Re: Toner
Luis Nadeau (nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca)
Tue, 28 Apr 1998 15:30:04 -0300
At 12:44 PM -0400 98/04/27, Carl Weese wrote:
>Bob,
>
>The really short take is this: toning "guilds" the silver in your print
>with another substance.
>
>Almost any other substance is less susceptible to deterioration than
>silver (how often did your mother have to polish the silverware? Every
>time it was to be used, right?) so the print is more archival if the
>silver is treated. Selenium is often used when the appearance of the
>print should remain the same but a protective treatment is desired. With
>some papers selenium will also make a substantial visual effect. Gold
>toning changes color and greatly enhances permanence. Sepia toning is
>usually done primarily for the visual effect but I think it has some
>slight beneficial effect for permanence. You can even tone with
>platinum, for enormous archival effect, but it would be easier and
>cheaper to make a platinum print in the first place.---Carl
--------------
The most archival methods are sepia and selenium toning. Gold is not as
good and platinum toning, which replaces silver for platinum, leaves a
significant amount of silver which, with Ilford papers anyway, is more
vulnerable than straight, untoned silver prints.
The above was verified empirically by Ilford back in the days when "we"
were working on a new paper with superior archival qualities -later named
Galerie.
Luis Nadeau
NADEAUL@NBNET.NB.CA
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/nadeaul/