In addition to my previous question about selenium toner, bear in mind that I've diluted the toner at a 1:30 so as not to see a tone change, therefore I wouldn't be able to judge the life of the toner based on the tone change. There-in lies my dilema. Are there other ways to determine the shelf life????

-- Debbie Hilaire (dhilaire@serix.com), March 23, 1999

Answers

You will probably find that a selium-toned print can't be bleached by bromide/ferricyanide bleach (or Farmer's reducer). In that case, you can test for exhaustion by toning a scrap print, and seeing whether you can then bleach it.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), June 07, 1999.

To enhance shelf-life I suspect it would be wise to use demineralised or destilled water to dilute (and use a refrigerator shelf instead of a normal shelf).

-- Lot (lotw@wxs.nl), June 07, 1999.

Regarding the refridgerator: Do, of course, observe proper safety precautions, and ensure no-one could accidentally drink the stuff.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), June 08, 1999.