Selenium toners

Because gold and silver salt toners are very expensive, selenium toners in diluted, commercially prepared form are presently used. If the toner is heated, poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas can be released. 

The reason not to use hardener is that it makes it more difficult for fresh fixer to penetrate the surface of the emulsion, and hardener is itself difficult to wash out of paper. The two most noticeable results are that fixing time is extended, even doubled, and some toners, such as selenium toner, will have an adverse reaction to hardener resulting in stains or uneven toning. 

Those that convert the silver image into silver selenide (Formulas Toners Dassonville T-55 Direct Selenium Toner). 

Purplish to reddish-browns are usually the result of using some form of selenium or copper. Several formulas are commercially available. Among them are Berg Selenium Toner and Brown CopperToner , Ilford Selenium Toner , and Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner . 

For those who wish to mix their own selenium toner, I have included Dassonville T-55 Direct Selenium Toner, Dassonville T-56 Bleach and Redevelop Selenium Toner, and Flemish Toner (Formulas Toners Selenium Toners). The latter two are both bleach-and-redevelop selenium toners. The advantage to mixing your own is that it is possible to obtain colors not possible with the commercial products. The disadvantage is that selenium in powder form is highly toxic and all three formulas require heating to dissolve the selenium powder which poses the further risk of inhaling fumes. Only mix selenium toner in a well-ventilated area or outdoors and wear a face mask rated for hazardous chemicals. 

There are two types of toner that can be used to completely convert metallic silver. The first are sulfide/hypo alum toners which can be used to completely and uniformly convert the metallic silver to silver sulfide. The second are selenium toners such as Dassonville T-55. 

The sepia/sulfide/hypo alum toners are the most stable as the selenium toners will only protect the shadow areas, not the highlights, unless toning is taken to completion, in which case the entire print will take on a color/tone, which will depend on the paper used. 

Selenium toner converts silver bromide in the emulsion to selenide. Selenide is impervious to most environmental pollutants. Not only that, but selenide has a deeper maximum black than metallic silver, enhancing the richness of the shadows. 

Selenium begins by converting the densest areas of the print, then the mid-tones, and finally the areas of least density, the highlights. When used at dilutions of 1 19 or greater and a time not to exceed five minutes, selenium toner will not affect image tone with many papers.3 Unfortunately, recent tests indicate that selenium is a less than perfect archival toner,... 

The classic formula for gold protective toning is Kodak GP-1 Gold Protective Solution. Like selenium toner, GP-1 not only protects the print but causes a minimum color shift. What shift there may be is toward a slight blue-black that some photographers find pleasing. With some papers, GP-1 will also improve separation in the highlights. 

Distilled water, 500.0 ml Sodium carbonate, monohydrate, 160.0 g Kodak Brown Toner, 320.0 ml Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner, 80.0 ml Water to make 1.0 liter... 

AnselAdams used intensification to expand roll film negatives by at least one paper grade, or in Zone System parlance, N + 1. The intensifier he used was selenium toner diluted with water 1 2. His technique was to first re-fix the negative in plain hypo then soak the negative in selenium toner 1 2 for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Dilution ratios can vary from 1 9 to 1 39, depending on the toner and paper combination. To determine the correct dilution make five identical prints. One should be left untoned. The others should be toned for 5 minutes in different dilutions of selenium toner, 1 9,1 19,1 29, and 1 39. After washing check the four toned prints against the untoned print to determine the lowest dilution that can be used without a color shift. 

Some workers recommend mixing the stock selenium toner with a working solution of Hypo Clearing Agent. Others, such as Bruce Barnbaum, suggest that this will shorten the life of the toner. Bruce reasons that the useful life of HCA is approximately eighty 8 X 10" prints or equivalent films, and that the useful life of selenium toner is at least two hundred 8 X 10" prints or equivalent. When the HCA is exhausted the bath needs to be replaced, which is a waste of selenium toner and results in more selenium being introduced into the environment. 

Rinse the prints for three minutes in running water to extend the capacity of the selenium toner. 

Direct Selenium Toner (Courtesy of Judy Seigel)... 

This toning formula works similarly to Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner. 

As with Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner, 1 9 will produce a color shift towards red while greater dilutions, 1 19 and higher, will intensify the black areas of the print without altering the color. The amount of dilution is paper dependent. 

An alternative residual test solution can be made from a 10% solution of selenium toner concentrate. Use this solution in the same way as ST-1. Residual silver is indicated by a red stain. 

NOTE Prints previously toned in sulfide or selenium toner will not respond to this test because the residual silver has been toned together with the image. 

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