 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| PhotoKB HomeDiscussion Groups Digital Photography Digital PhotoDSLR CamerasZLR CamerasPoint & Shoot CamerasFilm Photography 35 mmLarge FormatMedium formatDarkroomFilm and LabsOther EquipmentPhoto Technique Nature PhotographyPeople PhotographyTechnique GeneralGeneral Photo Topics General TopicsAustralian PhotographyUK PhotographyDirectoryPhoto Clubs |
Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / March 2006Dust control
It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and I still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the critters get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! I'm considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? > It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new > darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing > entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and I > still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the critters > get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! I'm > considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? An ionic air thing may be needed depending on the conditions here in Maryland because of humidity dust sticks in place, wipe it away and its gone-but its important to cover negatives with sleeves. As for spiders who knows they creep me out.  SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:30:15 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >As for >spiders who knows they creep me out. March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, They only do that becasue you should leave them alone. They eat other insects. For creepy, millipedes are hard to beat. Spiders eat them before they run across your face while you're asleep in bed ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:30:15 -0500, "Greg > \"Blank\" - Lizard King." [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > net: www.heylloyd.com > ________________________________ Let me go on public record saying I don't usually molest spiders, if they willingly don't annoy me I let them be. On the other hand I try to catch them and humanely place them outside. That way the millipedes and centipedes get caught outside my house :) SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 14:03:24 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >Let me go on public record saying I don't usually molest spiders, >if they willingly don't annoy me I let them be. On the other hand >I try to catch them and humanely place them outside. That way the >millipedes and centipedes get caught outside my house :) March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, This is good advice for how to treat newsgroup trolls! regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ I've always felt that dust has more of a chance of becoming airborn if there's too little humidity. Any way to test this out? Could the spiders be coming in through the plumbing? -Lew > It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new > darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing > entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and > I still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the > critters get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! > I'm considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? >I've always felt that dust has more of a chance of becoming airborn if >there's too little humidity. Any way to test this out? March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, This is definitely true. Dryness in the darkroom is very bad. So is excessive humidity, so a measurement/readout device is very helpful. I got one from Radio Shack (now named something cuter, I think, but the products are still cheaply made). It's just an LCD in a little plastic holder. It shows temperature and relative humidity. In my place I need a humidifier in the winter and a dehumidifier in the summer. The readout tells me what the situation is, and how to set the machines as the outside temperature changes. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >In my place I need a humidifier in the winter >and a dehumidifier in the summer. The readout [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >--le >________________________________ Do you have an 'ideal' humidity level that you aim for? Paul >>In my place I need a humidifier in the winter >>and a dehumidifier in the summer. The readout [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Paul March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Yes, I aim for any level within what may be called, undefined, the human comfort level. Basically, around fifty per cent relative humidity. Most people will be comfortable between forty and sixty per cent. Of course tastes differ. If things are too dry, static electricity and dust will become problems. Photo paper will curl. Nosebleeds will occur. If there is too much humidity, for a long enough time, lenses will grow fungus. Depending on locale and local climate, darkroom humidity will be more or less difficult to achieve at one end of the scale or the other. Right now, here in winter Toronto, it is difficult to get enough moisture into the air. The heating system constantly draws fresh air into the building (exterior air is cold and dry; raising its temperature just makes the relative humidity even lower). It is physically impossible for me to get the RH high enough to be considered "too" high. I'm amazed when I see my readout at any level beginning with a 5. If I see it's 53% RH at my enlarger, I know I need to get out more, because it has warmed up outside. During the summer in Toronto humidity tends to be high. A dehumidifier is a must, and it would be physically impossible to get the RH low enough to hurt my nose. In fact, getting it below 50 or maybe 45% RH would likely be impossible with normal household appliances. Limiting the RH at any given moment in the seasons to a narrow range like 49-51% would be very difficult and costly. Limiting it to something like 38-58 (certainly good enough for darkrooms -- what about computerinkjetrooms??) would be easy and cheap, but it would demand a little bit of (cost-free) attention from the operator (that would be us). I have an article on darkroom humidity management, under the 'technical' button in the table of contents of www.heylloyd.com. