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Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / February 2005

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Setting up a darkroom?

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OneActor1@aol.com - 20 Feb 2005 08:41 GMT
I'd sort of like to set up my own darkroom to develop my negatives and
then print them. My two main questions are:

1. Is there any way to darken an extra bedroom enough to use it as a
darkroom?

2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
should I expect to spend?
Louie Powell - 20 Feb 2005 13:51 GMT
> I'd sort of like to set up my own darkroom to develop my negatives and
> then print them. My two main questions are:
>
> 1. Is there any way to darken an extra bedroom enough to use it as a
> darkroom?

Doors can be sealed using ordinary household weatherstipping.  The
greatest challenge will be along the bottom.  Look for a rubber or felt
strip that that be applied along the bottom and that drags on the floor
to provide a light seal.  If the opening at the bottom of the closed door
is too large, you can purchase (or fabricate) a thin wood threshold to
fit under the door.

Windows are a bit more complicated.  If you are looking for a permanent
or semi-permanent solution, a sheet of plywood attached to the molding
using screws is pretty effective.  For a temporary solution, look for
blackout drapes.  These are made of heavy, lined black fabric.  You will
need to find some means to seal around the edges, and this may take some
creativity.

> 2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
> should I expect to spend?
>
> Start looking in your local area.  Enlargers are large and can be
heavy, and you want to avoid shipping if possible.  Check with any photo
clubs in the area, and also with professional labs.  Many people are
giving up conventional darkroom work in favor of digital, and there are
lots of enlargers coming on the market.  

A relatively good 4x5 enlarger (Omega, Beselar, etc) will run US$200-500.  
Smaller enlargers (35mm and roll film) will be less.  
Gregory Blank - 20 Feb 2005 14:27 GMT
> I'd sort of like to set up my own darkroom to develop my negatives and
> then print them. My two main questions are:
>
> 1. Is there any way to darken an extra bedroom enough to use it as a
> darkroom?

Lots of ways,.....weather stripping for the door and or a hanging black
curtain in front on the door.

Velcro lined black fabric or tape on blackout materials for the windows.

> 2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
> should I expect to spend?

Ebay. The price depends on the need you have. If just for 35mm maybe a
few hundred probably no more than three "used" for a clean perfect
working order enlarger with a lens and negative carrier.

Signature

LF Website @ http://members.verizon.net/~gregoryblank

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

Mike King - 20 Feb 2005 18:30 GMT
Lots of ways to darken rooms, and one of the Westons (Brett?) lived in
Hawaii and printed only at night so he could leave his darkroom open to the
ocean breezes (must be rough!).

Enlargers? I've had people GIVE me enlargers (2-Elwoods) when I expressed an
interest, bought one locally at a flea market for $20 last year (a nice
clean B-600 Omega, kept the borderless easel and gave the enlarger to a
friend) bought a D-3 Omega with lenses (rough) for $100 and see them go for
less than that all the time at Camera shows and swap meets.  Don't know
where you are but check the back of Shutterbug and find a show near you (one
coming up in March in Omaha, NE--near me).

Dealers at shows are dumping enlargers in favor of smaller items that are
easier to transport from show to show so hang in there.  I've found
enlargers in the trash at newspapers and schools, too, since they have gone
100% digital (I love digital, it's really driven down the price of my
favorite toys!).

Last year I was also given a Polaroid MP-3, MP-4, Besseler 16 roller
transport, Kodak Royal print processor, Imagemaker film processor and a big
Ilford RC dryer plus a ton of miscellaneous stuff.  Oh and a Minolta Dimage
35mm film scanner, the guy scanned all his negs and now shoots only digital
and used digital is too cheap to bother with so he gave me his scanner, too.

Signature

darkroommike

----------

> I'd sort of like to set up my own darkroom to develop my negatives and
> then print them. My two main questions are:
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> 2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
> should I expect to spend?
OneActor1@aol.com - 20 Feb 2005 22:56 GMT
Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm gonna start visiting some of the
local swap meets to see if there are any 35mm enlargers around and I'll
check Shutterbug for upcoming shows. I live in the Los Angeles Area
(Agoura Hills) if anyone knows about an upcoming event.
darkroommike - 26 Feb 2005 14:46 GMT
Don't be too fast to "settle" on just a 35mm enlarger, a lot of guys then
get the medium format bug and have to start over in the enlarger dept.

> Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm gonna start visiting some of the
> local swap meets to see if there are any 35mm enlargers around and I'll
> check Shutterbug for upcoming shows. I live in the Los Angeles Area
> (Agoura Hills) if anyone knows about an upcoming event.
Gregory Blank - 27 Feb 2005 13:05 GMT
> Don't be too fast to "settle" on just a 35mm enlarger, a lot of guys then
> get the medium format bug and have to start over in the enlarger dept.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> > check Shutterbug for upcoming shows. I live in the Los Angeles Area
> > (Agoura Hills) if anyone knows about an upcoming event.

