Your print washer?

Dali · Dec 27, 2009

Hi,

The question is in the title... Do you use print washer and what model would you recommend?

Nota: I develop mainly 8x10 papers but I sometimes use 11x14...

Thanks!

wildbill · Dec 27, 2009

glass fish tank. hose inlet on one end going in, siphon on other going out.

Dali · Dec 27, 2009

And how do you hold your prints?

vdoak · Dec 27, 2009

My print washer is a plastic container form the local hardware store with a Plexiglas false wall at the drain end to force drainage from the bottom. The separators are Plexiglas held in place with PVC trim. Water is injected in each section from a plastic pipe clamped to a water hose. The “jets” are 2mm holes drilled at appropriate intervals.http://www.doak.no/index_files/3-DarkRm.htm

David Brown · Dec 27, 2009

If you are not up to making your own, I would suggest the Versalab 11x14. Relatively inexpensive, as print washers go; efficient and nearly indestructable.

http://www.versalab.com/server/photo/products/washer1.htm

Existing Light · Dec 27, 2009

I use a Premier 11x14 print washer. It's good if you dont have to wash lots of prints at once and dont care about conserving water

I bought mine from Freestyle http://www.freestylephoto.biz/111411-Premier-Print-Washer-11x14?cat_id=1604

nsurit · Dec 27, 2009

Calumet archival washer. These can be had on the used market at a decent price these days. Zone VI, Gravity works, Calumet, etc. all made them. Bill Barber

brian steinberger · Dec 27, 2009

A summitek 11x14 print washer

fotch · Dec 27, 2009

vdoak said:
My print washer is a plastic container form the local hardware store with a Plexiglas false wall at the drain end to force drainage from the bottom. The separators are Plexiglas held in place with PVC trim. Water is injected in each section from a plastic pipe clamped to a water hose. The jets are 2mm holes drilled at appropriate intervals.http://www.doak.no/index_files/3-DarkRm.htm

Amazing! I visited your site and really was amazed at your inventiveness. Nice work.

Chuck_P · Dec 27, 2009

My tub..........I fill the tub to the point where the prints float freely, and agitat frequently for about 5 min, then drain the tub. Repeat for several cycles, about 6 or 7. My fiber prints pass the HT-2 test every time.

Roger Thoms · Dec 27, 2009

I'm using a Versalab and am quite happy with it. Very bullet proof and the price for a new one is quite reasonable. I have the 11x14 which is the smallest one they make. The Versalab can be used on the counter or in the sink.

Roger

MattKing · Dec 27, 2009

Two trays. One of them is on a rack on the edge of a bathtub, while the other is on the floor of the bathtub.

The water flows into the top one first, which has holes drilled in the side. The water drains out of the holes and down into the second, lower tray.

Prints start in the lower tray, and are transferred into the top tray 1/2 of the way through.

Matt

vdoak · Dec 27, 2009

fotch said:
Amazing! I visited your site and really was amazed at your inventiveness. Nice work.

Thank you.

Maris · Dec 27, 2009

I use a Paterson Major archival washer. It holds two dozen 8x10's or 12 bigger pictures up to 12"x16". Standard archival wash is 45 minutes for photographs that have been through hypo-clear.

A garden tap-timer controls the water flow so the only work is loading and unloading the washer itself.

wildbill · Dec 27, 2009

Dali said:
And how do you hold your prints?

I used a coping saw to cut 1/8" notches in the tank trim ever 3/4". then cut 1/8" plexiglass (can be cut with sharp knife) for the dividers. You could also cut matching pieces to hold the plexi on the bottom but I didn't, the plexi moves around a bit.

Blighty · Dec 27, 2009

Silverprint 16x20" archival washer. Based on Nova's design. Only 6 slot though, 'coz I couldn't afford the 12 slot jobby. Still, it's a big inducement to try and get the perfect print in 6 goes! Wash, soak and dump method using lukewarm water (typically around 30c) for an hour. All preceded with a dip in HCA.

jgjbowen · Dec 27, 2009

Zone VI 16x20. I mainly shoot 8x10 or 7x17 and contact print. I haven't make a 16x20 print in over 20 years. I can get 30 8x10s or 15 7x17s in this beast. It's a dream when processing lots of 8x10s following a photographic trip.

removed account4 · Dec 27, 2009

i have a "oriental" print washer that i used once in a while for 11x14 and smaller ..
now i just use trays .. i back to back / front to front the prints and fill/ shuffle and dump the water
then let them soak
then fill shuffle and dump the prints
then let them soak

i never use the oriental ( i used it maybe 5 times tops )
and have been thinking of selling it for 20 years, but never got around to it ...

grahamp · Dec 27, 2009

I have a Versalab 11x14, which does all I need. I have a couple of sheets of flexible acrylic that I use to wash two sheets of 20x16. The standard rack comes out and the two 'U's of acrylic go in in its place.

Neal · Dec 28, 2009

Dear Dali,

Yes, and I made my own. The only reason it was economical to make my own was that I was given a bunch of free material. When I was looking, the only downside to the Versalab was the physical size.

Neal Wydra

RalphLambrecht · Dec 28, 2009

Dali said:
Hi,

The question is in the title... Do you use print washer and what model would you recommend?

Nota: I develop mainly 8x10 papers but I sometimes use 11x14...

Thanks!

Dali

I recommend a so-called archival washer or slot washers with up to six sealed compartments. They get too heavy if they have too many compartments. They are usually made out of plexiglass and unfortunately very expensive. Tub washers have the disadvantage that the last unwashed print is always contaminating the already washed or half-washed prints, unless all prints are washed at the same time. Tray washing works just as well as archival washers, but it is not very efficient if more than a few prints have to be washed.

Richard Jepsen · Dec 28, 2009

Call me simple. I wash prints in my 12x16 inch tray. After a dip in wash aid for 10 min, I fill and dump the tray (7 times) over 20 - 30 min. Tray capacity is no more than three 8x10s or four to five 5x7s. It was David Vestal who wrote in one of his books that tray washing was even better than the best commercial washers. Works great if your print volume is low.

Trond · Dec 28, 2009

vdoak said:
My print washer is a plastic container form the local hardware store with a Plexiglas false wall at the drain end to force drainage from the bottom. The separators are Plexiglas held in place with PVC trim. Water is injected in each section from a plastic pipe clamped to a water hose. The jets are 2mm holes drilled at appropriate intervals.http://www.doak.no/index_files/3-DarkRm.htm

Nice washer! I'm thinking about building one myself. Could you possibly post some more photos of your washer? And where did you get the plexiglas?

Trond

vdoak · Dec 28, 2009

Trond said:
Nice washer! I'm thinking about building one myself. Could you possibly post some more photos of your washer? And where did you get the plexiglas?

Trond

I think I pretty much got everything for that project a Bauhaus, Liertoppen, ( similar to Lowe's or Home Depot) including all the plexiglas. There are, now, a few more pictures of it at http://www.doak.no/index_files/3-DarkRm.htm near the bottom of the page.
Lykke til! (good luck)
mvh

Medusa83 · Dec 28, 2009

I have been using a versalab 11x14 washer for many years. It has been a very good investment and I have had no problems with it.

Your print washer?

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