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ Dust ... Is there too little humidity? Spiders ... Coming in through the plumbing? Air filter? -Lew > It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new > darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing > entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and > I still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the > critters get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! > I'm considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? >Spiders ... Coming in through the plumbing? Air filter? >-Lew March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Probably not the plumbing. Cockroaches might travel through the drain pipes, spiders I doubt. I'm no expert, but it seems unlikely. Roaches forage and explore. Spiders are predators. Hunting in the pipes is unlikely. My guess is the spiders are attracted by the light. Try leaving the darkroom dark when not in use. No small lights, either. Spiders are not a problem in themselves, unless it's some special situation like a tropical locale. They eat other bugs, so the net effect is positive. Regular vacuuming of the top corners of the room, and in behind things on the floor will keep the webs down. Spiders have to eat, so if they are present, other bugs are, too. Kill the spiders and you'll get a look at these. Spiders eat webs and recycle them into fresh web. How Internet friendly of them ... Regular wiping up for dust and regular vacuuming and floor swabbing help more than anything. A dust cleaner for the air sounds good. Just make sure the filter is the kind that doesn't need to be replaced at constant cost -- get one (electrostatic kind) that goes into the dishwasher. I'd never use toxic chemicals in my darkroom ... not even to kill bugs. By the way, if cockroaches are a problem, there is very successful new technology. A substance named Hydroprene completely neutralizes roaches. It is a synthetic insect growth hormone, and it causes the roach eggs to fail to hatch. Thus, any roach that happens to wander in may stay and even live, but not reproduce, so infestation is not possible. In combination with a gel-style attractant-based toxin (Hydramethylnon) to kill the wanderers, roaches can be reduced to something seen -- never. (A similar hormone is used against fleas. The best type is a hormone-impregnated plastic collar for animals. The substance is called Methoprene. I could have the names switched around, since I'm going from memory here, but anyone with a roach or flea problem should be motivated enough to do the research! I sure was ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > but anyone with a > roach or flea problem should be motivated > enough to do the research! I sure was ... & to think you started from "Scratch" ;-D SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 14:08:06 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >> but anyone with a >> roach or flea problem should be motivated >> enough to do the research! I sure was ... > >& to think you started from "Scratch" ;-D March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, I sure did! My dear departed feline, the maker of all fiber, the revealer of all static electricity, was also a home for the fleas. She was a white cat and never once was free of fleas no matter what disgusting malodorous flea collar I bought for her. But the IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) collars did the job in a flash. I increased the Dmin of my cat with a fleas collar that worked! She became a cool white toned cat, instead of faintly warm/yellow. I'm a pacifist, but nixing fleas gives me the good ol' human feeling of -- kill them all, every last one. If you need to know about scabies, I can tell you a lot there, too (do not scratch...). That would lead to the subject of nursing homes and nursing home staff, so maybe it should just be left off topic ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ Tom Gardner spake thus: > It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new > darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing > entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and I > still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the critters > get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! I'm > considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? Yes: give up. Embrace the dust. All attempts at resistance are futile. SignatureSecond, Scientologists are like computers trying to run an emulation of another computer. It can be done, but the performance is awful. Scientologists are trying to run a bad copy of LRH. - Keith Henson, from alt.religion.scientology >Tom Gardner spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Yes: give up. Embrace the dust. All attempts at resistance are futile. Oh pooh ! Anyone can get rid of dust ! All you have to do is to run your hot water line into a fire extinguisher/sprinkler and let it bathe your darkroom in steaming hot water prior to your usage of said room. P.S. Please check all grounds prior to flooding the darkroom with steaming hot water ! == John S. Douglas Photographer & Webmaster www.legacy-photo,com www.xs750.net >>Yes: give up. Embrace the dust. All attempts at resistance are futile. