Re: Selenium toners from scratch

Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Tue, 31 Oct 1995 22:10:20 -0500 (EST)

Hello list;

I'm asked for selenium toner from scratch formulas & respond to list in
case anyone has left-over selenium food supplement & wants to tone a
photograph in it (ha ha).

The one I used the most was a Kodak formula, gleaned no doubt from some
ancient Kodak publication, as I neglected to enter source on the card:

KODAK SELENIUM FORMULA T-55

(Direct toner, meaning you just immerse the print in it without any
pre-bleaching):

Dissolve 25 grams of sodium sulfite (anhydrous) in 100 cc hot water.
Add 1 gram selenium powder.
Boil til dissolved. Cool
Add 31 grams ammonium chloride. Stir. Add 67 cc water.

To use, dilute each part solution with from 5 parts to 9 parts water.

Immerse the print (wet or dry is OK) & rock til you like. Rinse maybe 10
minutes.

One time I ran out of ammonium chloride and used about half ammonium
bromide & it seemed to work OK. I imagine it might work with some
ammonium hydroxide and potassium bromide instead of the ammonium chloride,
those being more common chemicals, but maybe a chemist out there would
advise.

Hope nobody minds if I continue in another post. My ESP has a way of
abruptly wiping me out and this IS Halloween.

Judy