Toning Ilford Warmtone fiber, selenium and ?

[Ulophot]

Many who use this paper may already know that its response to selenium toner ranges from lowest value intensification with the subtlest of green-reduction, to chocolatey browns, depending on dilution. But there is a tendency toward split-toning, probably due to the two different emulsions, which shows as increasing warmth in the low values while the lighter values remain relatively cooler. Please note that I am saying tendency. At some times and dilutions it is pronounced; in strong dilutions, such as 2:9 (the highest I've tried; I started with 1:19), the higher values tone distinctly, but then it's chocolate time, and at 2:9 for about 7 minutes, 70 degr. F, the lowest values do not intensify; if anything, density appears to decrease and a brown replaces black.

I don't really want a split toning effect for my work but like the Ilford VC papers, and Warmtone fiber especially, for my portraits.

In experimenting today, I found a dilution that takes me in the direction I want, with low to mid intensification combined, in this range, with the purpley-warm values characteristic of selenium. 7-9 minutes starts moving the high values in the same direction but then I find that I'd like to cool the lows and lower mids back down a bit.

I have never used two toners before, but perhaps there is a combination that might work well for what I want. Any suggestions?

[Duolab123]

I routinely use KRST 1:3. You can get D-max improvement in a couple of minutes. I have done, along time back a lot of gold/sepia, Se/sepia etc. Lot less papers to choose from. All the Ilford products are great. Get a toning book. There's a lot of combinations.

[koraks]

You could try a variable sepia toner, mix it for purple/brown tones, then do a light bleach on the print followed by sepia, rinse well, and then a selenium toning step.

[esearing]

Nelsons gold toner. It can move through a range of colors depending on time. It works across all tones so you may want to lock in some blacks with short dip in Selenium first then use the Nelsons. I like it for is reddish brown mid tones.

[Joe O'Hara]

It also depends, naturally, on the developer that you use. I like cool tones, but I also like the softness and tonality of MGW.

Starting with Steve Anchell's D-72 formula but replacing all of the KBr with 1.5% of 1% benzotriazole per liter, diluting
it 1:1, the print starts out pretty neutral before toning. Three minutes in 1:20 KRST at 75 F yields a nice cool tone
throughout the range with a purplish selenium cast in the low values. Currently, this is my idea of good.

The toner dilution above is strictly nominal, since I started with a 1:20 dilution but have been replenishing it with a half-ounce
or so of undiluted toner per 2 liters of solution for quite a while whenever the toning action gets too slow for my attention span.

[neil poulsen]

I've been using only warmtone glossy fiber, and I don't really care that much for the effect of Se toning. So, I use it a lower dilutions only to obtain it's influence on increasing print longevity.