toning RC paper?

stradibarrius

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Here is a shot I took yesterday during the height of our blizzard!!! LOL!
We did get about 6" and it was beautiful but is almost gone.

I was thinking this shot might look good toned somehow? maybe Selenium + Sepia???
All I have currently is Ilford MGIV RC paper. Will RC paper accept toning?
RB67 w/90mm "C", Tri-x 320 XTOL 1:1
 

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ann

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yes, but this paper is difficult to tonem especially with selenium, you might try sepia.
 

glbeas

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RC tones about as well as FB. I wonder if a gold toner for a colder color would do well.
 
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stradibarrius

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RalphLambrecht said:
Great image!

Yes, Ilford MGIV-RC will accept toning, less so than Ilford MGIV-FB, but it will. I'm a big fan of selenium+sulfide toning, but in this case, I'd try sulfide alone first.
Click to expand...

Ralph, what are the characteristics of sulfide?
 

RalphLambrecht

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stradibarrius said:
Wow...I like it! subtle but very nice. Thanks Ralph
Click to expand...

Mild, direct sulfide toning (if you can stand the smell) gives a print a gentle warmth, which fits some subjects. Especially nudes, portraits and tranquil landscapes benefit from it. A nice side effect is an increase in print longevity through the archival properties of silver-sulfide.
 

RalphLambrecht

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stradibarrius said:
Is there any "sulfide" present in a common household or do I need to order some?
Click to expand...

I'm talking about Kodak Brown Toner or Agfa Viradon. You can mix it yourself following the attached recipe.
 

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brian steinberger

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stradibarrius, wonderful image! While the Ilford MGIV RC paper does tone ok, mainly in sepia baths, the warmtone version tones much nicer, especially in Viradon as Ralph is describing. And also a light bleach and redevelop in sepia toner followed by a short bath in weakish (1:20 or 1:40) selenium would do justice to this image. If you're looking to get into toning I really suggest you get a pack of Ilford warmtone RC (I like the pearl finish in RC) and give it a try! Btw.. as far as Viradon toning, I found the RC paper not to accept it as well as the FB version. Warmtone FB in selenium then Viradon is one of my favorite combinations. Good luck!
 

images39

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Stradibarius,

I recently started toning Ilford RC Pearl prints in selenium. I'm new to toning, but can give you some thoughts on what I've seen so far. First off, selenium toning definitely makes a difference in the look of the prints, in my opinion for the better. The olive color cast of the paper is eliminated, and the dark tones are further darkened a bit. The prints look a bit contrastier.

I'm using Kodak Rapid Selenium toner, diluted 1:9, usually for 4 minutes. I have seen comments elsewhere that selenium toning doesn't have an effect on RC Pearl paper, but I cannot agree with this. There is a definite improvement, although some might consider it to be subtle.

I have a book by Fred Picker, written in 1974, in which he says: "Unless you are ready to tone all of your prints in the future, I advise you not to start toning. You just won't be able to accept an untoned print when you see the difference." I'm now inclined to agree with this!

Dale
 
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stradibarrius

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Maybe I am seeing the "greenish" cast that you are talking about in my prints??? They seem so close to what my mind's eye see's but they still have just a bit of dullness. The straight negative scan has the "pop" I am looking for but the print doesn't quite have it. I n Tim Rudman's book "The Photographer's Master Printing Course" on page 28-29 he has a photo of a misty lake print high key. It is a low contrast shot bit it has the same tonal range as the scan I posted at the beginning of this thread. My actual print has more of "something" in it that I do not want. It may be a green cast but green is a difficult color for me to see. Faint green is difficult fo me to see.
My negative is really nice, sharp and good range. Nothing blown out or blocked up so it seems I should be able to get a crisper, colder look from this shot???
Am I trying to get a result that this paper in a straight print is not able to produce?
 

images39

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When I read about a "greenish" or "olive" cast that's found in the paper, I wasn't sure I could see it, but when comparing some of the toned prints to untoned versions, I can definitely see it in the untoned ones. I would suggest trying selenium. I don't have experience with other toners as yet, so can't give advice on them. Also, I have not tried toning the "warmtone" version of Ilford RC Pearl paper, but am looking forward to trying that in selenium also.
 

brian steinberger

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stradibarrius, why not try selenium with MGIV RC? Dale's recommendation of 4 minutes at 1:9 with Kodak selenium is exactly what I do and works well. Give it a shot! It's definitely cooler, and you will see a green cast in un-toned prints.
 

MattKing

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The Ilford Cooltone RC also tones very well.

I find that the Kodak bleach and redevelop Sepia toning kits (both old and new) work very well with Ilford MGIV RC in Pearl. It is best to dilute the bleach, and then aim for a partial bleaching.

Matt
 

RalphLambrecht

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I feel that I get more control with direct toning than with indirect toning, especially with RC papers. With direct toning I can just stop when I think it's almost enough. With indirect toning, every print turns out to be a bit of a surprise. I was never comfortable with that.
 
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stradibarrius

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Brian, I think you are right...at this point I have to try something to see what works for me. I called my local photo store this morning and the have Kodak Selenium in stock so I'm headed that way. I may pick up some FB paper as well????
The other thing I thought about is reducing the exposure time and see if I get closer to what I want to see????
 

brian steinberger

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stradibarrius, if you do pick up some FB paper you're going to need a hypo-clearing agent as well, if you don't already. I use Heico Perma Wash. Ask your store if they carry a washing aid.

If you think your print looks slightly dull, you need to decide if it could benefit from less exposure, increasing the contrast, or both. Remember, papers dry down, most noticeably in the highlights, so you may have to reduce exposure to get the same look you saw when the print was wet. I dry all my test strips for this reason.
 

RalphLambrecht

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Remember that selenium will give you a completely different tone than sulfide. I use selenium to 'cool' the print and add some strength to the shadows, and I use sulphide to add some warmth to midtones and highlights. So, I use both but for different reasons. You can also use them together, or better yet, in sequence to get unique split-tone effects.
 

brian steinberger

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Absolutely, and also with suphide toners, don't forget that they release gases that not only smell really bad, but also can fog unexposed film and paper. So you MUST use them in well ventilated areas. I do my Viradon toning on the glassed in back porch when the sun is shining enough to heat it up, then I crack a few windows. So this in itself may be enough to turn some off from using it.
 
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