Yes, selenium toner works pretty well for toning POP prints. You have to
watch the toning process carefully, as the prints tone rapidly. If left to
tone too long, the colors achieved are quite unattractive, and as in all
toning processes, one must allow for the dry-down effect. However, as you
say, one can practice with many prints for the price of a very few gold toned
prints.
My experience has been with Kodak Studio Proof, discontinued many years ago.
I just openned my last 100 sheets of this paper, having ordered two thousand
sheets when Kodak announced it was stopping production. I've kept the boxes
in a deep freeze in lead foil packages. I'll be trying the Chicago Albumen
Works POP soon.
I've also been successful in making my own gelatin POP from outdated commercial
papers developing-out papers. Fix the paper well in a non-hardening plain
thiosulfate bath (I use two in succession), then in hypo eliminator, wash
extremely well, air dry, and then sensitize same as salted paper. You have to
experiment - some gelatin coatings seem to be hardened too much, but most I have
tried work satisfactorily. I have only tried fiber-based papers, not RC.
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