Coffee, Tea, and Reed Dyes As Toners

[jnantz]

i was wondering if others have used coffee, tea and reed dyes as toners? can anyone tell me about how using this kind of toner effects the archival-ness of fiber prints? i have some images that i toned with tea and others with reed dye 15 years ago, and they still seem fine. i would rather use "natural dyes" than nasty chemicals.

thanks

[Chad Jarvis]

I know for certain that Sally Mann has experimented thoroughly with coffee and tea for toning and claims that they have proven to be archival in her experience.

[Pat Kearns]

I used coffee on fiberbase paper over 25 years ago and haven't seen any damage yet. The aroma of coffee sure beats the stink of sepia toner.

[Scott Hamming]

I can't speak to the archival quality of coffee, though I recently tried espresso (some year old stuff in the freezer) on Ilford Multigrade IV and was not impressed with any of the "toning" times I used. Might be worth experimenting with some of the Berg colors, however.