Acrylic film washer photos/plans?

[vinny]

I've been washing my film for 10+years either in hangers or in my expert drums. I don't have any $$ but I do have plenty of 3/8" and 1/4" acrylic sheeting and happen to be good at making things. I'd like to make one that holds 10 sheets and can sit outside my sink. I've looked at the Alistair Crossjet and others that shoot water across each sheet but can't make sense of the designs from photos I've found online. Where does the water drain from? Anyone have good pics/plans that would make it's workings clear?

[Ari]

I have two CrossJets, but they are both for in-sink use.
You might look at something like the Kostiner archival print washer (or similar print washers) for inspiration.
The overflow is to the top, to one side of the tank and into a separate channel, which has a drain of its own, and you attach a hose to that drain and the water ends up in your sink.
Search for "archival print washer plans".

[vinny]

Ari, what makes the "in sink use" style different? Does the water just run over the side?
Anybody have a pdf of the plans which were at this site that no longer exists?http://www.darkroomsource.net/printwasher.shtml

[adelorenzo]

Try this link, it was the last time the site was crawled in late 2011. I'm getting some problems with pop-ups on this page but you should be able to find a way to save the information.

https://web.archive.org/web/20111005...ntwasher.shtml

[Cletus]

Vinny -

I made an acrylic 4x5 film washer years ago, at the time could neither find, nor afford the Inglis washer. I'm not sure how practical it would be to try to use a small washer like this out of the sink, so mine is in sink.

It's very simple and very effective too. First, I made a five-sided box with an open top. There are some 1/2" spacers in the bottom that support another smaller "box", which is really just a bottom and eleven dividers and fits tightly into the outer box and sits on the 1/2" spacers. The inner box is a hair over 5" long and about 3 1/2" deep and holds 12 sheets of 4x5 film. The inner box fits well below the top of the outer box, so the film is submerged but still easy to grab hold of.

The inner box has twelve rows of twenty or so 1/16" holes drilled through the bottom, using a guide to keep the rows straight and even. I made eleven dividers for the inner box, evenly spaced between the rows of 1/16" holes, using 1/4" square acrylic rod between each divider on each end (using the 1/4" spacers was much easier than trying to cut slots in the sides to support the dividers, as in a traditional print washer). There's a water inlet (connected to a hose) drilled into the 1/2" space under the inner box.

Water flows into the 1/2" space in the bottom box, through the holes in the inner box, which are neatly centered along the bottom of each of twelve film slots, and out the top of the box. Cost me the price of the acrylic cement and the little 1/4" hose barb for the inlet hose (I had the acrylic material too) total about $9 give or take.

Here's a few pictures if you're interested in trying this design. It's not the most beautiful thing, as I'd never worked with acrylic before this, so made a bit of a mess. It does work brilliantly though, regardless of its humble looks and design. You're welcome to use this idea if you are so inclined.

[Doremus Scudder]

I've made a washer somewhat like the one Cletus shows above, but with small rods to separate the film instead of sheets of acrylic.

I have since purchased a couple Gravity Works film washers. The basket for the 4x5" film washer is just under four inches across and has grooves milled into the sides to hold the edges of the film. I like this because the film is always exposed to water on both sides. I am leery of flat sheet dividers that film or paper can stick to and prevent the washing of one side. Some print washers are terrible in this regard. A quick search of Google images on "Gravity Works film washer" turns up lots of info.

Best,

Doremus

[Ari]

Ari, what makes the "in sink use" style different? Does the water just run over the side?
Anybody have a pdf of the plans which were at this site that no longer exists?http://www.darkroomsource.net/printwasher.shtml

I think what makes the in-sink different is that there is no provision for catching the overflow.
The water runs out of both in the same manner, but the out-of-sink has an extra, wider slot to pool the water.

Basically, you need to figure out how to catch the overflow, then how to drain it, and you have an out-of-sink washer

[KennyMark]

Vinny,
If you subscribe to the opinionated Mr. Picker's writings and research, he made several claims about archival washing based on his tests.
1) because hypo is denser than water, it will pool at the bottom of the tank unless the chambers drain through the bottom. I believe that he claimed this is the case even with bottom feeding designs based on testing residual hypo in the print.
2) panels separating prints and negatives prevent cross contamination of neighboring sheets if added to the tank at different times.
3) in order to control the rate of outflow and thereby the rate of fresh water needed to keep the tank filled, he made his bottom draining washers with a trap on the sides (that are also connected by tubes). This also allows one to keep it full when the water supply is shut off.

If you're only looking to wash film, then I guess archival washing is probably different than for prints.

Please document your process to share, or at least invite me over to see your finished product!

[rfesk]

To use "in sink" washer out of the sink just install a drain line in a pan that is large enough to hold the "in sink" washer. Then the drain line can be directed to the sink.

[vinny]

Vinny,
If you subscribe to the opinionated Mr. Picker's writings and research, he made several claims about archival washing based on his tests.
1) because hypo is denser than water, it will pool at the bottom of the tank unless the chambers drain through the bottom. I believe that he claimed this is the case even with bottom feeding designs based on testing residual hypo in the print.
2) panels separating prints and negatives prevent cross contamination of neighboring sheets if added to the tank at different times.
3) in order to control the rate of outflow and thereby the rate of fresh water needed to keep the tank filled, he made his bottom draining washers with a trap on the sides (that are also connected by tubes). This also allows one to keep it full when the water supply is shut off.

If you're only looking to wash film, then I guess archival washing is probably different than for prints.

Please document your process to share, or at least invite me over to see your finished product!

I've heard that too, Kenny so I made my print washer with the outlet on the bottom which also is handy for draining that heavy monster. BUT.........see what others have to say about hypo being denser than water: http://photo.net/columns/mjohnston/p...y-assumptions/