FIRST LESSON IN TONING.
Three or four prints being available, and the combined toning bath having been 1 oz. ; No. 3, 1 oz. ; No. 1 oz. ; mixing them in the order given. This bath will fix the print, and at the same time give tones from red to dark brown.
made up as described, the first attempt at toning may be made. For present pur poses, the fixing dish used in developing. well washed out, may be employed for toning, as the combined bath contains hypo., and contamination of the prints is therefore unlikely. For serious work, a separate set of porcelain dishes must be ob tained. Before pouring the toning bath into the dish, the prints should be washed. The dish is filled with clean water, and the prints immersed face downward, one at a time. They are kept moving about, to prevent them from sticking together, and after a few seconds the water is poured off, and the dish again filled. Three or four changes of water must be made, until the last to be poured away is free from all signs of milkiness. This operation is intended to remove the free silver nitrate, acid preservatives, and other soluble salts. The toning solution is poured into the dish and the prints immersed in this, rapidly separated, and kept in constant motion. by continually bringing the bottom print to the top. The prints will go at first to a dirty yellow colour, and lose depth considerably, but will shortly begin to ac quire a pleasing brown tone. A definite
time can hardly be given for this, as it depends considerably on the character of the negative from which the prints are ob tained, and several other factors. It should not take much more than ten or fifteen minutes. When a print assumes a satis factory warm brown colour, which can be ascertained by looking at the surface, it is removed and placed in a dish filled with clean water. With such a small number as four, the prints will most likely be finished at the same time, and may he removed all at once to the palm of the hand while the toning solution is poured off ; after which they are replaced in the dish, and washed under the tap, using a gentle stream of water, for one hour. It should be noted that 10 oz. of the toning mixture is sufficient to tone an ordinary shilling packet of paper. A smaller quantity, in the same proportions, should be used when only one or two prints are to be toned ; hut there must always be enough to cover the prints. The combined bath may in many cases be used again, until exhausted. though as a rule it is better to use a fresh bath each time. The prints will dry a shade darker than they appear when wet. They should be laid out, face upwards, on clean blotting-paper, and allowed to dry spontaneously.