5x7 print washer?

I have the Versalab 11x14 and 16x20 washers; they work well. The 11x14 is reasonable too for when I have a decent stack of 8x10's to wash. But sometimes I like to print small, on 5x7 paper, and even the 11x14 is way overkill for that. Because of the size of the tub it uses far more water than is needed by the paper, and filling and emptying it at the beginning and end are wasted time and effort if I don't need that much volume.

On occasion I've used my Kodak tray siphon. But while it works well for quick RC washes, it's labor intensive and physically fatiguing for a long FB wash as it requires leaning over the sink and constantly fussing to keep the prints from clumping together.

IIRC Alistair Inglis used to make washers in various sizes, but it looks as though he has shut down.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Maybe you can use 5x7 film hangers for your prints in your 11x14 or 16x20 washer? you can also cut one of those large laundry soap plastic jugs to make a small wash tank. All you have to do is to poke holes on the bottom and put your 5x7 film hangers in it. I made a film washer that way and all you have to do is put it under the faucet.

I have an old Paterson 8X10 print washer.

I just use a wash tub that I poked holes in at the bottom and then about 4 inches up. I put it under the bathtub faucet and turn it on low; it seems to do the job well; 2 minutes for RC and 30 for FB with a pre-wash 5 minute soak in Ilford Washaid.

In follow-up, from what I can discern, the current state of washing FB prints suggests it's more about soaking than water flow. Therefore, it seems to me that the expensive archival washers might be overkill. I'll eventually have to do some testing to prove the simple wash works, but it certainly seems to get the job done, with minimal water use. My faucet is really only on a trickle.

se if you can find an older zone VI washer...this was a large washer with inserts for 5x7 film or prints...no idea what they called it

Thanks all for weighing in!

Mainecoonmaniac said:

Maybe you can use 5x7 film hangers for your prints in your 11x14 or 16x20 washer?

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No need, they go straight in like larger prints. The problem is that it's way overkill to use a washer with such a large tub for such small prints. Also, I'd be wary of using hangers with FB prints, both because the paper is very vulnerable to damage when wet, and because it would likely mess up the flow patterns and potentially result in an uneven wash.

PhxMedFormatPhotog said:

I just use a wash tub that I poked holes in at the bottom and then about 4 inches up. I put it under the bathtub faucet and turn it on low; it seems to do the job well; 2 minutes for RC and 30 for FB with a pre-wash 5 minute soak in Ilford Washaid.

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What I need is a washer that can run unattended while still keeping the prints properly separated. If I put all the prints in a tub with holes, they'll clump together. If I'm willing to spend the time and effort to tend to the wash continuously, I can just use my tray siphon.

PhxMedFormatPhotog said:

In follow-up, from what I can discern, the current state of washing FB prints suggests it's more about soaking than water flow.

Click to expand...

You should read this, if you haven't already:

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=296

PhxMedFormatPhotog said:

Therefore, it seems to me that the expensive archival washers might be overkill. I'll eventually have to do some testing to prove the simple wash works, but it certainly seems to get the job done, with minimal water use. My faucet is really only on a trickle.

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Yes, it's possible to do an adequate wash with minimal water, using extended soaking and periodic water changes. But it's labor- and time-intensive, which is part of the problem I'm trying to avoid.

Peter Schrager said:

se if you can find an older zone VI washer...this was a large washer with inserts for 5x7 film or prints...no idea what they called it

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Thanks, I'd forgotten about that insert. Will investigate further!

PhxMedFormatPhotog said:

In follow-up, from what I can discern, the current state of washing FB prints suggests it's more about soaking than water flow. Therefore, it seems to me that the expensive archival washers might be overkill. I'll eventually have to do some testing to prove the simple wash works, but it certainly seems to get the job done, with minimal water use. My faucet is really only on a trickle.

Click to expand...

Year ago David Vestal had an article in Photo Techniques saying the diffusion is what does the work, no running water needed.
A small aquarium with film hangers might do.

Brainstorming about solutions here:

Find a good used 8x10 washer (Paterson or the like; I think 10x12 is the overall size). That'll take a lot less water. eBay likely has a few and new they're about $150.

Build yourself something. I made a perfectly good film/print washer with a plastic tub and some monofilament strung as spacers. I sealed the holes on mine, but that's not even necessary if it sits in the sink. A couple holes on the bottom and run water from the top till it barely overflows and you've got the right flow rate.

Print two 5x7s on one 8x10 sheet so you have bigger sheets to wash.

The time-consuming solution: shuffle your prints between two trays with running water for 30-45 minutes. No extra equipment needed, but a lot more work.

That's about all I can think of at the moment...

Doremus

Peter Schrager said:

se if you can find an older zone VI washer...this was a large washer with inserts for 5x7 film or prints...no idea what they called it

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Their 8x10 archival washer would work I’ve had one for some 30 years. Also have their 11x14 and 16x20 washers but the 810 gets most of the use!

5x7 film hangers and a 1 gallon 5x7 hard rubber tank?

Fill it with water, wait 5 minutes, dump and repeat?

I use a 8x10 print washer . I fill it and use a Noritsu pump to circulate water. I run for 5-10 minutes , dump the whole thing and refill.

Let diffusion do it's thing

The rate of flow of the diffusing substance is found to be proportional to the concentration gradient. The scent of a flower quickly fills the air in a perfectly still room.

Mike

mshchem said:

The rate of flow of the diffusing substance is found to be proportional to the concentration gradient. The scent of a flower quickly fills the air in a perfectly still room.Mike

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Don't you just love particle physics! Just LOVE IT!!

If you want to build your own, I recollect being told that prismatic diffusion material from lighting/ building suppliers seems pretty close to what some (Nova?) washers use as their spacers, once you have something like that, then the rest is arguably just fabricating a suitable shell to hold them.