Nokton48
Veteran
I've seen darkroom in kitchens that are teeny tiny. You need a couple of feet of countertop space and minimal storage. Unidrums are good for making single archival fibre silver prints. The lazy slackers use the Unirollers 
I've been running some 70mm 220 lengths in the modified Paterson tanks with good luck. I've got an interior 3D printed 5x7" reel that holds four sheets in the bigger tanks. Coming from Mexico by slow burro
I've been running some 70mm 220 lengths in the modified Paterson tanks with good luck. I've got an interior 3D printed 5x7" reel that holds four sheets in the bigger tanks. Coming from Mexico by slow burro Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I've seen darkroom in kitchens that are teeny tiny. You need a couple of feet of countertop space and minimal storage. Unidrums are good for making single archival fibre silver prints. The lazy slackers use the Unirollers
Crazy Dan,
I can go crazy in a different way. I can annoy people by printing a lot. I surely have a lot of interesting negatives because I annoyed people by shooting as much film as possible with a total disregard to printing.
A 6x9 darkroom is all I need to annoy people, and I surely can print up a storm.
I think I will share that 400 foot roll of 5222 between the SL2-MOT and a nickel Leica II with a 50/3.5 Elmar.
Although I have digital the film is calling me back. I still have about 25 rolls of the original Acros in 120. Thinking of doing some long exposure tripod night shooting. Acros and Diafine for night shooting is magic.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
That Chinese grad student from Yale that was shot to death I wonder if it was a hate crime?
I wonder if I am boring because I am rather content and happy.
"Maggie" has grown fatigued of Instagram and zoom calls. The way Instagram is set-up one has to be on this never ending treadmill of doing many tasks that consume time. There really is no way to pace oneself, if you slow down you move lower to a less favored pathway/platform.
A lot of fatigue is going on. I believe that when Covid breaks that many will move away from social media due to burnout. I expect a change of game will happen when Covid gets under control.
I am hearing of people breaking down from fatigue...
Maggie is still reworking a book proposal under the guidance of a powerful literary agent. Maggie resents the gate-keeping and the mandated level of control and power.
There has been lots of solicitations for TV programming by producers and directors. Of course Maggie's agent tries to muscle-in into this arena. I point out the obvious that her agent would prefer not to share or loose his sphere of influence.
The literary world and the entertainment industry are both complicated, fraught, and involve audiences.
Also Maggie got invited to be on some board that involves a venture capitalist. Somehow this involves her being somewhere in-between like being a contestant on "Shark Tank" without being on TV. Tell me that this is not complicated.
Meanwhile all I have to do is please myself. Is my playing by myself masturbation?
All I know is that I know what I need, I please myself, and I am happy-happy.
Like I often say, "I never knew anyone who has a complicated life that was truely happy."
Cal
I wonder if I am boring because I am rather content and happy.
"Maggie" has grown fatigued of Instagram and zoom calls. The way Instagram is set-up one has to be on this never ending treadmill of doing many tasks that consume time. There really is no way to pace oneself, if you slow down you move lower to a less favored pathway/platform.
A lot of fatigue is going on. I believe that when Covid breaks that many will move away from social media due to burnout. I expect a change of game will happen when Covid gets under control.
I am hearing of people breaking down from fatigue...
Maggie is still reworking a book proposal under the guidance of a powerful literary agent. Maggie resents the gate-keeping and the mandated level of control and power.
There has been lots of solicitations for TV programming by producers and directors. Of course Maggie's agent tries to muscle-in into this arena. I point out the obvious that her agent would prefer not to share or loose his sphere of influence.
The literary world and the entertainment industry are both complicated, fraught, and involve audiences.
Also Maggie got invited to be on some board that involves a venture capitalist. Somehow this involves her being somewhere in-between like being a contestant on "Shark Tank" without being on TV. Tell me that this is not complicated.
Meanwhile all I have to do is please myself. Is my playing by myself masturbation?
All I know is that I know what I need, I please myself, and I am happy-happy.
Like I often say, "I never knew anyone who has a complicated life that was truely happy."
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
So snarky Joe was right, you need an AWD car or truck where I live.
Tuesday in Peekskill (yesterday) we got another 6 inches of snow. In Madhattan I didn't see any accumulations.
Then where I live the snow lingers and piles up.
I'm considering getting some snow shoes and doing some nice B&W landscape when it snows. I kinda like the lonely solitude and the beauty of virgin snow. The Lower Hudson Valley is a treasure.
Perhaps I will do a new Hudson Valley School of images, but instead of paintings-B&W photography.
This would contrast nicely with all my urban landscape and street shooting.
So at work they are instituting a new timekeeping system. I was bummed because cronically arriving late and leaving early looked like it will end, but I figured out how to game the system.
