Times being what they are, I've been experimenting with print washing that doesn't break the bank. Here's what I'm doing which, I believe, is doing the trick.
I have an old sink in the basement -- one of those old bi-level whales from before dishwashers. Level 1 about 6" deep, level 2 about 18" deep. You'd wash dishes in the shallow one and dunk in the deep one. When filling the shallow one, it will overflow into the deep one.
So. I went out to a pet/fish shop and got a $28 water pump, plus 4' of hose. I fill the shallow sink until is is overflowing and the deep sink to between 6" and 8". Insert the pump in the deep sink, and move water from the deep sink to the shallow sink, with the hose raised up enough to spout the water back into the shallow sink. Prints go in the shallow sink. Once the sinks are filled, I don't change the water in them. I leave the prints in for an hour.
Does it work? Well, selenium toning is supposed to produce ugly staining if the prints aren't washed enough. I just did a batch of toning, and saw no stains. So I guess it works.
Just another idea for print washing for those on a short budget.
George
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