Toning with tea

[oolongtea]

Toning with tea has been done for a long time, The only process I know of where tea works as a toner is cyanotypes, where I believe archival qualities might in fact be improved.Anyways innovative thinking by people that tea can be used somewhere else also.For more info about Tea & Tea products you all are welcome to my site http://www.mytealogic.com/

Thanks

[Ben Calwell]

I tried toning some old prints today in Lipton's tea -- three bags brewed in about 30 ounces of water.
The effect is not what I expected. In fact, I can barely tell they've been dunked in tea.
There's just a very, very, slight color change.
Is there a right or wrong way to tone with tea?

[Doug Howk]

Toning activity increases with temperature. I've toned for up to 25 mins in warm tea to get the effect I want. Tim Rudman's Toning Book has a chapter on tea.

[paulr]

Tea doesn't really tone prints, at least not in the ways that selenium, gold, and sulfur do. Tea acts as a stain on the paper base. It has no effect on the metal that makes up the image.

I've found tea toning useful in cases where the paper base was just too bright. A brief toning in tea could turn it into a natural white or warm cream color.

It's worked best for me on images that are already warm toned, either by virtue of the paper or of actual toning. Tea toning a cold-toned image gives really nasty looking results ... a blue-black image on a warm colored background.

[Richard M. Coda]

I don't know much about this topic, but one of my associates from Imageworks here in Phoenix (www.imageworks.org), Miguel Salhuana, has recently shown some tea stained cyanotypes... he seems to be the go to guy here in Phoenix. His website is under construction (re-design), but you can contact him through the site... he should have a wealth of info to share...
http://www.salhuana-studios.com/index.htm

[Ben Calwell]

Paulr, you're right. Of the old prints I submerged in tea, the warm tone prints took on the most color. My Azo prints didn't change very much at all.
I was underwhelmed by this darkroom adventure, but I did come away with an incredible urge for a cup of hot tea.

[oolongtea]

Hi guys
Tea not only can be used for drinking purposses but also for toning.You all probably have heard the phrase "what's old becomes new again". I got out the tea bags and created my own home brew. To my amazement it worked and to this day, the prints my customers purchased are still looking as good as day I printed and tea stained them. For more info check mytealogic.com

[NER]

Asked whether or ot the process was archival Dusard or his co-teacher Michael Schultz pointed to oriental papers toned with tea that had lasted a few thousand years.

That's amazing considering that the invention of photography wasn't announced until 1839.


N. Riley
http://normanrileyphotography.com/

[Murray]

Maybe I'm lazy, but I sure would like to know where the photo-info on tea is on Mr Oolong's website.

I REALLY don't want to express my impression it's just a sales pitch, but I haven't found anything related to tea toning or developing there yet.

If it's there, I apologize, but I would like a little help finding it please.

Thanks

Murray

[Jim Graves]

I heard someplace ... don't recall where now ... that toning with tea required the addition of vinegar ... sort of like dying Easter eggs. Anybody else heard that?