Selemium toning question???

[stradibarrius]

I have asked a bunch of questions lately about lith printing and toning using RC paper. My Moesch selenium toner arrived yesterday and I decide what the heck, I'm just going to give a try. I will learn something if it works or if it's a failure.

My question is, what a print that is completely dry, a week old, i am going to place it back in fix for a few minutes and then in the selenium. What concentrate of the Moesch MT1 selenium should I use?

[Ian Grant]

Don't put it Fixer, just a plain water soak for a few minute. Look at the instructions for dilution but remember not all papers have a colour shifty in Selenium toners, warm tone papers work best, they get warmer - red/brown depending on the paper & developer used.

Ian

[Monophoto]

Ian is right - it's not necessary to refix the print. Most selenium toners contain fixer anyway.

The dilution should be whatever is recommended by the manufacturer.

There's nothing really unusual or abnormal about starting with a fixed, washed and dried print. You just have to resoak the emulsion before you put it in the toner - otherwise, you may get uneven toning.

[Anon Ymous]

No, don't refix it, there's no point in doing so. Instead, put it in tray of water for 2-3 minutes to soak and then transfer it to the toner tray. Regarding dilution, there's no firm answer, but everything depends on what you want to do. It's more likely to get color shifts with low dilutions, and/or split toning effects. On the other hand, highly dilute selenium toner will more likely intensify the print (stronger blacks), without affecting color that much. The time a print spends in the toning bath can also make a huge difference. Another characteristic of selenium toner is that it works from the denser areas to lighter ones and higher dilutions will show a more uniform effect. But keep in mind that it's action depends a lot on the paper too. Not all papers are "toner friendly". Ilford's RC paper won't show strong toning effects. So, the best answer is experiment a lot, with a specific negative to see what happens. Make identical prints from an easy to print negative and test different dilutions and time to see what happens.

[jerry lebens]

The concentration depends on the effect you wish to achieve ; whether you're trying to get a radical colour change, mildly intensify the image or merely achieve archival permanence. I'm not familiar with the Moersch brand but the general rule is low concentrations for archival permanence, high ones for colour change and low to moderate concentration for intensification.

If you're trying to intensify a print the effect can be very subtle and sometimes hard to spot, especially with the long times involved at low concentrations. In this case the best way to use selenium is to compare the print being toned to a second untoned (wet) print in a separate dish - regularly turning your eyes away from both prints in order not to become too accustomed to any changes.

Make sure you're in a well ventilated room, there's a strong smell of ammonia whilst selenium toning, and remember that selenium is poisonous if absorbed through the skin. Don't use it without tongs and latex gloves.

Good luck!
Jerry

[stradibarrius]

After the toning should i wash the print again and then let it dry?

[jerry lebens]

Yep.

[Mark Fisher]

Regarding concentration, as others have said, it depends on the effect you want. Particularly with lith, it also depends on the paper.

If you were using Kentmere or Kodak, I'd recommend starting at 1:50 and tone for 5 minutes or so. If you don't see much progress, try 1:25 etc.

I've never used Moersch, but maybe start at half or a quarter of the recommended concentration and work from there.

[Mike1234]

I would outline the archival procedures I used 26 years ago but most here would call it overkill... so I'll not. Suffice it to say it was absolutely bullet-proof if you display or store your final prints properly.

[stradibarrius]

Well just to let you know the results. I used a 1:50 dilution. Let the Ilford MGIV RC print soak in water for about 3 min. and the about 10 min in the Selenium. I was able to get a small intensification of the blacks. It helped the print have a bit more pop...I think that this process could, with the right print, be a worthwhile process...
As most of you told me the effect was slight but I had to try it myself and see what happened.