Today I ran several toning tests with Van Dyke Brownprint. The prints are drying tonight. I will post scans tomorrow if I get a chance but until I can, here's what appears to have happened:
1) Prints gained density as a result of toning in Clerc's Gold toner compared to other toners or untoned control prints.
2) Prints bleached heavily and fogged immediately when treated in Polytoner before fixing.
3) Prints bleached heavily in Polytoner if toned after fixing. These did not appear to have any appreciable chemical fogging.
4) Polytoned prints appeared to have lost wet strength as a result of toning. Stronger toner concentrations enhanced this nondesirable effect.
5) As the concentration of Polytoner increased, bleaching increased.
6) Prints gained contrast and reduced exposure scale due to bleaching action in KRST 1+500 regardless of whether toned before or after fixing. It appears more density was lost if fixed prints were subsequently toned than if prints were toned before fixing. (I'll have to check that tomorrow though to be sure.) This was a surprise to me as I thought the bleaching would be more severe. Extra exposure could probably make this workable contrary to what I had expected. There was a color change apparent in the KRST toned prints. I think they will appear to be redder than untoned prints when they finally dry.
7) Double-coated emulsions exhibited greater d-max after processing.
8) The ecruwhite paper printed with less contrast than the white paper. (See variables below.)
9) Prints toned in Clerc's toner went very strongly towards a cool purple-black color. Selenium-toned prints were much warmer and redder than gold-toned prints when wet. Polytoner produced heavily bleached, sometimes fogged prints with a much more yellow color and greatly reduced density. (If Polytoner is to work at all, I suspect the dilution must be much greater than tested today [e.g., perhaps 1+500 might work] and Polytoner should be attempted only after the prints have been fixed.)
All were printed with the following conditions:
1) All prints receiving a toning treatment were toned for 3 minutes in fresh toners;
2) All prints were double-coated with the exception of 1 single-coated print used for comparison;
3) All prints were made on Cranes' Kid Finish stationery ecruwhite with the exception of 1 print on Cranes' Kid Finish white used for comparison;
4) Wet times were kept similar for all prints.
Prints were given the following general treatment:
1) Exposed for 185 units on a Nu-Arc 26-1K mercury exposure unit;
2) First rinse in 2% citric acid for 3 minutes;
3) rinse in tap water for 3 minutes;
4) tone, or fix in 2 baths of 2% sodium thiosulfate for a total of 3 minutes;
5) rinse for 3 minutes (or until toner no longer bleeds from print in the case of Polytoned prints);
6) fix in 2 baths of 2% sodium thiosulfate or, tone for a total of 3 minutes (whichever was not done in step 4 above);
7) rinse 3 minutes in tap water;
8) clear in Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent for 3 minutes;
9) Wash in vertical washer for 30 minutes:
10) dry.
Prints were processed in 5 groups (i.e., untoned prints, Polytoned prints @ 1+4 dilution, Polytoned prints @ 1+50 dilution, selenium-toned prints, gold-toned prints).
The prints were:
1) untoned print, emulsion single-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
2) untoned print, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
3) untoned print, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish white;
4) print toned before fixing using Kodak Polytoner 1+4 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
5) print toned after fixing using Kodak Polytoner 1+4 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
6) print toned before fixing using Kodak Polytoner 1+50 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
7) print toned after fixing using Kodak Polytoner 1+50 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
8) print toned before fixing using Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner 1+500 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
9) print toned after fixing using Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner 1+500 dilution, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
10) print toned before fixing using Clerc's Gold Toner, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite;
11) print toned after fixing using Clerc's Gold Toner, emulsion double-coated on Cranes Kid Finish ecruwhite. (My SOP.)