The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

118 THE DARKROOM COOKBOOK
Toning: Workfl ow, Pitfalls, Choices and Preferences
Tim Rudman
There really is nothing inherently diffi cult about toning.
But there are many different toners out there, and as most can be used either singly
or in a number of permutations with a range of papers, which in turn can react to toners
differently, there is considerable potential for confusion or catastrophe. So it pays to
keep things simple and become thoroughly familiar with a few basic combinations, adding
more as experience grows.
The pre-toning workfl ow is vitally important, for it is a fact that many of the toning
blotches, splashes, streaks, fi ngerprints, and other unwelcome surprises that can appear
out of nowhere in the toning bath are caused before you ever reach for the toner, and
although you may get away with overworked chemicals and sloppy technique for
untoned black and white prints, these indulgences will come back to haunt you at many
of the toning stages. With a little care and diligence these pitfalls are easily avoided.
Fresh chemicals, full, even and timed development, no fi ngering or poking in the
image area, full, (but not excessive) fresh fi xing without hardener must be the order of
the day, avoiding cross contamination, chemical splashes, and ensuring prints do not lie
overlapping in any of the solutions. (I am no longer surprised at workshops when I see
people leaving orphaned prints half forgotten, stacked up stewing in the fi xer. It’s such
a shame to see them ruined at the toning stage after all the work to get them there!)
Toning processes that involve a bleaching action are especially likely to unmask poor
processing technique, so remember, “Cleanliness is defi nitely next to (toner) godliness.”
Of the various ways of classifying toners, archival vs. non-archival is a useful and simple
starting point. Of the archival toners, polysulfi de (smelly!), sepia (smelly or non-smelly
varieties), gold, and selenium are the most common. They are all available in commercial
kit form and are very easy to use. Apart from those using a bleach stage, when used
alone they give more restrained color changes with many papers than do their non-archival
counterparts, which can produce strong and even vivid colours. Iron blue and copper
red or brown are the most widely available of these, with titanium and vanadium yellow
being obtainable in the Fotospeed Palette kits. These can give a wonderful range of
greens when used with iron blue.
Toning combinations too many to mention are possible with most toners, regardless
of classifi cation, although particular “rules of engagement” may apply with some
combinations. My own favourite choices depend on (1) the purpose of the print (for
sale or collection), (2) the printing process (lith prints may tone idiosyncratically or
more colourfully with the archival toners), and (3) the nature of the image (or the other
works in that set) and my mood at the time. So describing my “favorite” is like being
asked which one record would I take to a desert island.
When using archival toners, I most commonly use sequential combination
toning rather than a single toner, especially selenium � gold, selenium � sepia,