INSTRUCTIONS
Prescysol Warmtone Paper Re-Developer is supplied as two parts – bleach and developer. All black and white silver prints can be processed to increase the D-max, contrast, and produce a warm, sepia-like tone ranging from quite subtle to fairly strong. As always, FB papers react more than RC papers, but all papers will re-develop to a warm tone with increased contrast.
Method
You can use freshly produced prints, or existing prints from your portfolio. Soak a dry print for a minute or so, then squeegee to remove excess water, and submerge in the bleach, agitating constantly. The image will start to disappear until a pale biscuit-coloured image is left. Now give the print a wash. (Extended washing at this point can degrade the image). Running water, (the tap) will clear the bleach quicker –but it is important to remove the orange colour entirely from the print. Now immerse the print in the developer, agitating constantly. The image will appear quite quickly, but develop for a full 2 minutes to allow the blacks to develop completely. Remove the print and re-fix immediately in any standard fixer then wash as normal.
The print is now also available for further toning; selenium at 1:3 will produce luscious, rich dark brown tones in the shadows, glowing lighter tones in the midtones and highlights. Selenium at different concentrations gives different tones. Experiment to find which you prefer. Further toning in gold will cool the tones, but preserve the colour and the contrast. The prints will be archivally safe.
Mixing
Developer – add the contents of one of the packs to 1 litre of room temperature water (20 degrees or so) and stir until completely dissolved. (The two packs of developer are the same – we just give you two lots!)
Bleach – add the contents of the bottle to 900 ml water and stir thoroughly. Usual precautions apply; wear gloves and wash any splashes from the skin immediately. Store in a suitable container. The bleach has an extremely long life, and can be re-bottled and used for up to 1 year. The developer will exhaust sooner, possibly in twelve hours depending on throughput, but replacement developer can be purchased separately when required – E-mail when needed. Stored in an air-tight bottle the used developer can be re-used for some days. Discard when it goes dark brown or does not tone anymore.
Caution; treat all chemicals with caution and keep out of the reach of children. Do not store chemicals in bottles designed for drinks, eg lemonade bottles. Use gloves during 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 spills immediately and wash with plenty of 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 full 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.