This is one of those areas of the web site that will be keep updated as often as I, come across interesting brews to make, amusing to realize the rummage around never ends.

Toning is essentially the conversion of black metallic silver into colored chemical dye . It can change the mood or feel of a given black and white image. Sepia toners are permanent & they protect the image from gradual environmental deterioration. And iron toners with its rich blue tones , are pleasing to the eye but not as stable or permanent.The Various papers grades and brands available in the photographic paper jungle all tend to react differently to toners. Paper developers also are another reason for the tonal variety that can be possible . Which is why a little paper testing is advisable. Keep a logbook of the results for present and future reference. Be sure the print is fully and appropriately fixed. Incorrectly fixed prints will frequently stain. Papers planned for toning should be even more carefully washed than average prints. Use a non hardening fixer. A print should at all times be washed after toning and then later air-dried.

SAFETY MEASURES ::.

::. The chemicals used for toning are amongst the most toxic in photography. If proper safety measures are followed there should be no more danger than in any other process.

::. Be sure to use gloves for all toner processes.

::. Be certain there is ample ventilation in the room and that ventilator fans are turned on. Toning takes place under normal working lights. Keep the workroom door open and if possible work out of the darkroom.

::. Keep all light sensitive material away from the toning area {film & paper}.

THE SPOON FORMULAS ::.

While teaching photography courses at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, one of the lessons learned was when things are not going easily due to yearly school budget restrains, space requirements (one darkroom with 9 enlargers) or simply too many students (40 at a time) to teach in a a limited timeframe. The spoon formulas came to the rescue.

For the purist out there wondering if this seemingly silly style of making & working with black and white darkroom dilutions ... is it worth bothering with ? hmmm well when you are in a rush or simply don't have a fancy a weighing scale trust me and give it a try .... as for me and my students they worked well, and gave us quite pleasing results.

Ansco 221 :: Sepia Toner ::. This toner is recommended for warm-brown sepia tones

SOLUTION 1 ::. Bleach Formula

Add cold water to make one liter.

SOLUTION 2 ::. Redeveloper Formula

Add cold water to make one liter
For use as described below, dilute 1 part Solution 2 with 8 parts water.

Please Note ::.

::. Be sure to use sodium sulfide, not sodium sulfite, in compounding the redeveloper. Also use clean plastic trays, free from exposed iron spots, especially with bleaching bath. Otherwise blue spots may form on prints. Prints should be washed thoroughly and then bleached in Solution 1 until the black image is converted to a very light brown color (about 1 minute).

::. Prints should then be washed for 5 to 10 [RC paper] minutes and redeveloped in diluted Solution 2. Redevelopment should be complete in about 1 minute.

::. After redevelopment the prints should be washed for about 30 minutes and then dried. If the toner should leave sediment which results in streaks or finger marks on the surface of the paper, the print should be immersed for a few seconds in a 3% solution of acetic acid, after which a 10 minute washing is necessary.

Bleach ::. Reducing Bath ::. 1 : 5 ::. Discard the diluted version after use

SPOON FORMULA ::.

SOLUTION 1 ::. Bleach Formula

Potassium Ferricyanide 4 Tablespoons ::. leveled ::. 50 grams
Potassium Bromide 3 Tablespoons ::. leveled + 1 Teaspoon ::. heaped ::. 50 grams

Mix the chemicals for the Bleach in 750 ml of water .Afterwards add more water to bring level to 1000 ml ::. 1liter
To use a dilution ratio of 1: 5 is recommended which can vary if the need be . One part bleach to five parts water -an example would be 200 ml to a 1000 ml of water .One can increase or decrease the amount mixed according to print size and requirement.

SOLUTION 2 ::. Redeveloper Formula

Redeveloping Bath ::. 1 : 8 ::. Reusable

Sodium Sulfide 4 Tablespoons ::. 50 grams
Mix in about 700ml of water. Add more water if need be to make it 1000ml ::. 1 liter

Please Note ::.

::. Make sure that you are using Sodium Sulfide and not Sodium Sulfite.

::. keep the mixed and the unmixed Sodium Sulfide air tight containers since this chemical oxidizes very quickly which then it is of no use.

::. To use for toning mix one part stock toner solution to eight parts water. Although you may vary the toner proportion's for experimentation with different tones for your own individual tastes and requirement.

