photomc said:
Rather than continue to hijack scootermm (sorry Matt) thread to ask about toning VDB and other alt. process, thought I would start a new thread. With the wealth of knowledge here hoping to get a better understanding about how toning affects VDB (or other process that anyone wants to add).
Don (donbga) mentioned that you had used LiPd with Kallitypes and was wondering if you had any examples you could point to. Admittedly do no know much about Kallitypes, maybe Sandy could stop by and offer some info, but curious if the bleach back I saw with the VDB is common?
Wondering what toners others have used with different alt process? What were the results and did you like them. Anyone know of any older process that were used?
As always Thanks in Advance.
Both VDB and kallitype prints *must* be toned for archival purposes. Without toning any residual iron salts that remain in the print will react with the silver metal and cause the print to fade. This is not a possibility, it is a certainty.
VDB and kallitype prints can be toned with gold, platinum, palladium and selenium, or they can even be split-toned for very interesting color effects. The toning formulas that you will find in my article on kallitype at the unblinkingeye site can be used for VDB as well.
How does toning affect the color? Either platinum or palladium will change the native brown color of VDB to a warm black/brown. Selenium toning will leave the color more or less as is, and gold toning will turn the print a bluish/purplish black. Kallitype prints toned in either platinum or palladium will have an almost neutral tone, almost exactly like a regular platinum print, though the final color of a toned kallitype also depends somewhat on choice of developer. Gold toned kallitypes, like VDBs, also have a bluish-purplish color. Selenium toned kallitypes have a warm brown color, not unlike the native color of VDB.
Gold, platinum and palladium toning are done before fixing with both VDB and kallitype, immediately after the water developer with VDB and after the clearing bath with kallitype. Selenium toning must be done after the print is fixed and washed. In fact, many people wash and dry the print and tone with selenium a day or two later.
Toning adds great permannce to both VDB and kallitype prints. Many people have the idea that in toning the silver of VDB and kallitype prints is coated with the toning metal, but that is not the case. The silver is actually *replaced* by the toning metal, so that for all practical purposes VDB and kallitype prints toned with platinum or palladium have the same type of permanence as a regular platinum or palladium print. All of this assumes good processing of course, but you must do that with Pt./Pd. as well for image permanence.
Sandy