Is there any difference in the brands of Selenium? I have always used Ilford selenuim and it is time to re-order so I thought I would see if there is any real difference before I order.
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Is there any difference in the brands of Selenium? I have always used Ilford selenuim and it is time to re-order so I thought I would see if there is any real difference before I order.
I have always used Kodak's Rapid Selenium Toner - only because I started out with it and never bothered to try anything else. Some people have said the Ilford product is similar if not the same. But these are not reports based on any sort of scientific tests/comparisons. It is likely they would work in a very similar way but you would have to test for yourself to see if the dilutions and toning times are the same for your paper. That's really the only way. I can't say anything about any other brands.
years ago I tested several different brands, and there was a slight difference. We use Kodak's at school.
I didn't test that against the Ilford's brand.
I have switched from Kodak to Ilford recently , to be honest I do not notice any difference with the limited length of time using the new product.
I usually mix my selenium at 1:5 with a 45 second tone for Ilford Warmtone Paper and the print colour looks to be correct.
Thanks everyone I'll just stick with Ilford. Hello Ann!
The only selenium toner I have noticed to be really different is the Berg toner, with a much stronger odour and a different palette.
After using Kodak Selenium Toner for years, I had to switch to Ilford. B&H wouldn't ship the selenium, so my local photo store only had the Ilford brand. Seems the same to me.
Off topic, but I have never understood this. Freestyle ships KRST all over the U.S. I don't see why B&H and others refuse to do so. Heck, the Kodak Indicator Stop concentrate is more of a hazard to ship than selenium toner. You'd think the B&H guys wouldn't want to lose those sales...
Doremus
I like working with Ilford products. I think in this instance, it is important to fine tune the dilution ratio with the final expectations you set for your prints.
For instance, I primarily tone for archival purposes and D-Max, but if I have several of the same print, I may push the processing time to see what happens, i.e., colour shift.