Step by Step Toning Procedure ::.

::. You will need 5 trays.

::. Fill 3 trays with water one with the diluted solution of the bleach and the other with the toner.

::. Arrange the trays in the following order ::. water bath ::. bleach ::. water bath ::. toner ::.water bath

::. Presoak the selected print in the first prepared water bath tray.

::. Remove the print from the water bath drain & transfer to the bleach tray and agitate till print reaches the required tone. Experimentation is a must to gauge the time that works best for your print. Although less than a minute is enough in the bleach bath it could easily be more or less .

::. Rinse well for at least a minute in the plain water tray .Transfer to the toner tray. Watch the print closely and pull it out when the necessary tones are reached

::. Lastly but not least. Thoroughly wash the print, since we are dealing with RC paper 5 to 10 minute is usually enough .

Ansco 241 Iron Blue Toner Formula (Producing brilliant blue tones) ::.

::. Add water to make one liter. Solution should be prepared with distilled water if possible. Prints for blue toning should be fixed in plain, non-hardening hypo bath, When prints have been fully tone in the above solution, they will be greenish in appearance, but will be easily washed out to a clear blue color when placed in running water.

::. The depth of the blue toning will vary somewhat with the condition of prints toned in it, light-toned prints generally toning to lighter blues. Some intensification of the print usually occurs in toning; as a result, prints should be slightly lighter than the density desired in the final toned print. Wash water should be acidified slightly with acetic acid, since the blue tone is considerably weakened when wash is quite soluble in alkaline solutions and water is alkaline.

::. Pleasing variations in the tone can be obtained by bathing the washed prints in a 0.5 % solution (5 grams per liter) of Borax, which produces softer, blue-gray tones, the extent depending on the length of treatment.

SPOON FORMULA ::.

::. Ferric Ammonium Citrate 1 Tablespoon & 1 Teaspoon ::. leveled ::. 8 grams
::. Potassium Ferricyanide 1 Tablespoon ::. leveled ::. 8 grams
::. Acetic Acid 28%. Prepare the 28% solution beforehand ::. 265 ml
::. Take 500 ml water & add the chemicals in the given order
::. Finally add water to make 1000ml ::. 1 Liter

Please Note ::.

Glacial acetic acid may be diluted to the 28% concentration by mixing 3 parts of glacial acetic acid with 8 parts of water.

::. This Formula should be prepared with distilled water.

::. When prints are fully toned they are greenish in color .You should wash them till you get true blue just right. But don't over do it.

::. Borax after bath is used to get varying intensities in the toned image. The intense blue color of blue toning can be muted by soaking the print (after the wash) in a 0.5% borax solution. Immerse the toned and washed print in the 0.5% borax solution in a plastic tray. The duration of the soak will determine the tonal change going from blue to gray-blue.

SPLIT TONING ::.

Split toning techniques are used to acquire different colours for the highlights and shadows of prints by using two toners one after the other. When toning, the highlights of the print are usually the first to change colour followed by the shadows. Thus a condensed time in the first toner starts the toning process and affects the highlights of the print. The second toner completes the toning process and affects the shadows of the print. By adjusting the time in the first toner, more or less of the tonal range of the print is affected by the first toner. As a guide, try reducing the toning time in the first toner to about 25% of the recommended time. Wash the print well before using the second toner. Tone the print in the second toner until the desired effect is seen.

A split tone effect with deep blue shadows and brown highlights may be obtained by first toning in sulfur-based toner such as Hypo-Alum Sepia, Brown, or Polysulfide Paper Toner (Kodak T-8), followed by an iron toner such as Iron Blue Toner. When you split-tone, what should happen is that the highlights take up the first color and the shadows take up the second color. The mid-tones take up both toners to varying degrees. This is the “crossover effect.”

A great read for further experiments and ideas can be found in the following article by Liam Lawless Tips & Tricks - Blue Toning

Books and Links for Referance ::.

Toning KODAK Black-and-White Materials
Photo-Lab-Index, Section 15, Supplement 172, p. 64. Sepia Sulfide Toner 221
Kit No. 06-0035 Photographers' Formulary # 800-922-5255.
The Darkroom Cookbook, Stephen G. Anchell, p.160.
Split-Toning: Background and Historical Antecedents Jonathan Bailey defines split-toning and tells its history.