j.scooter
Veteran
There is a spot in my basement that I have claimed. I am working from a blank slate, the slate is so blank that at the moment there are only two walls in my "darkroom", the other two are yet to be built.
I know I need shelf space, ventilation, counter space and a big sink and that is the extent of my knowledge
Is there a link or something I can refer to with best practices for building a darkroom from scratch?
Aside from the must haves like running water etc a list of nice to have features would be good as well.
Thanks
James
I know I need shelf space, ventilation, counter space and a big sink and that is the extent of my knowledge
Is there a link or something I can refer to with best practices for building a darkroom from scratch?
Aside from the must haves like running water etc a list of nice to have features would be good as well.
Thanks
James
kmallick
Well-known
I highly suggest this thread on APUG for some inspiration.
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum43/10966-darkroom-portraits.html
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum43/10966-darkroom-portraits.html
taylan
Street Dog
I suggest "The New Darkroom Handbook". Also I saw the pdf version of it somewhere that I couldn't recall now. I have the book and It has lots of tips about how to build a darkroom.
oftheherd
Veteran
You might also want to look at our own Mr. Roger Hicks' site at http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps how loo.html for some ideas on utilizing a very small space. In your case you sort of make it sound like it will be bigger and therefore mor comfortable. Don't forget to not only have an exhaust fan, but an intake to get fresh air and HVAC in. All light tight as well.
Lauffray
Invisible Cities
I'm surprised why people would want to "build" a darkroom, I mean all you really need is running water and a changing bag
I do it in my bathroom and turn the vent on, no need for a special setup
I do it in my bathroom and turn the vent on, no need for a special setup
mike rosenlof
Insufficient information
Just a few thoughts. I've had a home darkroom since 1996. I built things capable of printing up to 16x20, but have never exceeded 11x14. B/W only.
Consider some way to filter air coming in when you ventilate your space. Dust is your enemy on drying film and inside your enlarger. Most bathroom fan types suck air out of the room. It's easier to filter air if your fan blows air in and you filter it at that point. Filters are a good thing. I have an air filter in the darkroom (circulates air through the filter), but not on the air intake (my fan is the suck air out type bathroom fan).
Paint your walls white or something light. If your safelight is safe and your room is light tight, you don't need black walls to make it darker. Assuming this is a single user darkroom, you probably don't even need dark walls around your elnarger. But your enlarger is the main source of non-safe light you're going to have.
Your enlarger mounting -- table or wall mount -- needs to be absolutely stable. If a door, especially an exterior door (heavy) is anywhere nearby, don't mount the enlarger to a wall, it will shake when the door closes. My DR is in a basement and I chose a table on the cement floor. I built a simple, but strongly braced table out of 2x4s with a particle board top. If I ever have to move, it won't get through the door without taking it apart.
A floor drain is a great thing if you can swing that! I don't have one. I wet mop the floor every couple of years.
You will have to choose a max print size. Everything scales up as your prints get bigger. Be realistic, but don't keep things so small that you'll want to rebuild before too long. Hard to predict the future. The bigger everything is, the more difficult it is to deal with. Counter space, chemical volume, volume of space to keep dust free and so on.
Buy stuff used. There are a lot more people getting out of wet darkrooms than getting in these days.
Assuming you'll be using open trays for processing, remember a darkroom is going to be almost as humid as a bathroom. Consider that in your choice of construction materials. You might want to store unused paper outside the humid room and you might want your print drying structure outside the humidity also.
Consider some way to filter air coming in when you ventilate your space. Dust is your enemy on drying film and inside your enlarger. Most bathroom fan types suck air out of the room. It's easier to filter air if your fan blows air in and you filter it at that point. Filters are a good thing. I have an air filter in the darkroom (circulates air through the filter), but not on the air intake (my fan is the suck air out type bathroom fan).
Paint your walls white or something light. If your safelight is safe and your room is light tight, you don't need black walls to make it darker. Assuming this is a single user darkroom, you probably don't even need dark walls around your elnarger. But your enlarger is the main source of non-safe light you're going to have.
Your enlarger mounting -- table or wall mount -- needs to be absolutely stable. If a door, especially an exterior door (heavy) is anywhere nearby, don't mount the enlarger to a wall, it will shake when the door closes. My DR is in a basement and I chose a table on the cement floor. I built a simple, but strongly braced table out of 2x4s with a particle board top. If I ever have to move, it won't get through the door without taking it apart.
A floor drain is a great thing if you can swing that! I don't have one. I wet mop the floor every couple of years.
You will have to choose a max print size. Everything scales up as your prints get bigger. Be realistic, but don't keep things so small that you'll want to rebuild before too long. Hard to predict the future. The bigger everything is, the more difficult it is to deal with. Counter space, chemical volume, volume of space to keep dust free and so on.
Buy stuff used. There are a lot more people getting out of wet darkrooms than getting in these days.
Assuming you'll be using open trays for processing, remember a darkroom is going to be almost as humid as a bathroom. Consider that in your choice of construction materials. You might want to store unused paper outside the humid room and you might want your print drying structure outside the humidity also.
