It is important, as with any toner, that the print is fixed properly, in fresh fixer, and washed completely, especially FB prints. If unsure, always re-fix and wash before toning. Any residual fixer left in the print by incomplete washing will combine with the bleach to form Farmer’s Reducer; prints so affected will not redevelop in the toner completely and the highlights are likely to be washed out or remain bleached.
The bleach as mixed will be very strong. We recommend that you further dilute the bleach to achieve an average, complete bleaching time of around 5 minutes. Different papers bleach at different speeds, warm tone fibre papers bleaching faster than cold resin papers.
Experiment with bleaching. Usually, a short, partial bleach, just removing the highlights, then toned, will leave the shadows darker and give more depth to the print (‘Split’ toning). MP3 sepia can also be combined with other toners, notably blue, selenium and gold. Use MP3 sepia first, wash, then tone in the chosen second toner. A sepia/blue split will have highlights ranging from yellow to brown with blue/black shadows, and touches of green where the crossover occurs. Gold on sepia will change the colour of the sepia to shades of yellow/gold/orange, depending on the intensity of the sepia and the time in the gold toner. The bleach can also be used alone to produce warm tone prints. Dilute the bleach to produce a very weak mixture (the strength will depend on the print) The print will start to change colour before any bleaching starts to show. You should also increase exposure by, say, 10%, to compensate for a little bleaching and to protect the highlights. Try also following Selenium with sepia bleach. Tone a print in selenium at 1:10 for 10 minutes. Wash, then immerse in the bleach. Because selenium is archival, the bleach will only change the colour of the print without reducing it.
After bleaching, wash the print until the yellow stain has gone. DO NOT OVER-WASH AT THIS POINT. Over-washing can degrade the highlights. Immerse the print in the toner for 1 minute, then wash as normal.
Mixing
Add the contents of the bleach packet to 1 litre of water. This can be further diluted as required. Add the contents of the bottle marked ‘Toner’ to water and make up to 1 litre. The toner activator is now added to the toner. Varying the amount of activator will affect the colour of the final tone; less activator making a lighter colour, and more (up to the full bottle) making a darker tone. Experiment, starting with a small amount of activator and increasing until you reach the colour you prefer. (You could pour half the toner into another bottle and have two toners of different strengths. 500ml of toner will easily tone a 16x12 print.) Both the bleach and the toner have an extremely long life and can be stored for re-use.
Caution; treat all chemicals with caution and keep out of the reach of children. Do not store chemicals in containers designed for drink or food. Use gloves during mixing and use, and wash splashes from the skin immediately. In case of contact with the eyes, wash with plenty of fresh water and seek medical advice. Wipe up any spills immediately and wash with fresh water.
Liability
No liability is accepted by the producer or supplier of this product except for the value of the product itself if faulty. Expressly, no liability is accepted for any consequential loss or injury howsoever caused. The producer/supplier will be pleased to replace the product or refund the purchase price provided the faulty product is returned within 30 days of purchase. Use of the product implies acceptance of these conditions.
Copyright Peter Hogan.