Viradon Questions

I really enjoy using Viradon, especially with Ilford MGWT. I have a few questions after using it a few times.

• How long will the toner last once mixed up? I've heard anywhere from a few weeks to 2 years. I just used some today that was 6 months old, kind of milky.
• Since the toner tones faster when diluted more, does anyone use the 1+100 dilution for full toning and use the toner one-shot?

Today I toned (fully - 10 mins diluted 1+24) a few prints and seemed to lose a bit of shadow density. So the next print I first toned in selenium 1+9 for 4 minutes then toned fully in Viradon 1+24. What a difference! Beautiful.

Anyway, I was thinking of partially toning in selenium first to preserve dmax and then toning fully in Viradon 1+100 for a minute or so, (not sure how long it takes at that dilution), then discarding the toner. Seems more economical and consistent than mixing up a liter or two at 1+24 then letting it sit around for a few months and getting all milky and nasty. Any other thoughts?

BTW.. I have Tim Rudman's book and love it! Just looking for others experiences and opinions!

Thanks!

It lasts until it either gets too "gunky" for your taste, or until it stops stinking. The limiting factor to me is gunk; at some point it just looks too nasty to put a nice print in. I'm still using "old" Viradon, BTW. Will have to switch to the new version one of these years...