How do you know when you've 'toned to completion'?

[imyself]

I've made my first attempt at indirect toning with polysulphide toner (homemade Kodak T-8). I'm using Adorama (?FOMA) FB glossy paper fully developed in a homemade dektol clone (E-72),water stopped, fixed, HCA cleared , washed and dried. Later, I re wet the paper, direct tone in selenium for 2 minutes, rinse, HCA clear 10 minutes then wash for another 15 minutes. I bleach the print using dilute rehalogenating bleach to the midtones, rinse and then submerge in the T-8 toner. I made a couple of test strips at one minute intervals up to ten minutes. After toning, I submerged the print in a 10% sulfite "stop' bath then washed for 15 minutes. According to Rudman's toning book, if you tone to completion, you do not need to refix but if toning is incomplete, refixing is required. He stated that toning to completion with T-8 takes 10 -20 minutes which is quite a spread. So, my question is; How can you tell from looking at the print that you have toned to completion? I've found that the longer the direct toning with T-8, the more density is lost and the tone shifts to an unsightly light brown /pink tone. So, Id prefer the shorter toning duration but Id love to avoid refixing if I can . Interestingly, he states the rapid fixers like hypam are too 'aggressive' for refixing toned prints and he suggests a plain 'hypo' solution. I don't have any Na thiosulfate to mix up such a solution and so another reason to avoid refixing. That said, the combination of selenium-light bleach-polysulfide with the Adorama paper is absolutely sensational (deep, slightly red tinged chocolate browns like I've never seen with a neutral tone paper) and worth the effort but I don't want to make things harder for myself, if I don't need to.
Regards,
Adam

 

[Guillaume Zuili]

Hi,
My guess is you have toned to completion.
The shadows being toned first with selenium. You have just bleached the highlights and some mid-tones. Polysulfide goes usually fast on highlights. Even a slow toner like T8.
If you don't want to make things harder try these options :
- Use selenium at the end of your printing session like this you will remove one step in your process and save water and time.
- Try MT4 or 5 from Moersch. They are Polysulfide. You can bleach and tone with no need to refix.
And yes that combo is beautiful
Now I have a question. Why re fix after with T8 ? Usually it's just after gold or Nelson toner that you have to. Or if you bleach only without any toning..?
G.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I don't know how Rudman defines the term as he is a photographer and not a chemist. As I understand the term "toning to completion", it is done to achieve archival permanence where the actual color of the image is not important. This is usually done to negatives and not prints. With prints toning is done until the desired color is obtained.

 

[brian steinberger]

Yea I assume toning to completion to be when all available silver in an image has been converted to a more stable compound such as selenium selenite from selenium toning. Sepia, poly-sulfide, and gold would be the other archival toners. Toning for a few minutes at a high dilution of selenium (1:20, 1:40) really only results in the low values being converted. The upper midtones and highlights are still un-converted, and could be left so, or toned in a different toner. Note that toning to completion times could vary depending on if the image is a high-key or low-key image, and also dilution and temperature or the solution.