By all means buy a ten x ten then you'll only have to up grade
if you start shooting 11x14 ;-)

Signature

LF Website @ http://members.verizon.net/~gregoryblank

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

dan.c.quinn@att.net - 20 Feb 2005 23:44 GMT
I think you'd be better off, all around, by using a
kitchen or bathroom space.

I took one sink of a two sink counter out and
use the space for an enlarger. The washer and
dryer came out and now I've a five foot width for
processing, compounding, etc.

Process single tray, one-shot or reuse, and you'll
have plenty of room in a small space.           Dan
John - 21 Feb 2005 05:17 GMT
>1. Is there any way to darken an extra bedroom enough to use it as a
>darkroom?

    Tape aluminum foil over the windows.

>2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
>should I expect to spend?

    $50 ~ $150 on Ebay for a basic enlarger and lens.

Regards,

  John S. Douglas, Photographer -  http://www.puresilver.org
             Please remove the "_" when replying via email
theyankeesnapper@aol.com - 21 Feb 2005 18:10 GMT
Rather than turn your bedroom upside down, you may want to consider
turning a closet into a permanent home for your enlarger. This (so
called)closet can even be a corner of your bedroom draped with foam
backed drapes.  Then get yourself a Jobo and developpe everything with
the lights on in your kitchen. After your session is over, drain and
store your Jobo on the floor of the closet.

I did this for years when I lived in an apartment.

Regards.

Bob McCarthy
theyankeesnapper@aol.com
John - 22 Feb 2005 01:37 GMT
>Rather than turn your bedroom upside down, you may want to consider
>turning a closet into a permanent home for your enlarger. This (so
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>Bob McCarthy

    I would add that the Nova "processors" also work well in
cramped quarters.

Regards,

  John S. Douglas, Photographer -  http://www.puresilver.org
             Please remove the "_" when replying via email
Lauren Childs - 25 Feb 2005 09:16 GMT
> Rather than turn your bedroom upside down, you may want to consider
> turning a closet into a permanent home for your enlarger. This (so
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Bob McCarthy
> theyankeesnapper@aol.com

Make sure that you paint your closet or room that you may turn in to a
darkroom BLACK! Also try to invest in red lights so that you are  able
to see whilst working in your darkroom.
Posted by Lauren Childs
OneActor1@aol.com - 25 Feb 2005 11:19 GMT
I was going to put in safe lights. Is the black paint neccesary?
dan.c.quinn@att.net - 25 Feb 2005 23:58 GMT
> I was going to put in safe lights.
> Is the black paint neccesary?

 I got around to doing a little wireing. I placed
three bulb sockets under the cupoards over what used
to be the washer dryer area. Works very well. A twist
and they are on or off. Or I take one out, screw a white
in and I'm ready for weighing, paper work, etc. Their
color is yellow orange. They are safe with graded
papers. My darkroom is quite light. Graded
papers allow for brighter lighting.
 Do not paint anything, not for starters. You do wish
to be soon up and running?
 As for light leaks, don't go out of your way looking
for them. If your light sensitive materials are not
bothered by them or do not 'see' them, you're OK.   Dan
Lloyd Erlick - 26 Feb 2005 15:24 GMT
OneActor1@aol.com wrote:

>> I was going to put in safe lights.
>> Is the black paint neccesary?

feb2605 from Lloyd Erlick,

There is no need to paint the darkroom black. That
would be very unpleasant, and unnecessary.

For a start, don't do any painting at all. Just put in
appropriate safelights.

If you'd like the area around the enlarger darker,
because they often leak light, or because you often
magnify enough that the head is high enough to spill
light around the easel area, start by pinning or taping
black paper or card around the enlarger area. Empty
bags from photo paper are good, just cut them open into
flat sheets.

In reality, the color of paint on the darkroom walls is
irrelevant. If the room is really dark, in the sense
that no light enters, then you are in control of all
the light in the room. As long as you permit either no
light (e.g. during exposures) or safelight only, then
it makes no difference what color is on the walls.

regards,
--le
Signature

________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email: portrait@heylloyd.com
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________

Nicholas O. Lindan - 26 Feb 2005 01:56 GMT
<OneActor1@aol.com> wrote

> Is the black paint neccesary [for a closet darkroom]?

It depends on the size of the closet.  Walls and ceiling close to the enlarger
are preferably painted black because stray light from the enlarger
can otherwise fog the paper.  This is only critical when exposure times
are long due to dense negatives or large prints.  A white darkroom was
what confounded Adams when tried to make 4x6 foot prints with the same
contrast as his 11x14s.

