Washing big prints

[Ed Pierce]

Has anyone tried washing 16x20 prints in an 11x14 washer, bending the print over into two slots?

I have a zone vi 11x14 washer. A 16x20 will fit if I curl it over. However I'm worried about potential damage to the print.

[Toyon]

Simply wash the print in a 16x20 tray. Throw in a test scrap with the print and test it with Photographer's Formulary Residual Fixer Test Solution after an hour to see if the print is free (enough) of residual fixer. If the scrap is, the print will be. Those vertical print washers are designed for washing multiple prints, they are not the only way to wash a print effectively.

[Gem Singer]

You're correct to be worried about ruining a 16X20 print when attempting to wash it in an 11X14 print washer.

Large sheets of wet paper are difficult to handle. As careful as I was, I still managed to get kinks and pinch marks in the paper's emulsion.

After ruining a few prints, I broke down and purchased a 16X20 print washer. No more ruined prints.

[John Powers]

Think seriously whether you will want to print 20x24 in the future. Save yourself an incremental purchase and go directly to 20x24. I have the Calumet which I think is an evolution from the Zone vi.

John

[rdenney]

Simply wash the print in a 16x20 tray. Throw in a test scrap with the print and test it with Photographer's Formulary Residual Fixer Test Solution after an hour to see if the print is free (enough) of residual fixer. If the scrap is, the print will be. Those vertical print washers are designed for washing multiple prints, they are not the only way to wash a print effectively.

I agree. I only made occasional 16x20 prints in my wet darkroom (when I had it) because there wasn't room to do it in production. I used an old Cibachrome print drum for the develop and fix, and washed in a tray with running water. I emptied the tray every 15 minutes or so to ensure a complete change of water, and continued that for about an hour to an hour and a half. Then, I toned them in selenium, which adds to the archival durability. Those prints are still hanging on sunny walls with no issues after about 20 years.

If I did it in production, I would have invested in the larger washer. But I would also have had to build a bigger house!

Rick "still limited at home to smaller prints" Denney

[Toyon]

Versalab makes a very good washer, for a lot less money than Calumet. They sell an insert for their 16x20 model so that it accommodates 20x24.

[Dennis]

In answer to the original question has anyone done it. Yes I did it quite a lot before I got a zone 6 16x20 washer. My previous washer was an Oriental brand and it was over sized 11x14 and a 16x20 print did fit in on the 16" side and I could lay it over the top of the dividers after taking out a few and the water could be made to run up over the top and well above the bent 16x20. It did a good job of washing the print but it was important to be very careful when taking the print back out. I think I was able to do 2 or 3 at a time. Some years ago I got the zone 6 16x20 washer and it is a great darkroom tool. I can use it as a holding tank for long printing sessions and thus eliminate the extra 20x24 tray I used to keep in the sink for water.
Dennis

[Brian Ellis]

Has anyone tried washing 16x20 prints in an 11x14 washer, bending the print over into two slots?

I have a zone vi 11x14 washer. A 16x20 will fit if I curl it over. However I'm worried about potential damage to the print.

Yes, I did that all the time with no problem using the Zone VI washer. I don't remember ever damaging a print.

[Brian Ellis]

I forgot to mention that when I washed 16x20s in my 11x14 Zone VI washer I draped the print over two dividers, which I thought would make the angle of the "drape" less severe (90 degrees at two points rather than 180 degrees at one point) and minimize the chances of damage to the print.