Mobile Darkroom and the Issue of Washing Prints

[Fragomeni]

Hi all,

I've been doing considerable traveling lately, including a cross-country trip that brought me from Arizona to Pennsylvania. I've towed a small travel trailer behind my Land Rover which has made for perfect campsite hotel room. I'm now considering converting the trailer into a functioning mobile darkroom. I have no reservations about the idea except that the trailer does not have a hook up for running water. This relates to the issue of washing prints. Now, I've started to do quite a bit of research on people's methods for washing prints without running water, something that is actually not that uncommon apparently. I'd love to hear opinions on how to approach the issue. The only issue that I've come up with regarding this mobile darkroom idea is the concern of running water so I'd love to work out a solution for this.

There is always handwashing prints in trays using the rince-and-dump method but that is tedious and involves carrying a large amount of water. I have a reservoir tank of a few gallons but I don't think it would work well. I've heard of people using recirculating methods of various sorts. These systems use very small amounts of water and recirculate the water washing the prints. (FYI, for those shaking their heads at the recirculating concept, some recirculating washers have been shown to be among the most efficient in terms of cleaning prints thouroughly. Google for more information if curious.)

There's also the concept of using a variation of the rince-and-dump method using filtering of some sort to efficiently clean and reuse the water. I know people use diatomaceous earth (for pool systems) to filter Chinese Amidol. Diatomaceous earth is inert and capable of filtering down to the Chlorine molecule so very efficient. I wonder if this could be used to filter water for washing prints. It might look something like this: using two trays of distilled or otherwise clean water for washing prints, wash the first print in the first tray for five minutes then transfer the print to the second tray of water. While the print is in the second tray of water, pour the first tray water through a funnel containing diatomaceous earth and lined with a filter (coffee filter would work) into a jug. Once the water has filtered, pour back into the first tray to which the print can now be returned and the filtering process can be repeated using the water in the second tray. The process would repeat for however long was necessary to wash the prints. Thoughts?

Any insight into this will be hugely appreciated! Thanks!

P.S. Sorry if there is any odd formatting in this message. Internet is shotty where I am and I'm writing this on my iPhone.

[Gem Singer]

An alkaline fixer from Photo Formulary washes out faster,with less water, than an acid fixer.

See: TF-4 and TF-5.

www.photoformulary.com

[Ari]

Apparently, osmosis will take care of washing the prints if you keep them submerged and separated from each other in a tub of standing water.
I hope someone who has actually tried this will chime in, as it could be an interesting solution.

[Leigh]

I strongly recommend a good hypo clearing agent like Perma Wash.

It gives full archival wash of prints in just a couple of minutes.

- Leigh

[Fragomeni]

I'm talking about a final wash here. Permawash would be used like all of the other standard chemistry in trays but fiber prints need a good thorough wash (certainly more then a couple of minutes).

Ari, when you refer to osmosis are you talking about a system of some sort? Recirculation through an osmosis system? Clarify this thought for me please, thanks!

I'm still very interested in the idea of recycling water using diatomaceous earth. Is there anyone here with experience with this?

I think I'll post this thread over at APUG too to see what people say, especially the chemical specialists over there.

Keep the thoughts coming please! Thanks!

[Leigh]

I'm talking about a final wash here. Permawash would be used like all of the other standard chemistry in trays but fiber prints need a good thorough wash (certainly more then a couple of minutes).

Well, I guess all the prints I've done over the past 50+ years are going to crumble to dust.

None of them were ever washed more than two minutes after the PermaWash bath, and none has ever exhibited a problem.
The vast majority were fiber since RC paper didn't exist then, and I didn't use much of it after it was introduced.

- Leigh

[Jim Jones]

Most of my darkrooms have had walking water, not running water. I walked in with gallon milk jugs full of water, and walked out with a pail of waste water. RC paper simplifies washing. Long ago one assistant and myself could produce up to 200 tray washed 8x10 RC prints in an evening, with subject identification noted on the back of each print for PR distribution. Efficient tray washing of fiber prints requires more time and many more trays, but not much more water. The developer, stop, and fix trays might best be laid out on a counter top. Wash trays can be vertically stacked in a rack to save counter top space. The rack can be designed to simutaneously agitate all wash trays. After the fix, several prints can accumulate in a holding tray. Then they can be processed in a washing aide and transferred to the first wash tray. After enough time and agitation in the first wash, that water is dumped out. With that tray held almost vertically, the prints are slowly peeled off one at a time and placed in the water of the second tray. This technique reduces transfer of contaminated water. The process is repeated through all the wash trays. After the first tray is dumped, it is filled with fresh water and used for the final wash. This water will be subsequentially used as the next-to-last wash and so on until it is dumped after use as the first wash. Thus, it takes only a few ounces of water per print for the wash. Impermeable trays should be used for this, to reduce contamination. Permeable trays can be used if their position in the chain of wash trays is fixed, and only the water is transferred through all the wash stages. The water dumped from the first wash tray is good enough for much darkroom cleanup.

[Kirk Gittings]

Just curious. Why make prints while on the road?

[Fragomeni]

Well, I guess all the prints I've done over the past 50+ years are going to crumble to dust.

None of them were ever washed more than two minutes after the PermaWash bath, and none has ever exhibited a problem.
The vast majority were fiber since RC paper didn't exist then, and I didn't use much of it after it was introduced.

Don't know but I'd honestly be a little concerned if long term preservation were my concern. Permawash is a wash aid not a washing solution in and of itself. Two minutes is barely any wash at all. 50 years isn't necessarily a measure to go by. Even Albumen prints, which are predisposed to change and often degrade over time and historically pre-date permawash, usually take more then 50 years to show substantial change. Silver-gel prints are hugely more stable then something like Albumen and would take substantially longer to degrade. There are also a number of institution collections that require modern silver prints to be washed according to a "standard" (whatever that is) otherwise they will not even be considered for the collection. Two minutes for fiber will surely lead to premature problems but only time will tell. If your prints are only for your own personal enjoyment then who cares but if you intend for them to last generations the 2 minute wash time is a bit concerning.

Anyway, back on track...

Jim, I need a bit of clarification on the method you describe. The vertical trays are a fantastic idea and I've used this method with street-box camera designs for the chemistry (saves space and nothing really gets contaminated on the way down through the trays). In your method, when you say dump the tray vertically are you saying that you are dumping the water of the first tray into the next lowest tray? I'm not sure I get the reasoning for that if it is the case. Please clarify. I think you just mean dump it in general and refill with clean water but I'm just checking.

This is a good lead in into an important question. For those washing prints in trays only (rince-and-dump), how long of a wash per tray do you use and how many switches into clean water do you use i.e. what is a good full washing scheme to go by in this case?

[Fragomeni]

Just curious. Why make prints while on the road?

Why not? I guess it's as simple as that. I've always been in an established place but I plan on being more mobile for a while at least. Having a studio to return to has always been nice but recently I've been moving around a lot. A mobile darkroom saves trouble of repeatedly moving darkrooms, saves on storage facilities, and would make moving and transitions much easier and less time consuming since it would basically just involve driving the thing to a new spot and parking it! I'm still not settled on the idea as there are kinks to work out. I've also considered "Hotel Darkrooms" which would be an easy idea to pull off. My lifestyle just involves a lot of moving around and not necessarily always with an established home base to return to so I have to think about things a little differently in terms of how to most efficiently operate while staying mobile.