Does anyone have any experience with the difference and relative merits of using either Agfa Sistan or Kodak Selenium for preservation & toning purposes on Illford MGIV RC prints? From reading through the previous posts on preserving RC papers it seems that selenium at 1:9 around 6 min will give a more "toning" effect, while using at 1:20 (and higher) for 15 min seems to be used more for preservation purposes and has little to no toning effect on RC. Although 15 min of soaking for RC seems excessive? Does the same hold for Agfa Sistan or is this used only for preservation purposes? If so, what dilutions and soak times are recommended? Finally, what are the merits of either on toxicity? I have read that Agfa Sistan is "safer"? I will be doing this outside with rubber gloves and tongs so this I presume is adequate?

-- bill zelinski (willy226@yahoo.com), September 15, 1999

Answers

I have never used Sistan, so you will just have to read the directions on the label. It is not a toner, so it will not affect the image. I would think that a couple of minutes in a dilute solution of Selenium toner would do the trick--I suspect that the 15 minutes you were quoted was for toning purposes. However, in the long run you will be much better off eschewing RC and printing on fiber base. After all the extra steps you have to go through to protect RC, and the extra chemicals necessary, is it really cheaper than FB?

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), September 15, 1999.

To my knowledge, Ilford RC paper will not undergo a change in tone from selenium. There is no reason to tone it for 15 minutes for preservation purposes. Five should be more than enough. Not that I disagree with the previous post, but fiber-based paper should also be selenium toned for protection. Sorry to say, but I know absolutely nothing about Sistan. (Be very careful about touching the face of the print with rubber gloves!)

-- Joe Miller (jmmiller@poka.com), September 15, 1999.

I have Selenium toned several Ilford RC prints at 1:20 for 5 minutes. There was a slight change from warm tone to a more neutral cold tone.

-- Don Sparks (Harleyman7@aol.com), September 16, 1999.

thanks all. Yes, yes, I know FB is what I will eventually wind up using but this is my first try at printing and while the images are not worth handing down to the grandkids I would like to have them for awhile as a document, maybe look back and laugh later. I will try some prints in both the Agfa Sistan and also with selenium 1:10 for maybe 3 to 6 min and report back.

-- bill zelinski (willy@yahoo.com), September 16, 1999.

OK, the results. With the Illford RC and the selenium at 1:10 I did notice a slight shift of print color at around 6-9 min. The overall effect seemed to be a very slight "deeping" of the image. The Sistan at 6-9 min however did not seem to have much effect. Went back the next day and compared some toned to untoned prints and yes, I think I prefer the toned prints overall. I'm not sure if this will drastically improve the lifespan of RC prints but its seems worthwhile doing.

-- bill zelinski (willy226@yahoo.com), September 20, 1999.

Sistan is only a silver stabilisator (don't know the english word), and it doesn't change the picture tone. Dilute Sistan 25 ml plus water to make 1 liter. Give the photos a bath in Sistan AFTER the final wash, wipe them with a window wiper and dry them. Do not use Sistan if you used a toner on the photos.

-- Patric in Sweden (jenspatric@mail.bip.net), September 26, 1999.