Toning and bleaching questions

[AFlood]

Hi folks,

Does it make a difference how long I leave my prints before toning and/or bleaching them. Will I be able to tone with good results even if I have left my prints dry for several days after development, or is this best avoided?

Also, I have a packet of Farmers reducer, which includes a sachet of pot ferri and four sachets of sodium thiosulphate. What is the purpose of the sodium thio, is it just a clearing agent? The mixing instructions confuse me.

Thanks,
Alex

 

[bdial]

The sodium thiosulphate is fixer, it removes the silver that is re-halogenated by the pot. ferri. bleach.

As for drying before toning, so far as I know it's not a problem, especially if you're talking days and not months or years.

 

[ann]

i have toned prints that are over a year old. they have been kept in a box in a protective environment so they are not damages. In fact i never tone in line. I like to spend a day toning and wait until i have enough prints to keep me busy.

nothing wrong with toning in line, but there are always a variety of ways to do things.

 

[CBG]

I have read that some toning processes are better done after at least a brief waiting time, when the print has been fully dried, not when the print is still wet from the original processing. I have no idea why this should be and wonder if anyone has the technical info on whether it is really true or not and why.

 

[dancqu]

The sodium thiosulphate is fixer, it removes the silver
that is re-halogenated by the pot. ferri. bleach.

Farmer's reducer is not a re-halogenating bleach.
Image silver is oxidized becoming silver ferrocyanide.
That is then removed by the fixer. Dan