Joakim Målare
Established
Lauffray
Invisible Cities
Oh this is for printing, woops, my bad !
Ah ah darkroom for printing is a dream, I have no space for it in my apartment
Ah ah darkroom for printing is a dream, I have no space for it in my apartment
loquax ludens
Well-known
Oh this is for printing, woops, my bad !
Ah ah darkroom for printing is a dream, I have no space for it in my apartment
Not only that, but not everyone processes only rollfilms. For LF, you either need a processor (like a Jobo CPA or CPP-2 or similar) or you process in open trays.
loquax ludens
Well-known
There is a spot in my basement that I have claimed. I am working from a blank slate, the slate is so blank that at the moment there are only two walls in my "darkroom", the other two are yet to be built.
I know I need shelf space, ventilation, counter space and a big sink and that is the extent of my knowledge
Is there a link or something I can refer to with best practices for building a darkroom from scratch?
Aside from the must haves like running water etc a list of nice to have features would be good as well.
Thanks
James
I'll second the recommendation for The New Darkroom Handbook. It's an update to the older book, The Darkroom Handbook. Either one will do quite well, the updates were minor.
Kodak also has a book, from the Kodak Workshop Series called Black-and-White Darkroom Techniques that has darkroom setup info in it.
I had another book from Kodak that discussed darkroom setup, but I can't find it now. EDIT: I found it. You can get this one from Amazon for less than $6. It covers the basics: Building a Home Darkroom (The Kodak Workshop Series)
j.scooter
Veteran
Thanks so much for all the info and links. I have a lot of reading to do. haha
I will let you guys know how it progresses. Hopefully this weekend I can upload some before pics and in the near future, some after pics as well.
I will let you guys know how it progresses. Hopefully this weekend I can upload some before pics and in the near future, some after pics as well.
ChrisN
Striving
Here's a thread about mine: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82866
Darkroom by Another Chris, on Flickr
Darkroom by Another Chris, on Flickr
MartinP
Veteran
Don't forget ceiling height! If you have the possibility to find a solid 5x4" enlarger (sheet film enables a lot of useful work, inter-negs for example, which are not easily done in other formats) then it will be quite tall, and the bench level will need to be at a height to suit you for working with the easel - if you are needing to crouch down all the time you will get backache. Don't make the dry to wet distance too big either as that will get annoying very quickly.
If there is a pre-existing drain (maybe you already have a washing-machine in the basement for example) then it will make the wet side much easier to figure out, otherwise . . . ??? Also consider what materials you might ever want to use as, for example, large sizes of fibre-based paper will need an extra bit of planning to make space for washing, or perhaps you might end up with a dry-to-dry processor for RC black-and-white. Lots of options which are not mutually exclusive.
If there is a pre-existing drain (maybe you already have a washing-machine in the basement for example) then it will make the wet side much easier to figure out, otherwise . . . ??? Also consider what materials you might ever want to use as, for example, large sizes of fibre-based paper will need an extra bit of planning to make space for washing, or perhaps you might end up with a dry-to-dry processor for RC black-and-white. Lots of options which are not mutually exclusive.
shiro_kuro
Charles Bowen
http://www3.telus.net/drkrm/pdf/kodak_design.pdf some basics here from our good friends at KODAK
zauhar
Veteran
I bought a fellow's entire darkroom setup to get started, then added some things as I went along. If you look on Craigslist you might find something available in your area.
My basement is drafty, so I have not worried about ventilation (I have not perished yet). If you have a modern home, you may have that as a bigger concern. My basement is also damp, which seems to reduce the dust issue.
It seems like you don't need absolute, absolute dark for printing. I have a small amount of light coming in to my workspace (couple of pinholes of light through the basement door, tiny light streak from upstairs), and I don't think it has any effect. That said, I only work at night.
Best of luck with this, my advice is to not make this a huge construction project, and feel your way along. You will quickly discover what you need to do to make things work.
Randy
My basement is drafty, so I have not worried about ventilation (I have not perished yet). If you have a modern home, you may have that as a bigger concern. My basement is also damp, which seems to reduce the dust issue.
It seems like you don't need absolute, absolute dark for printing. I have a small amount of light coming in to my workspace (couple of pinholes of light through the basement door, tiny light streak from upstairs), and I don't think it has any effect. That said, I only work at night.
Best of luck with this, my advice is to not make this a huge construction project, and feel your way along. You will quickly discover what you need to do to make things work.
Randy
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
I'm rebuilding my darkroom also.
Adding to the list of advices: You don't have to have a big sink.
Recently came across a darkroom sink that is perfect for the space-size that I have.
It was made by these people: http://cpmdelta1.com/Darkroom.htm
You may consider this, the sink is *very* well-made.
Adding to the list of advices: You don't have to have a big sink.
Recently came across a darkroom sink that is perfect for the space-size that I have.
It was made by these people: http://cpmdelta1.com/Darkroom.htm
You may consider this, the sink is *very* well-made.
