kallitype selenium archival quality

[Bakody]

Hi,

I'm thinking to try kallitype process. It's necessary to tone the image. Palladium and gold are expensive, so I found selenium can be a cheap alternative for them. Is selenium toned image has the same good archival quality as palladium or gold one?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I always selenium tone my kallitypes. From unblinkingeye: "In selenium toning, metallic silver is converted to a silver selenide, which is highly resistant to the effects of oxidizing agents."
Is it archivally equivalent to palladium or gold toning? I don't know, but I believe it's better than not toning at all. I dilute KRST 1:400 and tone for 4 minutes at 21C. If you experience slight bleaching of the high lights, increase your exposure time slightly to compensate. I've never experienced bleaching.

 

[UKJohn]

Hi Andrew,

When toning with selenium do you tone before or after fixing?

 

[Bakody]

Thank you for your help!
Can you show me some links, where I can see examples for selenium toned kallitype images?
What do you think, what kind of paper should I buy to able to make sharp images with wide tonal range? Is Rising Stonehenge a good choice? Where can I buy it in Europe?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I always selenium tone after fixing because done before fixing, selenium will react with residual silver nitrate in the paper and will cause staining.

Bakody, I only use Rising Stonehenge. It's cheap and images look great on it, especially after a pre-acidification bath. You should be able to buy it at an art store.
Not sure where there are examples of toned kallitypes. Do a google search.