Calumet Print Washer help needed

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

I recently acquired a used Calumet 16x20 print washer, which is in decent shape, with one exception: the cylinders on the inside of the washer (not the flexible tubes on the outside) which distribute the water into the print chamber have many small cracks in them, some of which leak a little water into the overflow compartment.




What would have caused these tubes to crack this way?

I had the thought of maybe removing the external tubing, drying out the chambers, and then using a long swab with some epoxy to repair the cracks from the inside. I would use toothpicks in the exit holes to avoid accidentally sealing them. Does anyone have any advice/experience on something like this?

Thanks for your help. If I can get this thing back in business it would really speed up my workflow.

 

[Captain_joe6]

Plexiglas has a tendency to become brittle over time and via exposure to a number of elements, and crazing like this is not uncommon. Your options would be to:

A) Do nothing, and this may very well be viable since its leaking into the overflow and should have no effect on the wash itself

B) attempt a spot repair similar to what you've described, though you would have to make sure you have adequate access to everything in order to get just the right amount of adhesive where it needs to be, and none where it doesn't.

C) Consider replacing the entire assembly, with guidance from a company like Tap Plastics (don't know if they exist in your area)

The biggest things to consider at this point are wether this is a repair that needs to be made, and wether the materials you commonly have access to are appropriate for such a repair. Many plastics do just fine with some adhesives, and not so well with others (IE, some adhesives will chemically melt some plastics). I wouldn't move ahead on anything until you've done some more digging and found out exactly what material you want to use for your repair, if you deem it necessary.

 

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

To close the loop here, I did use 100% silicone clear sealant, which is labeled aquarium safe. I piped it into the inlet chambers using the long nozzle that comes on the tube, then inserted a chopstick with a q-tip taped to it, and gently smeared the insides of the chamber. After wards, I used a toothpick to poke out the holes where the water comes out in case I had blocked them. It set up for two days, and now works perfectly, with no leaks.