Mixing Toner - Questions

My Formulary hypo alum sepia toner arrived. Main components are sodium thiosulfate and potassium alum. Next I have two optional components -- silver nitrate for "seasoning" and potassium iodide to give warmer tones. Two questions:

1. With or without the silver nitrate, it looks like several scrap prints are required to season the solution. Does the addition of silver nitrate just accelerate the process? (i.e. Does it just reduce the number of scrap prints required to bring it to equilibrium?)

2. Can the potassium iodide be added at some later date if I don't like the tones produced without it? Or does it have to be added to freshly mixed solution?

Thanks!

Anyone?

Yes to both of your questions.
Toner will improve with use.
Be aware of sediment that will stick on the paper after toning, You need to wipe them before the wash. Delicately after the hot bath in toner.
Best,
G.

Strangely I have a PDF of Ilford formulae open open at the moment. This was the first toner Ilford IT-2 I made up myself back in about 1970 while at school.

Ilford state the toner keeps for years and improves with use, just keep up the strength by adding fresh. It acts as a reducer until the silver level rises sufficiently but a few scrap prints are all that's needed. I never adder Potassium Iodide but you can do that at any stage. I may still have my original solution if not I will give this toner another try.

Ian

I would be interested to see the tones you get from Alum. That info is not in any of my books nor examples on the we other than to list it as a sepia toner. Sepia can range from golden brown to redish-light chocolate tones

esearing said:

I would be interested to see the tones you get from Alum. That info is not in any of my books nor examples on the we other than to list it as a sepia toner. Sepia can range from golden brown to redish-light chocolate tones

Click to expand...

This toner give purplish-sepia tones with Bromide papers, I have only used it with graded Ilfobrom (discontinued a few years ago and essentially replace by Multigrade FB (now MG IV FB). My experience matched Ilfords claimed colour shift for IT-2. So it's different to other Sepia toners, I now use warmtone papers so will see what it's like with Ilford MG WT FB sometime soon.

Ian

esearing said:

I would be interested to see the tones you get from Alum. That info is not in any of my books nor examples on the we other than to list it as a sepia toner. Sepia can range from golden brown to redish-light chocolate tones

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I plan to mix it up this weekend. I'm mainly an RC guy, but I want to try it with both Art 300 and the DPP (FB glossy) paper from Ilford. I'll share what I discover. Surprisingly, not a lot out there on this toner...

I've been meaning to try this one for ages. I'll mix up some this weekend too!

(Edit a few hours later): I made up a 1/3 batch using the recipe Ian Grant posted in another thread for IT-2: 50g hypo dissolved in 230ml very warm distilled water, then I dissolved 8.3g alum in 100ml very warm distilled water and added it slowly to the hypo solution. No trouble mixing the two; no precipitates formed. The solution turned milky and I got a whiff of H2S. I mixed it outside, and have left it sitting outside with the cap on loosely to allow any additional H2S to out-gas. I've cut a few mostly black scrap 5x7 prints into strips which I'll put into the bottle soon.

I've noticed some other recipes call for 1g sodium chloride per liter.. does anyone know how that changes the toning action? I'm definitely thinking of adding some kala namak salt Also, has anyone ever tried using this as an indirect toner?