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >== > John S. Douglas March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Well, you've exaggerated a tad but you are really only saying an increase in darkroom relative humidity will solve the problem. But rather than advocating the New Orleans Katrina-Darkroom, I suggest an investment in a cheap humidity readout device and a basic home humidifier. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ John spake thus: >> Tom Gardner spake thus: >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > bathe your darkroom in steaming hot water prior to your usage of said > room. Hey, maybe you're onto something here: the Really Wet Darkroom. In which all dry materials (negatives, paper) are pre-loaded into waterproof cassettes. The air continually sprayed with a fine mist of water. Dust wouldn't stand a chance! SignatureSecond, Scientologists are like computers trying to run an emulation of another computer. It can be done, but the performance is awful. Scientologists are trying to run a bad copy of LRH. - Keith Henson, from alt.religion.scientology > Hey, maybe you're onto something here: the Really Wet Darkroom. In which > all dry materials (negatives, paper) are pre-loaded into waterproof > cassettes. The air continually sprayed with a fine mist of water. Dust > wouldn't stand a chance! I ran across a reference recently to an oil-immersion negative carrier. I didn't read up on it, so I don't really know the details, but if it's what the name implies, I'd expect it would help a lot by lifting dust particles far enough from the emulsion that they'd no longer focus on the paper. OTOH, I'd also expect that cleaning the negatives after each print would be a pain. SignatureRod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com http://www.rodsbooks.com Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 04:07:21 -0000, rodsmith@nessus.rodsbooks.com (Rod Smith) wrote: >> Hey, maybe you're onto something here: the Really Wet Darkroom. In which >> all dry materials (negatives, paper) are pre-loaded into waterproof [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >OTOH, I'd also expect that cleaning the negatives after each print would >be a pain. March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, The oil-immersion-darkroom! Where can I get one ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ lately there has been a thread at photo.net about this matter that resulted quite usefull to me. it's subject is Dust, dust, ando more dust: http://www.photo.net/bboard/forum?topic_id=1542 (2006-03-04) >It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new >darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing >entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and I >still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the critters >get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! I'm >considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? Is the ventilation positive or negative pressure? If it is negative pressure, unfiltered air will be pulled in anywhere it can be -- electrical outlets, light fixtures, under and around the door, etc. Best solution is to create positive pressure ventilation, and filter the intake. Chris Ellinger Ann Arbor, MI > Is the ventilation positive or negative pressure? And if it is positive (which it should be) what sort of filter is being used? SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm >> Is the ventilation positive or negative pressure? > > And if it is positive (which it should be) what sort of filter > is being used? I have a High Efficiency filter on incomming air and a fiberglass furnace filter on outgoing air. Seems I've been plagued with dust forever and everywhere. >I've been plagued with dust forever and >everywhere. March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Well, define 'plagued'. It would have to mean dust appearing on prints, or negatives. In prints, dust in the light path is a culprit. Dust on the floor or in a spider web at the ceiling is a smaller problem, at least a less immediate problem. I put a lot more effort into keeping my enlarger, negative carrier and negatives clean than into keeping the room clean. Coupled with proper humidity in the room, these efforts seem to be quite successful for me. I have relatively little print spotting to do. Maybe I should point out that 'relatively little' does not mean I never do any print spotting. I spot nearly every print I make. I'd never expect to achieve a situation in which print spotting vanishes. Fifteen minutes to half an hour spent spotting every good print I make is pretty routine. Sometimes more. Maybe I'm just reporting an improvement since my feline fibre and dust factory packed it in. In my life I've had two cats -- covering a total of four decades -- enough to span just about every darkroom I've ever had. Until now ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > Is the ventilation positive or negative pressure? > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Chris Ellinger > Ann Arbor, MI I built a filter holder that uses a "High Efficiency" accordion style element that is mounted on the ceiling/wall that has a booster duct fan on the 6" duct coming from the AC/furnace. There is a switch on this fan. On the floor, under the sink area is a vent that dumps into the other part of the basement. There is a standard fiberglass furnace filter on this. So, I have positive pressure...kinda'. How about I block the air dump partially or fully and increase the positive pressure? I don't want to run the booster fan continuously and rarely run it at all, only when it gets hot in there, no problem with it being too cold. > I built a filter holder that uses a "High Efficiency" accordion style > element that is mounted on the ceiling/wall that has a booster duct fan on > the 6" duct coming from the AC/furnace. There is a switch on this fan. On > the floor, under the sink area is a vent that dumps into the other part of > the basement. There is a standard fiberglass furnace filter on this. Well, that _should_ keep dust down... > have positive pressure...kinda'. How about I block the air dump partially > or fully and increase the positive pressure? I don't want to run the > booster fan continuously and rarely run it at all, only when it gets hot in > there, no problem with it being too cold. If you run the fan continuously, as an experiment, does this take care of the dust problem? Does the darkroom ever get back-winded? If the room is unoccupied does dust accumulate? I would imagine the room 'breathes' through the exit filter and dust trapped in the exit filter may then go back into the darkroom -- this is pure speculation. But, what happens if the exit filter is blocked? A good coating with gloss enamel helps, obviously. Do you get dust sticking to the walls? If so then a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of water and wipe the walls down and let them dry so there is fine film of detergent on the wall -- this will keep the static electricity on the walls down. -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm >a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of >water [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >-- >Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Just when I think I know everything! This must be what they mean by the expression 'consulting engineer'... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >> I built a filter holder that uses a "High Efficiency" accordion style >> element that is mounted on the ceiling/wall that has a booster duct fan [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com > Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm Great Idea! I think I found the biggest culprit. The dryer in the other part of the basement had the vent installed by HH Greg recently and they didn't fasten the ductwork to the base of the dryer correctly and it spews dryer exhaust into the basement under the dryer aimed right at the hallway to the darkroom. I found by accident when I opened the darkroom door into the well lighted hall I could see a cloud of dust get sucked into the darkroom. I fixed the vent duct and am cleaning the rest of the basement. I'd like to get to the point of not ever spotting prints...I'm dreaming aren't I? >I'd like to get to the point of not ever spotting prints...I'm dreaming >aren't I? March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, "Not ever" -- yes, a dream. "Not that much, reduced to a level that is comfortable, reduced to a level that is just another skilled photog's task, just another something to do that is at least doable" -- yes, no problem, a dream that can come true. "A print or two every year that needs no spotting at all" -- sure, why not? An annual event, cause for celebration, sure. lregards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >>I'd like to get to the point of not ever spotting prints...I'm dreaming >>aren't I? [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > net: www.heylloyd.com > ________________________________ I just hate spotting prints, I'm not good at it and it takes my a long time. Since I addressed this, my dust level is WAY down. I'm still giong to install an ionic thingy. > >>I'd like to get to the point of not ever spotting prints...I'm dreaming > >>aren't I? [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Since I addressed this, my dust level is WAY down. I'm still giong to > install an ionic thingy. Spotting becomes less a chore if you do two things: Use a 000 brush -good sable Point the brush tip and jab little amounts of pigment into the white spot until it matches the surrounding area. SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:46:42 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >Use a 000 brush -good sable >Point the brush tip and jab little amounts of pigment into the white >spot until it matches the surrounding area. March 22, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, That's a pretty succinct description of the whole thing. I'd add a caveat that most first efforts will destroy the print (let's call it a practice print...) and plenty of practice is necessary. It's a lot easier than learning to play the violin, though, so there is hope at the end of the ...um... brush. A lot of the antipathy to spotting must come from the anxiety caused by working on a print that you might damage. This goes away after a lot of spotting, but for some time there will be the worry that spotting will go wrong and your own ham-handedness will destroy a few hours' work. I guess we just come down to psychology again -- eventually the doing of it (spotting) wears down the worry and it just becomes something that takes a bit of time and effort. Making extra copies of the best prints helps. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:46:42 -0500, "Greg > \"Blank\" - Lizard King." [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > net: www.heylloyd.com > ________________________________ Forgot to add make multiple copies of the print, it helps especially when as in my case I am typically spotting someone's job-right before handing them the print-literally. I guess I have never really been stressed by spotting as I come from years of painting, drawing and pigment matching typically I don't use a print to practice on but it can't hurt I have a good idea what the pigment level should be on the brush so a napkin, paper towel or trimable white border works-or matt board. SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:38:13 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >Forgot to add make multiple copies of the >print, it helps especially when as in my case >I am typically spotting someone's job-right before >handing them the print-literally. March 23, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, This reminds of a story from the time I decided never to patronize commercial labs. I picked up a job at their delivery counter, opened it and found a big dust fiber on the nose of my client. I asked for it to be re-done. The counter person turned from the cash register to a bench behind her -- where I had never noticed the scattered litter of retouching dyes and little brushes. She dabbed at the nose of my paying customer and handed it back to me. They did get my money, but that was the last time. