Questions about toning

[Claire Senft]

When toning a print that has otherwise been processed to give maximum LE:

What will the LE effects of toning in Vandium?

What will the LE effects be of toning in Uranium?

If one dual tones prints that are first processed in sulphide for maximum LE and then subsequently tones in a seond material that does not give maximum LE:

Is the LE of the entire print compromised?

Or

Is the LE of the secondary color compromised with the original tones being unaffected?

Enquiring minds want to know but my subscription has expired.

 

[Mike Crawford]

And LE is?

 

[Ian Grant]

And LE is?

The reason no-one's replied yet

It might be Life Expectancy, or permanence.

Ian

 

[Claire Senft]

Sorry, I should have know bettrer. LE=life expectancy. Thank you Mr Grant.

 

[Ian Grant]

Thanks Claire, LE is not an abbreviation I've ever come across in Photography, and I worked in a lab which did colour fading tests on various dyes back in my youth and we didn't use it there either.

Toning with some metal salts is not always as archival as Gold, Selenium or Sepia toning. But in reality it will depend on how the images are stored, as well as their exposure to light, particularly UV, and atmospheric contamination..

My book with the best information is in storage in the UK at the moment, but from memory Uranium and Vanadium toners aren't too bad, Iron toner is the worst, but then I have some Blue & Green toned prints that must be over 70 years old and they are still fine.

So yes you may well affect theoretical LE, but then how long do you want them to last, and it would be the areas of secondary toning that would fare the worse.

Ian

 

[Claire Senft]

Thank You again Ian. For myself the life expectancy of the print is one of the most important qualities to me. So, I would guess that what I will do, where I am interested, is to process 2 prints each made and toned with the different process...sepia for example or vandium by itself or with a secondary toner.

If I get the urge to have particular print colors and maximum LE, then I guess that no choice is going to be better than monchrome carbon or carbro.