print washer on folding table – engineering question

[Pieter]

I would not trust it to hold 200 lbs+, especially not evenly distributed. Spindly, folding legs look suspicious, and just the fact that they fold could be problematic. Remember, the sink is probably intended to be transported to a campsite so it's not necessarily going to be made with sturdiness in mind. I use a Luxor wheeled cart that can manage 500 lbs, plus I removed one tier lowering it to a manageable height and adding stability. And I can wheel it around when necessary. It has stood up fine for the last 5 years. I also empty the washer when not in use for a while to prevent algae.

[LabRat]

Not good idea from the get-go... Other ways to wash prints without the risks... A washer can fail (I'd seen it happen) and a wave of water will flood the surrounding area...

I was printing in a client's darkroom, he had a newish archival washer, was looking in that direction when I heard a loud ripping pop sound, and for a sliver of a split second saw the walls fall away and there was a cube (with straight sides) sitting in space before it turned into a wave in all directions!!! A huge mess that took hours to partially clear up and wait for drying... He said it had happened before more than once, and I noticed his sink had an uneven bottom for the footing of the washer that probably was straining the seams when filled, leading to eventually failure... I think a washer should be in a recessed vessel with a high-capacity drain (to catch most of the water in case of failure) with a solid flat bottom to prevent straining the washer seams...

You can calculate the filled weight of washer by adding weight of washer + water weight in gallons (about 8.3 lbs per gallon) × capacity to get a rough idea... Probably safer in the bottom of a bathtub with wood slats of heavier wood to even out footing...

I don't like archival washers for other reasons also, as they use too much water, can be hard to pull prints, prints can stick to walls, bubbles can impede spots on prints, flowing water over prints form a "boundary layer" over surfaces that encapsulate
by-products to be removed, take a long time to recycle all by-products by diluting wash water, and I have seen edges of prints discolor from being near water input due to tiny rust particles so small they pass through water filters and leave a stain that does not come off in bad water locales...

I prefer 2 tray soak washing where the stack of prints are transferred/drained one by one into a tray of fresh water every 10 minutes for 10 cycles... Saves water you can dump in the garden, and archival... You can do this as you clean up, just stack the prints "back to back/belly to belly in the tray, but allow prints to drip/drain at least 10 seconds during transfers, and allow the final drip drain at least 15 seconds a drain until drips are about less than one drip per second (this is the deep internal paper drips coming out)... Don't drip/drain prints over clean trays or prints as that's where the by-products finally drip out... This gets the by-products down to the PPM range...

It takes time, and more hands-on work, but this recipe/process has been worked out by researchers/conservators, but can be done during the clean up cycle easily... And you saved much water!!!

Steve K

[Vaughan]

That rating would be for spherical pounds in a vacuum.

[Mark Sampson]

Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Measure your washer's capacity and see how close you are to the limit. Could you set it up outside and test it?

[Drew Wiley]

I have slot washers up to 20X24 inch print capacity, and other washers that will hold 30X40 inch prints. My smallest is 11X14 capacity, though I mostly use it for washing 8x10 sheet film. I fabricated all of them myself, and they are very efficient in terms of both conserving water as well as doing an excellent archival wash. But even a modest washer can overflow if you aren't attending it, and drop a LOT or water weight into the retaining tray, or otherwise cause havoc if some valve goes wrong. And I can visualize those flimsy legs collapsing in a heartbeat. I already gave a much better, even cheaper, option. I have certain sawhorse legs holding over 400 lbs in my shop right now, rock steady for the past 30 yrs, even through earthquakes.

[Chester McCheeserton]

Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Measure your washer's capacity and see how close you are to the limit. Could you set it up outside and test it?

Yes good idea, I'll try that - have to wash all the dust of the washer outside anyway

[Chester McCheeserton]

I want the folding table idea to work, if I had a permanent space I would by all means get a cart similar to Pieter's or build a rig like Drew is suggesting. But I want to be able to break everything down and have a regular bathroom back. The print washer is a Kostiner, so it needs to be in a sink or shower – I don't have a tub. The shower would make more sense spill/mess wise with the stool as was suggested. But if this sink would work it would make so much more sense for the workflow. Until it crashes to the ground and the water hits the multiple electrical outlet extensions on the floor just outside the bathroom...

Thank you everyone for the thoughts.

[Fred L]

I'd sooner have these under the sink than the included legs. They fold up when not needed so space shouldn't be an issue.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/anv...ses/1001691739

[Tin Can]

I use 2 laundry sinks both cheap new. One easily holds my 20x24

The other gas burst.

[esearing]

A much simpler solution would be to put the washer in the shower next to your table. Then you have the full width of the table for trays. Once you start printing larger you will need to find a method to work in 3 dimensions.