to.

I can sympathize with your quest for a color you want. I have no idea how to get there with the materials you are using, maby trying even more dilute toner with a shorter bath, then hit it with some gold toner? I am going through simmilar things w/ vandykes, I have been trying additives to the emulsion, dichromate and gold so far, intresting, but not what I see in my mind. I sense there is gum in my future.....

For gold toning, tone before fixing.
Slenium works best AFTER fixing, so you'll have to expose even more deeply to counter the greater bleaching you'll experience. I've gotten great results selenium toning Centennial POP. Usually a minute or two in a 2.5% solution of Kodak RST works for me. A more dillute toner will slow the reate, so you can more accurately watch the print tone to the desired effect.