Viradon Questions

[brian steinberger]

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!

 

[Ole]

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...