Problems with Sepia

I only recently started experimenting with toning my prints but ran into a problem today. I was split toning some MCC and MGIV FB using KRST and Berg's Rapid Sepia RC toner. The problem I had was with the sepia. The white borders of the prints were stained with the sepia tone and wouldn't stay white. I don't think poor washing was to blame since I used HCA and the prints were washed for about an hour after fixing. Besides, I had no staining problems with the KRST, only the sepia. I know that Berg claims their "RC" toner can be used with fiber based paper but is this one of the side effects? Does anyone know what the culprit might be?

Your safelight might be too strong or too close..it's happened to me before.

Are you doing the sepia first or the selenium? I have been told (althought I have never tried myself) that you have to do the sepia first, that it doesn't work correctly the other way. I wonder if that might be the problem.

Paul Sorensen said:

Are you doing the sepia first or the selenium? I have been told (althought I have never tried myself) that you have to do the sepia first, that it doesn't work correctly the other way. I wonder if that might be the problem.

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The selenium affects the darks first and the bleaching stage of the sepia affects the highlights first. So you can do the KRST before the sepia if you don't allow it to tone into the highlights you want to sepia. Selenium>sepia is not as precise as sepia>selenium since its easier to track the bleaching action on a print than it is to track the effect of selenium. Also bleaching after the selenium may slightly warm the areas affected by the KRST. Though I don't have Rudman's toning book next to me, you should have to do a full wash or a hypo cleaner and wash after the selenium before bleaching.
Best regards,
James

definitely sounds like a contamination problem to me. ie. not enough washing.

ian_greant said:

definitely sounds like a contamination problem to me. ie. not enough washing.

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I agree with aj-images. Residual halide from unsufficient fixin/washing would show up in KRST as well. You must have some residual silver here: Fogging by your safelight or chemically fogged paper. To remedy that, eg. to safe a ruined box of paper, you can use a very short bath in very dilute Farmers reducer between first and second fix.