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"I want to compliment you on the clarity of the instructions. I am really enjoying putting it together, I can see the thought process of the design as I assemble it." B. Curtis

When we examined the print washer market we found it to be filled with overly-complicated and overly-pretty products. They end up being quite fragile and way too expensive!! Yet print washing is a fundamentally very simple process - surround the print with flowing water of low hypo concentration - that is all it takes. So we decided to build a product that was simple and well made, designed as if for the chemical process industry, and then give it an appropriate price.

And it turned out very simple indeed. The prints are held upright in water by means of a series of plastic dividers in a tank. Water is added between the dividers in a manner that creates a circular flow pattern without dead spots. Water and hypo is siphoned off the bottom at the far end.

CONSTRUCTION:
The tank is a one piece 1/4" thick polyethylene molding with generous radii in the corners for easy cleaning. This tank is leakproof and so damage resistant the entire washer could be thrown across the room and still be picked up and used (you might not even notice any damage). This product is so strong that we regularly tip the full (or nearly full) tank over in the sink to quickly drain it.

The dividers are fastened together in a lift-out 'print basket'. The basket has 14 slots 3/4" wide and is constructed of fifteen 1/16" thick sheets of white styrene fixed into the basket arrangement by 4 stainless steel studs with spacers. Prints are held off the bottom of the washer by 4 plastic rods that are part of the basket. The basket can be lifted out of the tank at any time.

Process:
Water flows into the tank through a tubular plastic underwater spray bar which has a separate jet for each slot in the basket. The jets are angled such that they create a recirculating flow pattern within the tank.

At the other end of the tank is a simple PVC siphon hose that picks up the outlet flow off the bottom of the tank. There is a small hole in the siphon tube just where it exits the top of the tank. This hole both helps to regulate the water level and outflow rate, and breaks the siphon action if the water level drops, maintaining the water level for the safety of the prints. When the tank is to be drained, closing the hole allows the siphon action to drain the tank in minutes. The 16 x 20 has an additional drain. The outlets, including a safety overflow, are all fitted with hoses, allowing out of sink use. [In the pictures, the washer is shown without the overflow hose as it would be used in a sink.]

If you would like to see super size versions of the following two pictures, just click on one of them and another page will open. They show better details of the washer construction than we have presented on the website before.

Use:
Turn the water supply up high to fill the tank. As the water nears the flanged area at the top of the tank, reduce the water flow rate until the siphon break hole murmurs continuously. The washer is ready for use.

Note: While our washer has been designed for use outside a sink, we do not recommend any running water being left unattended while outside a waterproof area.

Performance:
It isn't possible to categorically state how fast any washer will achieve an archival wash under your processing conditions and chemistry. The only way to know is to test using HT-2 (which is simpler than you think).

For the 11 x 14 model, with proper care and clean preparation, a good wash can be possible in less than 1/2 an hour at less than 1/2 gallon per minute water flow. Different fixers, less care in fixing and different water chemistry may require double the time. See Print Washer FAQ for further discussion.

Both units will accomodate any combination of smaller prints that will fit their slot size.

20 x 24 ADAPTER for 16 x20 Washer

As described above our washers have a "print basket" which is a separate assembly that sits in the tank of the washer to hold prints in the proper position. The 20x24 adapter is a replacement print basket for the 16 x20 model only. It has four slots and holds four 20 x 24 prints in a "U" shape (quite large radius and perfectly harmless) emulsion side in (great wash that way).

"Like many others, I have used a number of print washers over the years, most of them made of heavy plexiglass sheets 'welded' together. All of them were fine, some even beautiful, but they pale in comparison with the Versalab! The solid, one-piece construction, of medium weight, is a superb design that is efficient, easy to put together and easy to take apart. As a diplomat who travels around the world, moving frequently, this ruggedness is vital because the Versalab can stand up to an amazing amount of abuse and work anywhere, with any level of water pressure, and still do the job. …. The Versalab is quite simply the best washer I have ever had and I do not expect to buy one ever again -- unless it's a larger Versalab!"
Michael McClellan, U.S. Foreign Service, KOSOVO

Best performance flow rates: .25 to .8 GPM.

Inlet connection: female GHT adapter

Outlet: Siphon from bottom and two overflow

Materials: Non-corrosive 18-8 stainless steel polyethylene, styrene and nylon

Minor assembly is required.

Click on this picture to see an enlarged
picture (on another page) of a partly assembled print basket. It shows the studs in place and the stackup of separator panels and nylon spacers. This is the main item of assembly of the washer.

Would you like an archival residual hypo test kit for $14? Premixed liquid in a bottle, pat a print dry and apply to the white edge, leave for two minutes, if any stain appears you have not washed long enough. Recommended to assess the actual wash time necessary with your processing and wash water. You only need to repeat the test when you change your process chemistry.