The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

130 THE DARKROOM COOKBOOK
Instructions for Sepia Intensifi cation These instructions can be used with any bleach and redevelop
sepia toner.
1. Re-fi x the negatives in rapid fi xer without hardener for 1 minute.
2. Wash the negative for 5 minutes.
3. Move to the A bath and agitate for 30 seconds every minute for 5 minutes.
4. Rewash the negatives until they are completely clear of the yellow bleach.
5. Move to the B bath. The negatives should be fully toned in 2 minutes.
6. Rinse the negatives for 1 minute then immerse in HCA for 3 minutes, with agitation.
7. Wash for 5 minutes.
8. Rinse in wetting agent, hang to dry.
Caution: Sodium sulfi de in solution smells like rotten eggs. The smell has been known
to cause some people to have headaches. Use in a well-ventilated area; outdoors works
just fi ne. Also, sulfi de can damage undeveloped sensitized materials such as fi lms and
papers in a darkroom. This is another good reason to use sepia toners outdoors.
Print Intensifi cation
Intensifying a print has two advantages:
1. If the print is weak, it will exhibit greater density and contrast.
2. In almost all instances the tonal quality will be improved. The resulting image will exhibit either
a rich, warm brown or a fi ner black than was originally obtained during development. The
degree to which this effect is achieved depends upon the type of developer, the strength of the
intensifi er, and the paper used.
Intensifi cation is also a good technique for paper negatives as it will strengthen the paper
transparency, or paper negative, for contact printing on enlarging papers.
Chromium Intensifi cation for Prints The technique is to bleach the print and then redevelop it in a
non-staining developer, just as you would for a negative. Slow chlorobromide and chloride
papers respond best to this technique. Cold-toned and bromide papers don’t respond as well
to chromium intensifi cation, but changes will occur. If in doubt, give it a try.
Selenium Intensifi cation Selenium toning causes a slight increase in print density, a form of intensifi -
cation that gives most prints a richer appearance. The increased density is more noticeable in
the shadow areas. If you want to use selenium toning on prints for longevity without noticeable
intensifi cation, compensate by reducing the development time of the print by about 10%.
Selenium toning should be done after fi xing and bleaching. If a non-hardening fi xer or
plain hypo has been used, the prints may be moved directly to the toner. If not then the
prints will need to be re-fi xed in a non-hardening fi xer, such as F-24. Immerse the prints for