DIY Print Washer - The Basics

Hello everyone,

With prices being what they are, there's no way I'm going to buy a "real" print washer. Since my local pet store is getting ready to have a sale on aquariums and I'm thought about expanding my prints to FB paper eventually, I thought it would be a good time to start thinking about making my own print washer. I've only used one once before in a friend's darkroom. I remember there were some dividers inside, so that multiple prints could be washed at once.

Now I'm also guessing that dividers won't be my only requirement - I may need a hose for the inlet and outlet. Can someone explain the principles behind print washing, so that I know what I have to engineer?

Also, has anyone built something similar, and can you offer any recommendations?

I bought an aquarium, then glued in sheets of plexiglass on alternate sides. Piped in water from the sink using a hose from a chandlery connected to the sink with part of a sink sprayer from the dollar store. Drilled a hole at the bottom of the other end with a diamond saw and inserted a through hull fitting to seal it off, with a bit more tubing connecting it to the sink. I keep a piece of wood under one end to help the water drain.

I imagine getting good water flow spread throughout would be the biggest challenge? I could easily see a case where the water became largely stagnant in part of the tank.

there used to be a company out of ny state that made kits to transform an aquarium into a print washer ..
from what i remember it was just a fishtank ( you supplied that )
2 pvc tubs with slots cut in them ( one tube at each end of the tank )
plexi sheets to put film against / dividers that slide into the slots to keep them upright

fill the tank up with water ... and let the prints soak ...
use a hose as a syphon ( or drill for a clamped hose as dbp does ) to get rid of the water ..
fill up again, let soak .. drain
repeat until clean ...

I have a 20x24 Nova archival washer, but when doing, say 1 to 4 prints only, I'll use 5 min in Permawash and 5 min wash in a tray with a Kodak siphon.

As I understand it FB paper get washed by diffusion of fixer into the water. I save on a print washer by doing the following:
Fix 1
Fix 2
3 minutes in a water bath
3 minutes in HCA
Wash print under running water for a minute
Let soak in a tray filled with water for 10-15 minutes
Dump water and refill. Repeat 6 times.

I have toned FB prints washed this way in selenium and had no discoloration.

I'm sure when I get rich I'll reconsider and buy a Nova washer.

r

Mats

Find out what the aquarium, dividers, hose, hose fittings, glues etc will cost you, factor in your time if that is worth anything to you, then buy http://www.versalab.com/server/photo/products/washer1.htm

Seriously I dont want to discourage you from making one if thats what you want, but I do like my Versalab.

I built my own vertical print washer using an aquarium, see the link here or use the google search feature and type in "DIY vertical print washer"

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I have made some changes since my original design and if interested I will photograph and post.

my 11x14 version cost about $80 which is between a 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a Versalab and it was an enjoyable project to engineer, build and use.

From all of my reading on washing, it is less about water flow and more about the fix diffusing out of the paper which soaking will do.

Todd

Todd,

Your post (which I saw a long time ago) was my inspiration, but I wasn't able to find the thread again! I'd like to know what you changed in your design and why.

Since print washing is more about diffusion than flow, do you fill it up and then periodically drain it?

I built my own print washer. The principles: (1) The top of the outflow has to be above the inflow. I spaced mine 1” apart vertically. (2) Since the hypo sinks, place the intake tube so that the open end sits on the bottom of the tank. (3) Drill a hole (mine is 1/8”) at the top of the outflow tube. If the water level gets low, the siphon tube will fill with air and stop the loss of water. (4) The drain end of the siphon outflow has to be below the bottom of the tank to maximize the outflow. (5) My tank holds over 200 lbs of water. You will need a drain plug. I positioned mine in an outside corner instead of the end. (6) The washer should be located in a sink in case of overflow. (7) Given the total weight, reinforce the sink. (8) You will need two shut-off valves to control the water level.

Plexiglass is expensive so I searched for an alternative. I found kids plastic snow sliders ($0.97 ea. at Giant Tiger). They are perfect: flat, smooth, thin (most important), & firm (but not rigid). I used two sheets of Plexiglass for the outsides and 10 plastic sheets to create 11 chambers. If I were to do it again, I’d replace a middle plastic divider with another sheet of Plexiglass to add some rigidity (not that my original design needs it). I used nylon threaded rods, spacers, washers, nuts, and plastic connectors to avoid rust.

By drilling 4 holes through the dividers at approximately 11” and 8” from the top and inserting PVC water supply tubes to act as a false bottom, I can wash 11x16”x20”, 11x11”x14”, & (22) 8”x10” papers in the one tank simply by moving the tubes. The top edge of each size of paper is always 1-1 ½” below water level and easy to access.

I have to say that the only reason I built my own and didn’t buy one is that I retired from teaching at a community college; and before I retired, the students in the welding program built the tank (including drilling the holes for the bulkheads) from ¼” aluminum at no cost to me.

I have been happy with tray washing the last 11 years. 1 min in an alkaline fix (TF-4), 5 min rinse, tone as required, 5 min rinse, 10 min in a wash aid, 20 to 30 min tray wash with 6 fill and dumps. Tray capacity is 4 or 5 5x7s, 2 or 3 8x10s, 1 or 2 11x14s. Advantage, low cost, small storage footprint, no fuss with heavy tank. This works great if your DR production is low for each session. Before washing I trash prints which do not meet my standard. Reduces print volume for the wash step.