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:38:13 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >I guess I have never really been stressed by spotting >as I come from years of painting, drawing and pigment >matching typically I don't use a print to practice on but it can't hurt >I have a good idea what the pigment level should be on the brush >so a napkin, paper towel or trimable white border works-or matt board. March 23, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, I've sometimes thought I'd never have picked up a camera if only I had been able to draw. And pigment matching ... hmp, that's why I work in black and white. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >I just hate spotting prints, I'm not good at it and it takes my a long time. >Since I addressed this, my dust level is WAY down. I'm still giong to >install an ionic thingy. March 22, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, I used to hate print spotting, too. The hate has worn out, and I'm left with a dull chore. Everything and anything you can do to reduce/control dust is worth it. An air cleaner/ionizer will be much more effective if the air is at least not bone dry, preferably at least above 35 per cent relative humidity. I must say, though, that over the years I've enjoyed the tiny sable hair brush. I guess I'm just a frustrated oil painter. I wonder if there might be some use for turpentine in the darkroom ... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >Best solution is to create positive pressure ventilation, and filter >the intake. > >Chris Ellinger >Ann Arbor, MI March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, This will be very helpful against bugs, too. Many insect eggs are tiny enough to be considered dust. Many newborn insects are pretty tiny, too, including spiders. Positive pressure and regular swabbing will go a long way toward controlling dust, along with humidity in the human comfort range (40 to 55 or 60 per cent). regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > It seems I am plagued with dust no matter what I do. When I built the new > darkroom, I caulked every drywall seam, floor and ceiling joints, plumbing > entrances and exits, filtered the air intake, don't smoke in the room and I > still have a huge dust and spider problem. I can't figure how the critters > get in yet alone what they eat. This room is almost air tight! I'm > considering an ionic air thingy...thoughts? When I started working in darkrooms in 1968 I attended a small Oregon college. Our advisor had a great solution for dust. In the three months that I attended we painted the room from top to bottom twice. It did solve the dust problem. No kidding. Clint Herndon > When I started working in darkrooms in 1968 I attended a small Oregon > college. Our advisor had a great solution for dust. > > In the three months that I attended we painted the room from top to > bottom twice. It did solve the dust problem. No kidding. > Clint Herndon I agree, it is now on my list to paint with a high gloss oil enamel. And I'll paint the cement floor with epoxy based paint. Thanks >I'll paint the cement floor with epoxy based paint. March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Yet another area in which I've had experience. The epoxy coating will be tough and long lasting, but when it begins to fail it will be a mess. For a cement floor, I'd suggest some sort of sealer followed by a top-coat of floor wax. The sealer should be some sort of water-based glue-like substance. A good product for the job, which I've used, is called WeldBond. It looks like thick white glue, and it dilutes with water. To seal cement, dilute it quite thin and runny and pour on the floor. Squeegee it all over and make sure there are no puddles or areas where the stuff is on the surface. Work it in, let it soak in while you keep it moving, let it dry and repeat as many times as your l'il heart desires. After it's all dry, use a good grade of floor wax a few times until the surface of the floor is slick and non-absorbent. The wax is very easy to renew, and strips off easily if necessary (should go years ...) In areas of high stress, like in front of a processing sink or anywhere water might drip often (like under my print-drying area, where I sluice distilled water down the prints where they hang), it's easy to renew the sealer before re-waxing. Nothing will flake or peel or make any type of mess with this method. It's also cheaper than epoxy (lots cheaper) and does not entail breathing anything weird when applying it. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >>I'll paint the cement floor with epoxy based paint. > [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > regards, > --le Cool! Great point about epoxy paint, I forgot what a bitch it is. Various: > > > I'll paint the cement floor with epoxy based paint. > > sealer followed by a top-coat of floor wax. > Cool! Great point about epoxy paint, I forgot what a bitch it is. When I had a basement darkroom I painted the floor with a thin-ish latex paint sold just for concrete floors. I never had any problem with paint flakes. The paint soon wore down from the peaks/sandgrains in the cement but stayed in the 'valleys', the resulting surface was semi-porous but smooth and cleanable. IB if moisture from the cement [and basement cement always has moisture] can't evaporate then it pools under the paint and spalls the cement and a thin layer of cement attached to a flake of paint comes loose. The people who had the house before me painted the garage floor with