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GoodOldNorm
8th February 2016, 12:18 PM
Saw these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-ioXd7bBkw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zone-IV-Roll-Film-Washer-35mm-Film-/141893274245?hash=item21097f8a85:g:Mw8AAOSwpzdWr-VS

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Film-Washer-for-developing-Wasserungstank-zur-Entwicklungsdose-/222015097853?hash=item33b1218bfd:g:EloAAOSwFMZWs6X Q

Have you used or made a film washer?

Lostlabours
8th February 2016, 01:22 PM
They are completely unnecessary and just waste water. The Ilford film washing system works (for water economy) well although most of us use more wash cycles.

I actually have a film washer but haven't used it in over 30 years.

Ian

photomi7ch
8th February 2016, 05:53 PM
You can do the same thing with the developing tank.

Steve Smith
9th February 2016, 07:54 AM
They are completely unnecessary and just waste water. The Ilford film washing system works

I also use Ilford's method.

As Roger Hicks once said: "why would they tell you to do something which doesn't work?".


Steve.

GoodOldNorm
9th February 2016, 08:39 AM
I fill the film tank with water and give it 10 inversions then dump the water straight away, Then I fill the tank and give it 10 inversions then leave it 5mins invert the tank 2 times before I empty the tank again. Fill, 20 inversions wait 5 mins 2 inversions, dump water then fill, 30 inversions wait 5 mins 2 inversions then dump the water. If the water is still dis-coloured I will go with 40 inversions/5 mins wait/2 inversions dump or until the water is clear. Then I stand the film for 30 secs in de-ionised water and wetting agent (my water has a lot of lime scale even when filtered).This is time consuming, I am asking if using a film washer home made or shop bought has any advantages? Is sticking a pipe in the center tube of your film tank/washer and streaming water into the tank/film washer for 15 mins good enough?

Richard Gould
9th February 2016, 08:53 AM
Norm, you can put a piece of hose down the center of the tank to wash your film, I have done that in the past, and still do when I am busy, but you need 20 minutes to 1/2 hour and it works as well as any bought force film washer, but normally I also use the ilford method, fill tank with water at at least 20c, invert 5 times slowly, then 10 and twenty, I also do 40 times, rinse in water and w/a, I don.t need distelled water as our water is very soft, no limescale,
Richard

Lostlabours
9th February 2016, 09:29 AM
I am asking if using a film washer home made or shop bought has any advantages? Is sticking a pipe in the center tube of your film tank/washer and streaming water into the tank/film washer for 15 mins good enough?

It has a major disadvantage unless you have an expensive valve mixer to control the temperature accurately you run a major risk of deviating from the process temperature which should be kept within +/- 1ºC of you chosen temperature (usually 20ºC) throughout the process cycle including washing.

The wash water temperature is as important as the rest, while many films are well hardened some aren't and you run the risk of damaging the emulsion surface causing increased graininess.

Ian

Keith Tapscott.
11th February 2016, 09:16 AM
They are completely unnecessary and just waste water. The Ilford film washing system works (for water economy) well although most of us use more wash cycles.

I actually have a film washer but haven't used it in over 30 years.

IanI agree. There was a very long thread about this a few years ago on apug, but no one picked up until late in the discussion that Kodak's tests were made with a HARDENING-FIXER, while Ilford's tests were made with a NON-HARDENING FIXER.

Ilford's simple wash method not only reached the ANSI standard for film washing, but exceeded it.

JulioF
14th February 2016, 04:44 PM
It is probably more important to use hypo clearer (a 20 g/l sulfite solution will do)

My method is three Ilford washes with tap water (filtered), then sulfite solution, then five Ilford washes, then two distilled water Ilford washes. All these in the developing tank. It works for me.