Dye based toners

[Photo Engineer]

An azo dye print is most stable, then a coupled dye print. Coupled dye prints will currently last 100 - 200 years. That is almost up to an azo dye print. There is now not a big difference between the two types of dye. This is probably due to the lack of research on stabilizing azo dyes beyond what they are at present, but a lot of reseach has gone into improving coupled dyes.

Commercial dyes are not very stable if they are water colors or soluable in water. Pigments are the most stable of all 'tints' but are not very saturated due to their mineral origin.

PE

 

[Paul Howell]

So if I want an archival colored toned print I should use an industerial Azo dye, thin it down for the correct tone I am looking for?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Paul, yes, but I have no idea how you would do that.

PE

 

[Paul Howell]

I am a rather bread and butter type of PJ, but I'll look up Azo dyes and see what the process is for thining an Azo dye and if not too expensive buy a few dyes to experiment with.

 

[Photo Engineer]

How will you get it in imagewise? That is the question here.

PE

 

[Paul Howell]

I dont really know, maybe soak a print in a thinned downed Azo dye, like a commerical toner. But your right in that I am not coupling to the sliver so the print will be color washed as opposed to having just selected density based on residual silver.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Hmmm, then the only way to do it is via dye bleach. Wash in the color and bleach dye and silver. But, you need to start with a positive image.

PE

 

[Ole]

Paul,

If you haven't done so already, get hold of Tim Rudman's "The Master Photographer's Toning Course: A Definitive Guide to Creative Toning Techniques".

 

[Paul Howell]

I will see if I can order it from the internet.

 

[Ole]

I will see if I can order it from the internet.

That was really addressed to DrPablo, but I'm pleased that it reached both Pauls.

 

[DrPablo]

Thanks Ole (and all others), this has given me a lot of food for thought!

 

[Paul Howell]

Although more expensive than other methods, I found a chapter on monochrome dye transfer in the Kodak Bigger and Better the Book of Enlarging (1952) which ought to work with Azo dyes. The approch discussed in the text if for black and white, but I assume that it would work with any other color, primary to tinted. Matrix film is expensive, but as you only need one matrix film per print rather than 3 (or is it 4) used in color dye transfer time spent will reduced by a thrid, and you dont need a registration frame.

Anyone ever used this method?