Ilford Warmtone RC & Patersons Selenium

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TPPhotog

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Now I've got the negatives I want using Ilford Pan F and Rodinal at 1+50 I've decided to have a go at selenium toning.

After looking around this forum and websites in general, I quite like the idea of using a Ilford Warmtone RC & Patersons Selenium combination. Does anyone have any advice on this combination? Dilutions and timing ballparks would be very helpful.

Kind regards Tony
 

ann

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We just picked up some paterson selenium and some fotospeed as well. I want to compare both with Kodak.
I know selenium works nicely with Ilford's warmtone fiber but haven't tried the RC nor do i have any students who use that paper type; however, i will be interested in finding out about your results.

I would start with the standard dilution ratios and time should be by inspection.
Maybe Les will shed some more light on these combinations since he is from that end of the world.
Please get back with feedback.
Hopefully i will run the comparsion test later in the month , have been on a real bleaching bender lately.
 

Les McLean

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Warmtone RC tones well in most toners having been designed for that purpose. I have no experience of Paterson Selenium Toner but my prediction is that it will not be as strong as Kodak which IMO is the best selenium available. Therefore you will have to adjust the dilution if you are making comparisions with other brands.

I use Fotospeed selenium for it is a good compromise when cost and strength are taken into account. My usual dilution is 1 part toner to 9 parts water at a temperature of 24 degrees c. although I do sometimes use it at 1 to 4 at very high temperatures when I'm looking for extreme effects but do be careful if you do this for the fumes are extremely unpleasant.

If you have never toned before I would suggest that you make a number of identical prints, place them in a holding tray of water and tone them in turn for different times. Don't keep looking at the print being toned for you may find it difficult to see the change in colour, compare the toning print to the untoned print in the water to help detect the changes.

As a general rule selenium will affect the lower values first so you should see those areas getting darker first followed by the other tonal values and ending with the highlights being the final area to be affected. Having said that, once toning starts it can happen very quickly. I don't subscribe to the view that you can tone every print for a standard time for toning depends on the tonality of the print as I stated above, therefore how can a high key print tone as quickly as a low key print.

You must learn to anticipate the effect of the toning so that you can remove the print from the toner and place it into a tray of plain water to stop the action. After toning you need to wash the prints before drying, 5 minutes in running water is more that sufficient for RC paper.

Please take this advice as a starting point, what pleases me may not please you for this is a very subjective matter. Have fun and keep us posted as to your progress.
 

Bruce Osgood

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I agree with Les in everything he says, but:

" ...remove the print from the toner and place it into a tray of plain water to stop the action. "

I have learned that plain water does not stop the toning action as well as a hypo rinse of 30 seconds. Going directly into water dilutes the residual toner but it will continue to tone. A hypo bath 'removes/halts' the toner as a stop-bath does to developer; a final, archival wash prepares the print for drying.

Just my 2 cents worth
 

Les McLean

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Bruce (Camclicker) said:
" ...remove the print from the toner and place it into a tray of plain water to stop the action. "

I have learned that plain water does not stop the toning action as well as a hypo rinse of 30 seconds. Going directly into water dilutes the residual toner but it will continue to tone. A hypo bath 'removes/halts' the toner as a stop-bath does to developer; a final, archival wash prepares the print for drying.

Just my 2 cents worth

Good point Bruce, what I forgot to say was that I agitate vigorously after the print goes into the plain water and this seems to stop the action, at least to my dodgy old eyes. Seriously, Bruce's method will be more effective in stopping the action of the toner than plain water.
 
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TPPhotog

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Many thanks Ann, Les and Bruce for your quick and very useful detailed advice here.

I'll order the Fotospeed selenium and a hypo rinse in addition to the Paterson selenium to compare the two. With your advice here and the negatives I have from recent shoots with the Pan F+ / Rodinal combination, there should be plenty of pictures to work with.

I'll let you all know and see how my first attempts to work out which I'll start as soon as I have the materials in my hand.

Thank you all once again Tony
 
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