Signature

Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer:  Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix  . netcom . com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

Ken Hart - 26 Feb 2005 03:26 GMT
> I was going to put in safe lights. Is the black paint neccesary?

It depends...
Around the enlarger, it can be a good idea to paint the walls black,
especially if the enlarger has any light leaks. IMHO, I think it's easier to
focus with the black walls "soaking" up any reflections.
Away from the enlarger, I like to have light/white walls, so the
safelight(s) are more effective.
Ken Hart
Louie Powell - 25 Feb 2005 12:18 GMT
>> Bob McCarthy
>> theyankeesnapper@aol.com
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> to see whilst working in your darkroom.
> Posted by Lauren Childs

I disagree with Lauren.  

A darkroom is dark because there are no light sources in it, and because
the design of the doors and windows prevents light from entering through
those ports.  

You definitely want a safelight - most likely amber (Kodak OC).  Red is
OK, but amber provides more safe light to work with.

You don't want to paint your darkroom black - you want it white. With
white walls, the fairly faint amber light from the safelight will be
reflected around the room to provide general illumination.  The only
exception to this is that it may be helpful to paint the wall immediately
behind the enlarger using black paint.  Enlargers typically will have
small light leaks - lots of them and difficult to remediate.  A black
wall behind the enlarger will prevent this light from being reflected
around the darkroom.

It might be worth your time to visit a few darkrooms before you make any
final decisions about how you will set up yours.
darkroommike - 26 Feb 2005 14:57 GMT
Painting a darkroom black is nonsense.  All paint is black in the absence of
light (and if you rent try explaining black paint to the landlord!).  If
your enlarger is leaking a lot of light (and some do) you can make a small
light shield just around the enlarger on three sides (maybe even black
foamcore and hinges so it can be taken down when not needed).  Paint the
walls yellow or gold or red, colors that reflect light in the good part of
the spectrum and absorb blue light (the color with the most potential to fog
paper).  Black paint also absorbs light that would otherwise be reflected
from your safelights and makes the room too dark in the corners.

If you can't get your darkroom really light tight, load and unload your film
processing tank in a film changing bag.  (Get a big one!)  In a pinch I've
even used a winter coat.  Did that at work one time when we hadn't installed
the light tight loading box on the end of the new processor (everyone at the
newspaper though I was a genius and it's great to teach old new dogs a few
tricks since I was the "other guy" in the news department (aka the
advertising department photographer).

BTW a lot of red lights are not very safe, invest in a safelight.

Mike

> Make sure that you paint your closet or room that you may turn in to a
> darkroom BLACK! Also try to invest in red lights so that you are  able
> to see whilst working in your darkroom.
> Posted by Lauren Childs
jjs - 26 Feb 2005 17:11 GMT
> Make sure that you paint your closet or room that you may turn in to a
> darkroom BLACK! Also try to invest in red lights so that you are  able
> to see whilst working in your darkroom.

That is so wrong I have to believe it's a joke.
Pieter Litchfield - 26 Feb 2005 18:57 GMT
A couple of thoughts about other posts to this thread.

(1) don't bother with dark paint.  I would keep the area immediately around
the enlarger dark colored and non-reflective.  This could be as temporary as
some sheets of cardboard with black felt glued on.  I would avoid highly
reflective (foil based) wallpapers, but color isn't important to darkness.
My darkroom is painted a pleasing medium gray (18%?).  I used to print in an
interior bathroom which was white.  No problems.

(2) I second the post to consider an enlarger that can handle medium format.
I updated my very old Omega B-22 with a cold light head.  It can handle 2
1/4 x 2 1/4 as well as 35mm.  I also modified a 35mm negative carrier to
Horizon 202 panoramic proportions (24 x 54mm).  However, you might want to
consider a color head - even if you are doing only B&W, a color head may be
used to dial in the correct color filtration for variable contrast B&W
papers instead of using variable contrast filters under the lens like I do
with my Omega B-22.  More convenient and (I'm sure) better optically.  You
can find lots of used enlargers on e-bay, but study the literature
(websites) and pick a make and model that will do the job for you before
shopping.

(3) check with the paper manufacturer (try their website) for the proper
designation of safelight to use with their material.  I use 3 lights along
my workbench mounted at ceiling height (about 4 ft from the work
surface/trays).  They give me plenty of light and no fogging.

(4)  There are good books on darkroom design, even temprary darkroom
solutions.  Try the local library for answers.

> I'd sort of like to set up my own darkroom to develop my negatives and
> then print them. My two main questions are:
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> 2. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive enlarger and how much
> should I expect to spend?
 
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