Darkroom, it's been a while

[FrankS]

Due somewhat to a hip issue, I have been inactive in my darkroom for a year or two. I'm recuperating now and got back into the dark. And into the deep end, making fiber based prints, which are a little trickier than RC.

 

[coelacanth]

Congrats and way to go! I'm doing the same soon. Been too busy with work, but I'm doing a traditional Shinto wedding ceremony in Japan next month and have a photographer shooting the day in b/w film for us. I'll be getting all negatives so I MUST go into the darkroom. 🙂

Definitely doing fiber papers. Traditional all the way. 😉

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Good news!

I printed tonight as well on FB.

 

[FrankS]

Drying

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Hey! You have same enlarger I use most! It is behind HCB book on yours 🙂

 

[Lauffray]

Frank, that's a very cool darkroom you have 🙂

 

[FrankS]

Thanks, Jerome!

Kon, it's a cute little Vivitar enlarger. I see you have the big Omega set up!

 

[mobius981]

Gorgeous darkroom! Thank you for pic as now I can study your arrangement...lol!

Heading in Darkroom direction but just considering for now...however your post is motivating!😱

 

[Ko.Fe.]

...I see you have the big Omega set up!

Yes. I quit 4x5, but plenty of 6x9 negatives to print and cameras to use.

 

[Calzone]

Frank,

Your trained eye is your best asset. I'm sure the advance to fiber will be seamless. The added time and expense of fiber is well worth it.

Best of luck.

Cal

 

[FrankS]

For my self, I'll continue to use RC, but prints for sale will be FB. I wish FB would dry flat like RC!

 

[jawarden]

I wish FB would dry flat like RC!

That is a challenge. I hold mine flat between two screens while dying but it seems to make no difference and the dried prints quickly curl. If anyone has a great tip please share.

😉

 

[Ko.Fe.]

... If anyone has a great tip please share.

😉

Table edge as the initial "tool" to de-curl, large book and heavy audio monitor for day or two to make as flat as possible. Keeping prints in tight box.

It will not make them and keep them as perfectly flat as RC, but FB print feels different in hands, comparing to plasticy RC. This where main difference for me is. FB is the gelatin silver print to me. I could see the gelatin on unexposed FB paper 🙂

 

[newsgrunt]

I previously used blotter sheets to dry my prints. Interleave them with several blotter sheets between prints and place some weight in top and they were flat with maybe a very, very slight wave on the edge.

 

[Santtu Määttänen]

It's funny how people talk about turning into FB printing. For me RC has always been for paper negatives, intermediate positives, and for contact prints. FB has always been my material of choice for actual prints. And I ain't even that old 😀

For me, rc is a fine material, easy to work with and delivers results rather fast. So it's a perfect choice for doing paper negatives for alternative processes in the darkroom. Also it does make fast contact prints from strips of film / sheet film.

Good looking darkroom you have there! Would love to have that much space. Mine is rather small basement darkroom. Around 3m x 5m. Filled with one long table, one smallish sink, enlarger, uv light unit, shelfs and plenty of trays. Way too little space for drying and storing stuff.

 

[skibeerr]

Hi Frank,

Have a go at drying fb on a window or other flat glass, put it on wet and fix the edges with watercolour tape.

 

[FrankS]

Currently I hang the prints with clothespins at all 4 corners, then pressing the dry prints in a book with more books piled on top. I was thinking of drying them sandwiched between 2 window screens.