I took a tray of each size and drilled a couple of small holes in the bottom, I set it under the sink and let the water pour over it. Works well as I only wash one print at a time. If I start needing to wash multiple prints, I may need a different method. I will not spend $500-$800 on a plastic tank with a hose, to me that's crazy.

Here's an old thread on how I made a 7x17 film washer. Same concept as a print washer.


(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Hi everyone,
So I was reserching about print washers and I realized that both the commercial ones and homemade don't decide on one water flow system.
Some of them use the inflow at the top and outflow at the bottom, other opossite, the inflow at the bottom and outflow at the top. Even there are some using inflow and outflow at the bottom.
Could you let me know your opinions about each system and way do you think one is better then other? I currently use one that feeds on top and evacuate at the bottom.
Thank you!!

I built my own washer so that the outflow is at bottom. I read somewhere that the chemicals sink to bottom. I have a spraying system at top. However I don't usually use it, I just soak the prints for 30 minutes in warm water

Our local lab has a "drum" washer where the water is rotating in drum and the prints are in constant merry-go-round because of the water flow. That feels pretty effective way to wash..

The 'fixer sinks in washers' claim is a debunked myth, there is more than enough turbulence to keep it thoroughly mixed in any archival washer. What really matters is total water changes, agitation and time in contact with water for the fixer byproducts to diffuse out. None of these need to be particularly dramatic to be effective. Hypo Clear dramatically speeds up washing & I would suggest is all but essential if you live in an area with soft water. Drum & wave rocker type washers can damage prints much more readily than either a vertical archival washer or a carefully controlled set of water changes in a tray.

does anyone consider water usage in a world where it is becoming a more scarce commodity? I use an eco-washer and yes they are expensive but so is photography and I'm doing my best to conserve water for future generations

Hi there,

On the UK analogue website there is a two part article called Mysteries Of The Vortex that was written by Martin Reed. Reading these articles will give you all the essential information that you will ever need in regard to washing Fibre-based photographs.

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

Part Two
http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=344

Bests,

David.

Please note my website's temporary address: http://dsallen.carpentier-galerie.de

yeknom02 said:

Hello everyone,

With prices being what they are, there's no way I'm going to buy a "real" print washer. Since my local pet store is getting ready to have a sale on aquariums and I'm thought about expanding my prints to FB paper eventually, I thought it would be a good time to start thinking about making my own print washer. I've only used one once before in a friend's darkroom. I remember there were some dividers inside, so that multiple prints could be washed at once.

Now I'm also guessing that dividers won't be my only requirement - I may need a hose for the inlet and outlet. Can someone explain the principles behind print washing, so that I know what I have to engineer?

Also, has anyone built something similar, and can you offer any recommendations?

Click to expand...

make it so that you have a water flow strong enough to exchange the water volume every 5 minutes and don't believe (or ignore) the myth that fixer-laden water is heavier than water. Also, remember that print washing is not based on washing so much but more on diffusion. the fixer diffused into the water until there is an equilibrium at which point freshwater is required to continue the diffusion process.
Before I forget,a quick water dump feature would also be helpful,because a filled print washer is heavy!

Peter Schrager said:

does anyone consider water usage in a world where it is becoming a more scarce commodity? I use an eco-washer and yes they are expensive but so is photography and I'm doing my best to conserve water for future generations

Click to expand...

If my darkroom was in a droughty area I sure would do the same. But its not.

the efficiency of a paper or film wash does not increase significantly even if you'd was in Niagra falls.all you need is a constant trickle of water to wash to archival standards.

Peter Schrager said:

does anyone consider water usage in a world where it is becoming a more scarce commodity? I use an eco-washer and yes they are expensive but so is photography and I'm doing my best to conserve water for future generations

Click to expand...

When printing fiber based I use Permawash, although Permawash claims that with a 2mint soak wash time can be reduced to 4mints I wash for 20mints and check with fixer residual test.

I have been away, what a surprise to fi d all this messages returning home. Thank you very much for the messages! I think I will try to build one with the i flow up and outflow below, for whatbI understand this is more "natural" flow.
What do you use to build the diveders??

AndreiF said:

I have been away, what a surprise to fi d all this messages returning home. Thank you very much for the messages! I think I will try to build one with the i flow up and outflow below, for whatbI understand this is more "natural" flow.
What do you use to build the diveders??

Click to expand...

The flow can go any way you want: the fixer does not sink if there is even the slightest turbulence (and some agitation is necessary to get good washing). The strange assertions of Fred Picker and others bear little resemblance to the fluid dynamics work that Ilford and others did. Acrylic Prismatic Diffusion material is very close to what Nova use in their washers (which seem to have had input from Ilford on flow and agitation).

Lachlan Young said:

The flow can go any way you want: the fixer does not sink if there is even the slightest turbulence (and some agitation is necessary to get good washing). The strange assertions of Fred Picker and others bear little resemblance to the fluid dynamics work that Ilford and others did. Acrylic Prismatic Diffusion material is very close to what Nova use in their washers (which seem to have had input from Ilford on flow and agitation).

Click to expand...

Thank you very much!