> I too have tried the various formulas for toning cyanotype. As far as I
> have found, the only one that really works is lead acetate which gives
> you a deep colbalt blue. The brown toners give a sickly brownish color
> which I consider very undesirable.
> R.W.Schramm
>
Would you post the lead acetate formula that you liked? The one I tried
wasn't successful -- and I happen to have a pound of lead acetate in the
cellar.
Is it possible, however, that you haven't been reading my posts? That
"sickly brownish color" of cyanotype toned with tannic-acid/alkali is
due to, let's call it human error, and is not intrinsic to the process.
We toned cyanotypes this week at school and had many GLORIOUS prints --
rosy brown highlights, rich blue-grey shadows (by undergraduates who have
done cyanotype for only 3 weeks). Also, as I said, my neighbor will have a
show of toned cyanotypes opening in Tribeca (Wessel O'Connor) Nov. 17.
I saw some of his preliminary prints last week, and they, too, are glorious.
Here are some hints:
Assume that the toning will reduce density, so make the original blue
prints 1 or 2 stops too dark. An absorbent paper that has a reservoir of
color is probably easiest.
Do NOT overtone. We generally use a 2-bath formula -- a tannic bath and a
sodium carbonate bath, making them fairly weak. A minute or two in the
tannic, followed by a healthy rinse, then less than a minute in the
carbonate, another rinse and back briefly into the tannic usually
produces a rich split-toned print as above.
My own preference is for the split tone, but fine chocolate brown tones
are also readily attained by the rules above, just tone longer.
Incidentally, keeping the split tone is like bleaching with ferricyanide
-- you have to snatch it out of the toning bath and into a clean rinse
bath BEFORE it gets to the color you want. Chemical remains in the
paper & continues action in the rinse water for several seconds, which can
take you past the point of perfection.
And also incidentally, while on the subject of toning -- the blue toner
formula I posted for toning Van Dyke Brown prints is the same formula for
toning regular gelatine silver prints (factory paper) blue. That's what
you pay Berg & Brown $14 a litre for. About a penny's worth of chemicals.
Judy