Rookie Error? Tea toning cyanotype on arches platine

[JulieM]

I'm not too sure where i've gone wrong.

I did some test runs using a cheap watercolour paper and the standard/ original cyanotype recipe. I then left them for a few days before tea toning them, it took 20 minutes to get a nice result. My arches platine paper then arrived so I did the same tests using this paper.

I tried to tea tone the arches platine but had absolutely no change. The only difference between the cheap paper and the arches platine is that the cyanotype on the cheap paper was left to age for around a week, the arches platine went into tea toning straight from the wash stage. Should I have left it to age for a day or two?

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I toned some cyanotypes in tea. It's a very slow process. Maybe leave it in the tea for a bit longer?

[Barry S]

The Arches Platine is probably a bit more resistant to general staining than the cheap paper due to the internal and/or surface sizing used in the paper. For tea toning cyanos, I make a very strong tea mixture--6-8 teabags steeped for 10 minutes in a liter of very hot water. I tone cyanos immediately after washing, so I don't think aging is a big factor.

[JulieM]

I'm about to try again so i've leave for much longer. If I remember right, I was 6 teabags in 1 litre water so i've made it a little stronger too.

[daleeman]

I toned some cyanotypes in tea. It's a very slow process. Maybe leave it in the tea for a bit longer?

+1 on that, It too me 45 minutes or more to get one the way I liked it.

[Barry S]

My minimum toning time is also 45 minutes and up to a couple of hours. I accidentally left one in the tea overnight--and that one was really dark-toned!

[Loris Medici]

Julie, do you bleach before toning? [Bleaching is done in a mild washing soda (sodium carbonate) solution or any other mild alkali solutions (such as a little household ammonia)...] Bleaching the cyanotype prior to tannic acid / tea toning may give faster results (and different color), if you don't already do so...

[sly]

The type of tea makes a difference too. I compared 6 different teas, all steeped and the same image toned for the same length of time. The cheapest no-name brand tea was the worst. Red Rose - a common garden variety Canadian brand was my favorite.

[JulieM]

I tried again tonight. Nothing after 3 hours so i'm going to try another brand of tea. I've been getting great results from my test paper again but not with platine. I'm about to leave one in the tea tray overnight. So frustrating.

[JulieM]

Julie, do you bleach before toning? [Bleaching is done in a mild washing soda (sodium carbonate) solution or any other mild alkali solutions (such as a little household ammonia)...] Bleaching the cyanotype prior to tannic acid / tea toning may give faster results (and different color), if you don't already do so...

I tried sodium carbonate this evening as previously I didn't do any bleaching. Still nothing so going to try another tea.