Selenium Toning Old Prints

[Pioneer]

I have some prints that were printed over a year ago that I would like to tone. I still have the negatives and could reprint them but the paper I was using back then is no longer available.

Is is possible to tone these prints long after printing?

 

[grain elevator]

I don't see why not. You should probably make sure to soak them in water first or the paper base will drink up your toner and it will be harder to wash.

 

[MattKing]

Were the prints ever toned or treated with something like Sistan. If so, the results might be poor or unpredictable.
I would recommend a thorough wash before you tone, because any contaminants on the print may affect how even the toning is.
And just in case you hadn't thought of it, I wouldn't tone them if you have already retouched or spotted them.

 

[Pioneer]

Thanks. I was pretty sure that I was going to have to re-wash since it is possible that there could be some residual contaminants from the stop (acetic acid) or the fixer (Ilford Rapid Fixer) I used back then. I understand that residual acids could result in some staining. I have since changed how I process prints to keep things neutral or even a tad alkaline.

I guess I could test ahead of time but I have no ph strips.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yes you can tone them still.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I'd give a thorough wash and then refix (just in case) in fresh fixer (if you use a rather neutral fixer like Ilford Rapid Fixer at the 1+9 dilution, you can transfer the prints directly to the toner from the fixer).

Then a five-minute water rinse, wash-aid and another thorough wash.

Any SpotTone-type retouching will likely wash away and have to be redone, but that isn't a problem. If you've retouched with permanent ink (India?) you may have a mismatch in image tone between the retouched area and the rest of the print. You should be able to see if your retouching washes out after the first wash and make a decision based on that.

Best,

Doremus