The prints are now placed one by one face downwards in the toning-bath, great care being taken that each print is thoroughly saturated with the toning solution, and that no two are allowed to stick together. When about half a dozen prints are in the toning-bath the lowest is drawn from under the others. It is placed on the top face upwards for a moment to enable the colour to be judged of when it is again turned face downwards, and the one which is now at the bottom is similarly treated. Before this has gone on for many minutes it will be observed that the colour of the print begins to change. It becomes gradually browner and browner, and eventu ally turns to a purplish colour, and, if the process be allowed to go far enough, to a slaty gray colour.
It depends upon the taste of the operator at what stage the process is to be stopped. At one time almost all photographers preferred to get a deep purple colour in their prints, and allowed the toning process to go very far. At the present time most prefer a light brown colour, the most admired tone of all being an approach to sepia. When the desired colour is reached in the case of any print it is lifted from the toning solution and is placed face downwards in the salt-water dish. Another print may at the same time be taken from the left-hand dish.
The time which toning takes, if the bath is correctly mixed, varies from five minutes to fifteen or twenty. The best results are got when it is taking from ten to fifteen minutes. We have mentioned half a dozen prints as a good number for the beginner to have in his dish at one time, but when he gains confidence in himself, and has acquired the little skill necessary to enable him easily to turn over the prints without the likelihood of tearing them, he may have a much greater number of prints in his dish at one time. During toning the prints should be kept in constant motion.
When all the prints are toned, they have to be washed. This is best done in the same manner that was described for the untoned prints. Ten minutes of washing is suffi cient at this stage. After this washing then comes fixing. The fixing solution is mixed as follows :— Hyposulphite of soda . . 21 ounces.
Water, up to . . 1 pint.
This is placed in one of the dishes, and the prints are placed in it one by one. After all have been placed in the fixing solution, they are turned over, the bottom one being raised to the top, as described before. This may be done once or twice, after which the prints may be left at rest in the solution for quarter of an hour. After once they are in the fixing solution, it is of no conse quence whether they lie face downwards or face upwards.
It will be noticed that besides the change of colour which takes place in the toning-bath, there is a general reduction of the darkness of the print both in the ton ing and in the fixing-bath. When the prints are first placed in the fixing-bath there is likely to be an almost complete loss of tone, but in a few minutes there will be a return of the colour.
Any hyposulphite of soda left in the prints will in fallibly produce fading. It is for this reason necessary to have recourse to very thorough washing to get rid of all trace of the fixing solution.
When a sufficient stream of water can be had, it is a common practice to let the prints remain in a large vessel of water with a constant stream through it. An -other plan is to pour water on the prints in a large vessel, and to change this every half hour. In either case this process is usually continued from twelve to twenty-four hours. There are various ingenious auto matic washing appliances whereby prints may be very thoroughly washed in a much briefer space of time than this, and there is a great advantage in this brief washing, inasmuch as the very long washings mentioned appear to cause a slight deterioration in the colour of the print. If the amateur has patience to continue for an hour the process of washing by transferring the prints from one dish to another, he will get as good a result as can be got by any other means. But all the trouble may be saved by using the washing apparatus, which we illustrate here, and which will be found fully described in our advertising columns.
In this apparatus the system of inflow and outflow of the water is such that the prints circulate continually in the trough, neither ct•ling up nor sticking together, so that the washing is very thoroughly performed in a comparatively brief space of time.
After washing is finished, the prints have next to be dried; then they are finished. Some place them between sheets of ordinary white blotting-paper, but this is not a safe proceeding, as hyposulphite of soda is often used in paper-works in an "anti-chlor,"—that is to say, as a means of getting rid of the chlorine which has been used to bleach the paper. As a consequence, hypo may be transmitted to the prints, which may fade. What are known as drying boards may however be used, and this is the.very best way of drying prints. A drying board is a piece of very thick, stiff, and smooth blotting-paper, the surface of which is free from all "fluff," and into the composition of which there enters no "hypo." Next to the use of drying boards the best method of drying prints is to spread a clean sheet or table-cloth on a table or floor, and to place the prints face upwards on it, having previously drained off such water as will run from the surface.
Various Toning-Baths.
The borax toning-bath which we have described above gives with us at all times excellent results, and has the great advantage that it is ready for use immediately after it is mixed. Either of the following baths will, however, also give excellent results, and may be pre ferred by some. The first is perhaps the best bath of any to use if purple tones be desired. The second is a very good one, where very warm or light browns are wished.