epoxy. Lasted about 1/2 a winter. It is a mess now and I think the only thing to do is to paint it with epoxy again when I sell the house so it looks presentable. Another very good coating for cement is Waterlox. You will need lots of ventilation, though. Waterlox is a tung-oil varnish used for gymnasium floors. My folks did the wood floor in their kitchen with a coat of it and it is still good after 40+ years. Lots of variations: the marine undercoat is a superb primer coat over new/weathered/painted wood. Expensive. Toxic. SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm > Various: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > mess now and I think the only thing to do is to paint it with > epoxy again when I sell the house so it looks presentable. You could do what what I did recently for the house I just bought, they had stuck indoor carpet on the basement floor, which their cats peed on, I ripped it out the day I took possession of the home. I then spent about two months scraping and eventually using an angle grinder on the floor to remove stuck on carpet backing. I painted the the floor with latex floor paint, most places are ok, but a few spots have come undone as a result of the problem you state....the sealer would have been a good idea in those areas. U. G .L is also probably an expensive permanent fix. > Another very good coating for cement is Waterlox. You will need > lots of ventilation, though. Waterlox is a tung-oil varnish used > for gymnasium floors. My folks did the wood floor in their kitchen > with a coat of it and it is still good after 40+ years. Lots of > variations: the marine undercoat is a superb primer coat > over new/weathered/painted wood. Expensive. Toxic. SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" Various: > > > > > epoxy based paint > > > > sealer followed by floor wax > > > latex paint > > Waterlox > indoor carpet [with] cat pee And the obvious ... linoleum. SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm >Various: >> > > > > epoxy based paint [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >And the obvious ... linoleum. March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Lino will work, and even give the impression of working for a long time. But it is a waterproof covering on a cement floor below grade, which means there will be moisture between the lino and the cement. That means mildew. If the lino is laid in such a way it can be lifted easily, and mildew killer like chlorine bleach can be swabbed underneath the lino, fine, but otherwise it's just trouble in the future. Mildew is insidious, it grows slowly. Darkrooms should be on high ground, with plenty of floor space and a wet bar at one end. I suggest a government program to encourage the development of clmate controlled darkrooms. We could start with making all darkroom expenses tax deductible. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > I suggest a government program to > encourage the development of clmate [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > regards, > --le Spoken like a TRUE Canadian! (I'm now planning this year's Pike hunt (28th. year straight) in Quebec and will be rolling through Toronto in June...I'll wave.) >> I suggest a government program to >> encourage the development of clmate [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >year straight) in Quebec and will be rolling through Toronto in June...I'll >wave.) March 22, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, I've never heard of the Pike hunt! I guess I'm not that true ... So elucidate! regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >>> I suggest a government program to >>> encourage the development of clmate [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > regards, > --le Canada had thousands of lakes full of Great Northern Pike (fish), cousins to Muskies. They fight like hell, get really big and thay are tasty. Spending a week at a time in the bush is fun and renewing and I get billions of photos...now mostly digital. >Spending > a week at a time in the bush is fun and renewing and I get billions of > photos...now mostly digital. Maybe thats where you pick up those spiders at :) SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. But if your going to hate someone Matt Clara says its ok to hate him. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" >Canada had thousands of lakes full of Great Northern Pike (fish), cousins to >Muskies. They fight like hell, get really big and thay are tasty. March 25, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Ah, now I understand. Hasn't Brigitte Bardot put an end to that sort of thing around here? And Sir Paul McCartney? regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 10:33:14 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >they had stuck indoor carpet on the basement floor, which their cats >peed on, I ripped it out March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Another area of direct personal experience! I still remember the feeling of almost personal triumph to finally get that carpet out to the garbage pickup. Carpet on a basement floor will inevitably grow mildew, and smell like it. If a carpet is placed on a basement floor, it should be easily lifted so it can go into the truck that will take it to the nice carpet cleaning people. If a cement floor is finished with sealer and wax, it is very easy to repair/renew a place that is scratched down to fresh cement by dragging some heavy piece of inappropriateness like a floor standing enlarger. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >> When I started working in darkrooms in 1968 I attended a small Oregon >> college. Our advisor had a great solution for dust. