I've just set up a new darkroom and I am trying to decide on how to wash prints (best wash vs. cost). Will a siphon not work as well as a print washer - and how about the difference in water use? On a side note, I found some old b&w work done 25+ years ago that still look as good as they did then, there was one color print(commercialy processed) that had faded and the color has shifted - btw the paper was RC even though I prefer fiber today. Thanks for any and all advice..

-- Mike Castles (photomc@flash.net), May 12, 2002

Answers

Lots of opinions on this one, so take mine with a grain of salt. Your washing practice is probably far more important than what you use to do it. As long as you get sufficient changes of water, not much else matters. Ideas about stagnant areas and fixer sinking to the bottom are mostly hogwash. Freshness and time in fixer, type of fixer, and wash aid are more important. A bit of contamination on the hands or drying surfaces will foul everything you've done up to that point. Siphons can work fine, as do vertical washers. It's really an exercise in chemistry and avoiding cross contamination, rather than mechanics. I used to use a lot of fiber, and my 25 year old prints have generally held up well, though they didn't get any special processing. Most damage is due to storage conditions. I've used RC for almost as long (hardly ever make a fiber print these days), and those prints have also held up well. Bottom line is sufficient changes of water (the volume of water can actually be very low), avoiding cross contamination, and using chemistry that washes out easily. Investigate alkaline fixer from Photographers Formulary. Read the info on the Ilford site, too.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), May 12, 2002.

Mike,

Here's my two cents: Don't waste time on tray siphons unless you only plan on making a (very) few prints per session. You only get a good wash with them one print at a time. The lowest cost/most labor intensive is to shuffle prints in a deep tray, changing water five times in the hour it takes to wash fiber based prints. Of course, most of us don't have the patience for this, and being able to put prints in the washer and go grab a beer and relax while the prints are washing is usually worth the price of a decent print washer in itself. Therefore, I recommend you buy one of the "archival" type print washers in the largest size you are planning to print. Smaller prints fit in bigger washers, but not vice-versa, and having two different washers takes up space and costs more. I have recently purchased a Versalab 16x20, which is about half the cost of the fancy acrylic jobs and am quite happy with it. There is also a 20x24 insert available for this washer. Check out their web site at

www.versalab.com

You might find something on e-bay too. There are often many 11x14 size washers up for auction. (However, I cruised there for a while and didn't find anything reasonable in 16x20)

There are many models of washers out there. I suggest you familiarize yourself with as many as possible before making a final decision.

The other participants in this forum are sure to have some other valuable advice.

Regards, ;^D)

-- Doremus Scudder (ScudderLandreth@compuserve.com), May 12, 2002.

A siphon will work fine for one or maybe two prints in a large tray; any more and they'll stick together in a blob an you'll have to keep the separated.

I strongly recommend an "archival" type washer; the Versalab offers the most washer for the least money.

Since the largest prints I make in any quantity is 11x14, I use a Versalab washer for those and smaller prints and a siphon in a 20x24 tray for the rare larger prints which amount to maybe one or two a year.

-- John Hicks (jhicks31@bellsouth.net), May 12, 2002.

It really is dependent on how many prints you will process at one time and the size of the prints. If you are talking 3 or 4 prints in a final wash, a large tray to give each enough room and a few glass tumblers placed in the tray will keep the prints from overlapping with the use of a siphon. This is adequate for 8x10. I built my own for 11x14 with some modifications to some plans I found at Darkroomresource.com.

For 16x20 I use the bath tub for 2 prints at a time. I run a hose from the faucet with a wide sprinker attachment that feeds fresh water to the top of the tub, use a plug that regualtes how quick the tub empties and keep the water level about 1" above the prints. I use a couple of glass paper weights to keep the prints seperate.

-- James Chinn (JChinn2@dellepro.com), May 13, 2002.