Repairing a Kostiner 16x20 Archival Print Washer

[healyzh]

I picked up a 16x20 Print Washer yesterday, not realizing it had a broken fitting, and might be missing a piece or two.

As near as I can tell from the Patents, and other info I've found online, they likely made more than one type of archival print washer. This should show the type I have.



Broken fitting, I think this is intended as a drain, the broken piece has the second tube on it.



This appears to be the actual inlet, and it's apparently supposed to have an aerator plugged in between this and the line in.


This post talks about what that should look like.
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...asher-question

This patent also gives details.
https://www.google.com/patents/US4268156

My main question is, am I correct about the one broken fitting being a drain, and the other being an inlet? If it is the inlet, then do I have part of the Aerator broken off inside? There is something like less than a quarter inch.

Thanks,
Zane

[cowanw]

Mine is similar to yours. Yes the broken fitting is the drain. Although the water is meant to fall over the top and the drain is to empty it at the end of the session. Any thing that you rig up to connect will do the job. A cork to plug it will do although I have mine hooked up to a hose with a plastic in line tap.
The Aerator is a plastic bolt with a "blood grove" or channel along most of the side. This bolts in to a threaded hole that comes in at 90 degrees to the straight "in line". Screwed all in it plugs the hole no leaking no air. As you unscrew the bolt, air gets increasing sucked in by Venturi effect. But leakage of water may also occur.
I do not usually use the aerator. I you go that way just fashion a hose connector into the hole.
An acrylic store will do a good job at both.

[healyzh]

My primary problem is that it looks like the aerator is shoved further than intended in the white block. There is just a tiny hole in there, and I think I could easily put a plastic screw into that hole, and plug it up (though it would slightly damage it). I'm not sure how to go about removing the piece that's in there. It wouldn't be too difficult to turn the "end of session" drain, into an inlet. I'd already started getting what I'd need to do, when I thought that it was the inlet.

[cowanw]

The aerator sits about 3 cm outside of the whole apparatus and I wonder if the size of the inlet is to increase the pressure of the incoming water. Your idea of turning the drain into an inlet is fine, but needs to be reversible to empty the apparatus. (probably as easy as disconnecting the new inlet to tap hose and letting it drain).
This is the aerator and a thread that addresses some of your issues.
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...asher-question

[EdSawyer]

Very likely so. (inlet restrictor)

I wonder if the size of the inlet is to increase the pressure of the incoming water.