selenium toning film

[richard conely]

when selenium toner is used on your film, at what point in the film developing do you

use the the toner?

[Henry Friedman]

In one place in his book, The Negative, A.A. states that the negative should be placed in selenium after the fix, hypo cleared after the toner, then washed. In another, he recommends toning after the wash, and then rewashing after the toner. Clearly, the selenium must follow the fixer, and I would certainly use hypo clear (and wash) following the toner, which contains thiosulfates.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Richard,

I do not routinely use selenium toner on film. However, there are rare instances when I need to use Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner in order to slightly increase the contrast of a thin negative. I use it at a 1:2 dilution with distilled water for about 5 minutes, with constant agitation. I use this technique after the negative is completely fixed and washed, and most of the time, after the negative has been dried. In those cases, I rewet the negative in plain water for a few minutes before the KRST treatment.

If you mix it with distilled water, and are careful not to contaminate the selenium solution with any other chemical, it can be filtered through a coffee filter and used over and over again. It lasts a long time that way.

I routinely treat all of my negatives with hypo clearing agent (Heico Permawash) during the washing procedure in order to be certain that all of the fixer is neutralized. If you are going to use KRST on a negative, or a paper print, it's a good idea to use a fixer that does not contain a hardener.

[james mickelson]

Selenium can be used at any time after fixing. You can tone part or all of the neg. It is used to create more density on the neg. But there has to be silver there to change to silver selenide. If dry, wet first and then emerse in selenium. I use it straight but it can be diluted 1:10 with water or fix.

[David A. Goldfarb]

When you've printed the negative and decided that it lacks sufficient contrast, one option is selenium toning. I wouldn't make it a routine practice, because then you lose the option of using it as an intensifier to increase contrast.

If the neg was fixed in a non-hardening fixer, you can tone it in KRST 1:3 for about 8 min. and get about a 1-stop expansion of values. If the neg was fixed in a hardening fixer, then you should refix it first in plain hypo, wash, and then tone.

[Brian Ellis]

You're operating under a misconception I think. You don't use the toner at any point during development of the film, you use it after the film has been fixed. .

[paulr]

I used to use selenium for my N+ development of negs. It has one advantage over increasing developing time: it doesn't increase the film grain. Other than that, there weren't any advantages that I could tell.

But whatever your reason, if you choose to do it, a simple way is to prepare an intensifying hypoclear solution. A dilution that worked for me is one part selenium toner to 8 parts working strength hypoclear.

If you do this you'll have to experiment with toning dilution and time to get the results you want. Don't reduce the time below what you've already determined you need to do for adequate hypoclearing.