Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12

Thread: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Rondo, Missouri
    Posts
    2,125

    Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    I have an opportunity to get some of this at a very good price and I want to make the most of it. In the viewing of actual prints over the years, I recall that there seemed to be a great deal of color variation between them. I'm assuming that is due to the paper that was toned. Is there a resource that will describe the differences between warm and cold toned papers when toned in gold? Does anyone here have some experience with that?
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    southwest,Virginia
    Posts
    211

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    There are many Gold toner recipes. Some give a cold blue black image some more of a reddish purple. Look here for a brief primer.https://www.moersch-photochemie.de/c...en/128/lang:en

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    now in Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    3,617

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    Not usually a fan of warm tones, but Nelson's gold toner has produced subtly beautiful results for me on several occasions. When my new darkroom is finished, I may try it again.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Rondo, Missouri
    Posts
    2,125

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    Thanks, guys. Mark, what I'm getting is the Photographer's Formulary version of Nelson. What kind of paper did you like with it? Andrew, thanks for that link. Not sure why it didn't come up for me with I googled gold toners.
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Rondo, Missouri
    Posts
    2,125

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    Also, does it have a shelf life? I am getting it from a local photographer who is getting out of darkroom work all together. I wanted to buy his Ilford 500 head, but it sold for too much at the auction. He didn't sell the chemistry so I'm dickering with him over it.
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    now in Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    3,617

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    It's been ten years at least... but I used NGT on Agfa Multicontrast Classic- that paper's replacement is supposed to be made by Adox. I've bought a box of that but haven't printed with it yet (unbuilt darkroom in new house). Agfa MCC had a very subtle warm tone- the NGT made it a little deeper and warmer. I thought that look went very well with low-key scenes- those prints had luscious dark tones.
    It was expensive then- and a PITA because it works at 100F- but I do hope to go back to it someday.
    If the kit hasn't been opened I'm sure it's still good.

  7. #7
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,337

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    You have to be more specific. I routinely use gold chloride to either achieve a true cold tone on neutral papers, or as the cold complement when split toning warm papers. Basically, I use a formula analogous to GP-1 at about a quarter the normal strength. There is no reason to waste gold chloride, and it takes remarkably little to get the job done. You mix up the separate A & B concentrates and store them in glass bottles. Then right before toning you take just enough of the two mixed concentrates and dilute them in plain water for that one particular toning session. I find that only 1/4 fluid oz each in about 24 oz of water will easily tone a days output of 16x20 keeper prints, say, six to ten of them. A $75 100ml bottle of 1% gold chloride typically lasts me an entire year. I never got along with Nelson's, so won't comment on that.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    South Carolina
    Posts
    5,505

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Tymon View Post
    There are many Gold toner recipes. Some give a cold blue black image some more of a reddish purple. Look here for a brief primer.https://www.moersch-photochemie.de/c...en/128/lang:en

    Gold toner formulas can give virtually any tone desired. But for archival purposes it is important to understand that toning a silver halide emulsion with gold to completion should result in a cool bluish black image tone. A reddish purple look results from replacing a smaller percentage of the silver metal with gold.

    See my article on toning vandyke prints for an idea of how toning to completion of a silver metal print with gold should look. http://www.sandykingphotography.com/...riting/vandyke

    Sandy
    For discussion and information about carbon transfer please visit the carbon group at groups.io
    [url]https://groups.io/g/carbon

  9. #9
    Philippe Grunchec's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Paris (France, not Texas)
    Posts
    369

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    Nelson was Paul Strand's favorite toner.
    "I believe there is nothing more disturbing than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept!" (Ansel Adams)

    https://philippe.grunchec-photographe.over-blog.com/

  10. #10
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    4,728

    Re: Getting the best out of Gold Toner

    According to my lab notes, the very first print on this page https://www.spiritsofsilver.com/gall..._white_gallery entitled Japanese Lantern Monument was printed either on Ilford MGWT and developed in Ilford warm tone developer OR Oriental WT Fibre and developed in Dektol. I printed both for a Christmas gift exchange at work but only toned one in Nelson's. At the time I decided that the untoned version was best and mounted and gave that one away. But several months later the toned version appealed to me and I mounted it and now have on display. My notes doesn't indicate if it was the one on the Ilford paper or the Oriental. The negative was Fuji Acros with a 250mm Imagon.

    Thomas

Similar Threads

  1. Gold-thiourea toner getting muddy
    By terra_monk in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 15-Aug-2016, 18:52
  2. selenium toner: the fool's gold toner
    By olive92 in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 14-May-2016, 01:18
  3. Platinum Toner Contaminated with Gold Toner?
    By tgtaylor in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 3-Nov-2012, 11:27
  4. Gold Toner
    By Yaakov Asher Sinclair in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 3-Apr-2001, 17:36
  5. Nelson Gold Toner
    By Kevin Kemner in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 24-Jan-2001, 09:20

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •