Selenium toning.. shelf life?

ToddB · Nov 27, 2012

Hey guys,

I'm a big user of Selenium toning for anything of value in printing. Does anyone know the shelf life after you make a batch. it's 3 to 1 on mixing so I do 10 of Sel and 30 of water. I have it contained in opaque plastic bottle. The mixure is going for about 3 months. still using it and it is still working.

ToddB

Mike Wilde · Nov 27, 2012

If you wash thoroughly and then tone, I beleve the working solution will not degrade at all.

I have a 1+9 stock that all fine quality FB prints get stabilized toned with. It lives in a dark glass bottle, typically in my dark cool basement darkroom .

I ocassionally 'replenish' it. I somewhere found the rated capacity of the 1:9. Likely an old Kodak darkroom datagude.
So after about 5 or 6 8x10's I add some full strength KRST, x ml per print processed. .
I don't recall the quantity - I have it written on the bottle, which is not close at hand.

This same solution has been on the go for over 7 years now.

StoneNYC · Nov 27, 2012

Can you selenium tone the film itself? I ask because I love film but I don't do any printing at all, and so I scan everything, I can certainly do it as a post process in Lightroom / Photoshop but I was thinking it would be more "organic" if I could tone the film and then scan it as a color negative to get the selenium tone in the image file.

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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tkamiya · Nov 27, 2012

Yes, you CAN tone film. It's one of the archival techniques. I have NEVER heard of toning film for color and I do not know if it will actually change color. I know the density will increase a little.

Ian Grant · Nov 27, 2012

If you selenium tone a negative it will shift in colour if you leave a long time you need to use the toner much less dilute but it gives good intesification, but scanning as a negative will reverse any colour shift in the opposite direction

Ian

ToddB · Nov 27, 2012

Thanks for the info guys.. I believe I saw a demo on youtube of a guy sel film. search for it. Thought it was an interesting concept.

ToddB

Roger Cole · Nov 27, 2012

Humm, I had a half gallon bottle (brown plastic, stored in dark, mostly full) if 1+19 and it no longer tones at all, and had all manner of crud floating it in it. Dumped and about to remix.

Well when I say "dumped" I mean into my "selenium bucket." I dump used toner into a bucket reserved for that purpose and let it evaporate. The selenium will be left. Eventually the bucket can be taken to a hazmat disposal. In the meantime, it avoids putting it into the environment.

Rafal Lukawiecki · Nov 27, 2012

StoneNYC said:
Can you selenium tone the film itself?

Selenium toning of negatives is another way to increase its contrast, a bit like N+1, as the intensification is more pronounced in highlights. The added benefit is that you don't increase grain, like longer dev time would. You can even do it selectively, Dead Link Removed of John Sexton doing it to a portion of one of his negs.

However, if you scan, I suspect this won't be much use to you at all, you can just do Cmd-K in Lr.

As others said, this stuff lasts until exhausted, if mixed normally.

StoneNYC · Nov 29, 2012

Thanks everyone, I'll just use Lightroom, I just wanted to be more "authentic" lol ah well...

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rafal Lukawiecki · Nov 29, 2012

If you ever get into darkroom printing, give Se another chance. It is quite magical in its effect, on most papers, adding a glow to a print.

StoneNYC · Nov 29, 2012

Rafal Lukawiecki said:
If you ever get into darkroom printing, give Se another chance. It is quite magical in its effect, on most papers, adding a glow to a print.

Definitely, someday when I have a house and a rich wife who showers me with creative gifts (like a fully equipped dark room).

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rafal Lukawiecki · Nov 29, 2012

I would like to borrow your wife to receive the same benefits, when you get one, if you don't mind.

When I was temporarily based in New York, in 1995-96, I used a place in Manhattan, 17th St, called Photographics Unlimited. It had good darkrooms for rent, very reasonable prices. The community feeling was good, and creativity infectious. It has closed by now, I suspect, but if you are lucky to be living in one of those special cities on the planet where one can find everything, any time, you should easily find a place to swallow the wet printing (and Se toning) bug.

Anyway, apologies for desperately trying to turn you back from your journey straight to DPUG.

StoneNYC · Nov 29, 2012

Rafal Lukawiecki said:
I would like to borrow your wife to receive the same benefits, when you get one, if you don't mind.

When I was temporarily based in New York, in 1995-96, I used a place in Manhattan, 17th St, called Photographics Unlimited. It had good darkrooms for rent, very reasonable prices. The community feeling was good, and creativity infectious. It has closed by now, I suspect, but if you are lucky to be living in one of those special cities on the planet where one can find everything, any time, you should easily find a place to swallow the wet printing (and Se toning) bug.

Anyway, apologies for desperately trying to turn you back from your journey straight to DPUG.

Haha DPUG is so dead, it's like an empty room, every now and then someone peeks in, says "hello!...." *crikets* leaves a note about something posted in 2008 and leaves...

But no worries

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

StoneNYC · Nov 29, 2012

Oh and I actually live in CT I only work in NY but the name was available as a website and I snagged it.

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rafal Lukawiecki · Nov 29, 2012

StoneNYC said:
Haha DPUG is so dead, it's like an empty room, every now and then someone peeks in, says "hello!...." *crikets* leaves a note about something posted in 2008 and leaves...

I wouldn't know, I was afraid to have a look in there. All I know is that DPUG is the place where threads (and APUGers) get sent down to, when they go bad. This thread might be in danger.

StoneNYC · Nov 29, 2012

Rafal Lukawiecki said:
I wouldn't know, I was afraid to have a look in there. All I know is that DPUG is the place where threads (and APUGers) get sent down to, when they go bad. This thread might be in danger.

LOL

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Selenium toning.. shelf life?

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