Darkroom. Am i doin it right?

[bizarrius]

Hello everyone and i hope you are having a great time!
I wanted to start this thread because i know a lot of us have a darkroom and some might need some help on setting up and some might have the knowledge to help others.

Its like a : "have i forgotten anything?" thread.

I'm starting with my own:

i also have smaller tanks for smaller prints.

What can i fix? positioning etc?

Thanks!

 

[konicaman]

Looks nice! Suppose you have pliers for handling the prints, so you don't get your fingers in the soup?
Also you might like to have a red lamp closer over the trays to better evaluate progress in the developer, and maybe one for room light (might be there but not visible?).
Personally I like to use a magnifier for focus.
It might be the perspective in the shot but the trays and the enlarger look as if they are not elevated that much from the floor - so maybe a small stool in order not get a sore back 🙂

And BTW - I am only slightly envious 🙄

Keep up the good work!

 

[bizarrius]

Hello and goodmorning!
thanks for your comment.
yes i have pliers i forgot to put them in the trays 😀
room light is behind me above the door.
you are right about the safelight i should move it. it annoys me when i try to see my "to be printed" picture.
My enlarger has a build in focusing system (with the 2 lines) so i dont need a focusing helper.
And yes i need a chair!

thank you. very helpful!

 

[bgb]

I remember something about the safe light should not being too close to the enlarger.

Do you have a timer for film and printing?

Final wash for prints and film, so lots of running water

It's nice to see you getting into this 🙂

Some way of getting all the film processing chemicals up to the same temperature

 

[martin-f5]

I hope you don't misunderstand me,
I'd paint the wall behind and beside the enlarger in grey or black
also I think there is not enough place in front of the enlarger to work free and easy and that's important for me
so I'd give the process under the enlarger more room

best regards

 

[Ranchu]

Might also consider raising the enlarger table, it'll be a bit easier on your lower back. The electrical box being so close to the trays looks pretty dangerous to me!

 

[FrankHarries]

Are those chemical bottles that can be folded? I would't use those because they can almost never be cleaned good enough. And do you have a light-tight drawer for the paper? That makes the workflow much easier - well, once you get into it there are lots of things that make sense to get.....

 

[delft]

Looks good,
Maybe add something to play your favorite music?

Happy printing,

Dirk

 

[newsgrunt]

The power outlet being so close to the trays concerns me. I'd put a GFCI there to be on the safe side.

 

[timor]

Hi !
Welcome to the "printers club"!
Things look very simple now, but You will learn as You go and modify your darkroom setup to your convenience. Get in there, make your first prints, taste the satisfaction. After few sessions You will know what's not right. Good luck.

 

[nikon_sam]

Your Safelight might be a bit too close to your developing trays...
Leave a strip of photo paper out under your safelight and cover half of it with cardboard or something that will totally block the light...leave it out for a few minutes and then develop it...you should not see any difference from side to side...that will show you if your safelight is too close and fogging your paper...
A timer for developing your prints...mainly used for your developer for more consistent prints...

 

[bizarrius]

Wow!
Thanks everyone for your tips!
I will update the picture in a few days with the tips you gave me!
No one showed his darkroom though. waiting for your pictures!

 

[traveler_101]

Running water?

Running water?

Wow!
Thanks everyone for your tips!
I will update the picture in a few days with the tips you gave me!
No one showed his darkroom though. waiting for your pictures!

Thanks for posting this! Setting up a dark room is something I--and I suspect many other readers/participants of this discussion board--have fantasized about. Can I just ask: do you actually have a sink in the room (apropos the comment on "lots of running water)?

 

[bizarrius]

Thanks for posting this! Setting up a dark room is something I--and I suspect many other readers/participants of this discussion board--have fantasized about. Can I just ask: do you actually have a sink in the room (apropos the comment on "lots of running water)?

not yet. i will call the plumber this week to fix it though 🙂

 

[timor]

not yet. i will call the plumber this week to fix it though 🙂

I the darkroom, where You do the paper exposition, running water of course is not needed. To finish the process - yes, but the kitchen will be fine for it.
I have such a makeshift darkroom for few years now. Sure, I made some improvements like buying a big desk, installing additional socket for red light and there is also, not visible in the frame, small fridge for films and papers. I built dedicated stand for enlarger

and adopted Gralab as a timer for paper development. Everything takes up around 7 square meters. My sink is in the laundry room

 

[timor]

Picture:http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/b978516198bbe174.html
Sorry, but inserting the image somehow does not work.

 

[bizarrius]

let me help you with that picture! 🙂

 

[timor]

Thanks ! How You did it ?

 

[bizarrius]

open the link you were trying to link, right click on the picture, copy image location and then insert image button and paste the link. 🙂

 

[timor]