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I agree, it is now on my list to paint with a high gloss oil enamel. And > I'll paint the cement floor with epoxy based paint. Thanks I used the two-part epoxy paint (it comes with little color chips that you sprinkle over the wet surface for a nice appearance). Cost, IIRC, was about $40 for a gallon. It looked good, for a while. When it started to chip off, it was a pain. Since then, I've used cheap (<$10/gallon) enamel deck paint. It lasted longer than the epoxy. It seems to wear away rather than chip off. Clean-up was easier. Only bad thing is, I don't have the cute little color chips that looked so good in my _dark_room! SignatureKen Hart kwhart@aec.nu >I used the two-part epoxy paint (it comes with little color chips that you >sprinkle over the wet surface for a nice appearance). Cost, IIRC, was about >$40 for a gallon. It looked good, for a while. When it started to chip off, >it was a pain. March 21, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, This was exactly my experience, too. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ >In the three months that I attended we painted the room from top to >bottom twice. It did solve the dust problem. No kidding. >Clint Herndon March 18, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, What if the second and subsequent paint jobs had been replaced by careful swabbing of the whole room from top to bottom? Seems weird that actual paint should be necessary. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ Im sure there are a lot of better suggestions, but my son has breating issues at times, the single best thing I did was buy a GOOD vacum cleaner and ran the house TOP to Bottom, baseboards especially, I went from having to dust ever week, to in a month hardly seeing ANY dust. I got a rainbow, overkill and overpriced but, doing that to the carpets effected the whole house Besides 50% of dust is dead skin so Ive heard, start wearing lotion :) >Besides 50% of dust is dead skin so Ive heard, start wearing lotion :) March 22, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Unless you live in a city or on a busy street. Plenty of the dust originates in diesel engines. Humans have symbiotic partners that feed on our shed skin cells. We live with quite a few essential little animals on and in our bodies. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > >Besides 50% of dust is dead skin so Ive heard, start wearing lotion :) > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > net: www.heylloyd.com > ________________________________ That's a truly "Lousy" thought :) SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. Better not to hate. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:41:02 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >That's a truly "Lousy" thought :) March 23, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, Well, I'd rather have lice than scabies! But I'd rather have fleas than lice. And cockroaches are the easiest to take, they don't make you itch. Even living this far north I've had more experience with biting insects than I like. In fact, I place biters higher on my hate list than sulfur dioxide. No fleas, please. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:41:02 -0500, "Greg > \"Blank\" - Lizard King." [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > regards, > --le How about those clouds of Black Flies? > How about those clouds of Black Flies? We just have the ones that bite here in MD,...Sandflies, Horse Flies and the Woodland ones with triangular shaped wings & red eyes. SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. But if your going to hate someone Matt Clara says its ok to hate him. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" >> How about those clouds of Black Flies? > > We just have the ones that bite here in MD,...Sandflies, Horse Flies > and the Woodland ones with triangular shaped wings & red eyes. Black flies leave an oozing welt that lasts 2 weeks and enough bites can send you into shock...I HATE the little bastards. There are 2 temp dependant hatches in spring and it's luck not to get them too bad. >>> How about those clouds of Black Flies? >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >send you into shock...I HATE the little bastards. There are 2 temp >dependant hatches in spring and it's luck not to get them too bad. March 25, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, My sentiments exactly. I find spiders a lot easier to take. They don't come after you with such diligence. even dock spiders would prefer to avoid humans. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 11:56:20 -0500, "Greg \"Blank\" - Lizard King." <greg@greg_photo.com> wrote: >the Woodland ones with triangular shaped wings & red eyes. March 25, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, May flies? Deer flies? Thankfully theoretical for me... regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ > On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 11:56:20 -0500, "Greg > \"Blank\" - Lizard King." [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > net: www.heylloyd.com > ________________________________ Ah yes those Dear Flies :D SignatureThe things we hate most in life often turn out to be a mirror image of ourselves. But if your going to hate someone Matt Clara says its ok to hate him. Findmedirectly - "infoatgregblankphoto.com" >> On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:41:02 -0500, "Greg >> \"Blank\" - Lizard King." [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > >How about those clouds of Black Flies? March 25, 2006, from Lloyd Erlick, And mosquitoes (my personal favorite ...). I live downtown in a city for a good reason -- all that air pollution keeps the bugs down. These days, the coughing is all the exercise I get. regards, --le Signature________________________________ Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto. voice: 416-686-0326 email: portrait@heylloyd.com net: www.heylloyd.com ________________________________ |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.