My boss (offsite) wants me to "clock-in" using my badge on the main campus which is a few blocks away downtown on my way home. "Bonus," I say. The reason why this is a bonus is because this basically is on my way to work from Grand Central and towards on my way home back to Grand Central.
Then there is this rounding down that has a 7 minute deadline. So say I hit the clock at precisely 7:52 AM what gets recorded is rounded to 7:45 so I gain 7 minutes.
At 7:53 AM it would get rounded up to 8:00 AM, which I never want to do.
So the reverse is true. If I "Clock-Out" at 3:38 PM what gets recorded as 3:45.
So I'm gaming the system stealing up to 14 minutes every workday, plus the time saved walking 5 blocks in the morning and 5 blocks in the afternoon.
So owning a Rolex and being a lazy-slacker pays.
The 5:58 train arrives at Grand Central at times at 7:05 AM and other times at 7:10. Now I have a reason to race to work: to beat the clock.
This should be fun. I'm going to tour around the main campus to scout out where terminals for clocking in and out are. Today the one run scheduled got cancelled. Oh-well, not a lot to do.
Cal
Tuesday in Peekskill (yesterday) we got another 6 inches of snow. In Madhattan I didn't see any accumulations.
Then where I live the snow lingers and piles up.
I'm considering getting some snow shoes and doing some nice B&W landscape when it snows. I kinda like the lonely solitude and the beauty of virgin snow. The Lower Hudson Valley is a treasure.
Perhaps I will do a new Hudson Valley School of images, but instead of paintings-B&W photography.
This would contrast nicely with all my urban landscape and street shooting.
So at work they are instituting a new timekeeping system. I was bummed because cronically arriving late and leaving early looked like it will end, but I figured out how to game the system.
My boss (offsite) wants me to "clock-in" using my badge on the main campus which is a few blocks away downtown on my way home. "Bonus," I say. The reason why this is a bonus is because this basically is on my way to work from Grand Central and towards on my way home back to Grand Central.
Then there is this rounding down that has a 7 minute deadline. So say I hit the clock at precisely 7:52 AM what gets recorded is rounded to 7:45 so I gain 7 minutes.
At 7:53 AM it would get rounded up to 8:00 AM, which I never want to do.
So the reverse is true. If I "Clock-Out" at 3:38 PM what gets recorded as 3:45.
So I'm gaming the system stealing up to 14 minutes every workday, plus the time saved walking 5 blocks in the morning and 5 blocks in the afternoon.
So owning a Rolex and being a lazy-slacker pays.
The 5:58 train arrives at Grand Central at times at 7:05 AM and other times at 7:10. Now I have a reason to race to work: to beat the clock.
This should be fun. I'm going to tour around the main campus to scout out where terminals for clocking in and out are. Today the one run scheduled got cancelled. Oh-well, not a lot to do.
Cal
Prest_400
Multiformat
I think perhaps I should get an F2 and a TLR for partner purposes
Work myself in a fintech so it's all about online interaction, I do go to the office as it is possible and have a fun team around.
Am with your opinion, I somehow became extroverted the last years and nowadays I value face to face interaction so much.
The infinite scrolling and algorithmic gamification. Not just social media, but shopping, dating, everything.
In a way I always thought it is a bit of a perverse Nash equilibrium where people act keeping up with Joneses but are isolated. The infinite possibilities and information overload just exhacerbates this.
IMO
At work I have a bunch of younger people and a 22 year old had the idealistic idea of "things must have been much better without a phone".
I was relatively late for my generation to jump in the Smartphone and social media bandwagon so most probably I have a different experience and perspective to it.
By the luck of events and being able to continue a traditional routine of office work, I keep thinking that I'll stick out by keeping and having improved social skills after the pandemic.
I have a roll of B&W loaded, yet haven't done that many snow pictures. A nicely cold and thick layer of snow. 0F however, so I succumbed to the idea of going out to the country and just stay in the city limits.
Not really shooting much when workdays cover the daylight hours. Need to burn off some holidays but I placed them later on the month and March. Hope something is left then.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Jorde,
I have the opinion that my life is better without a cell phone, and I would even extend that to, "The world would be a better place without cell phones."
I see many distracted people.
Did you know that even though cars are more safe today than ever due to government regulations and mandates that automotive fatalities are up? Reports say it is due to distracted driving.
I see distracted people texting and reading while walking around NYC. Distracted people become the targets of opportunity/crime.
Then there are people who are addicted to their phones and need to be wired/connected and stimulated all the time.
When I got my first Covid vaccine injection I was asked to scan a modern code (not a bar code but the square), but I only had my dumb flip phone. When I pulled it out all the women around me laughed. One woman said, "No one uses them anymore."
"I do," I said, and the laughing got louder.
Then I said, "I must be like a cave man."
Phones are intrusive, and then there are so many people who's lives would have no meaning without one. For them a cell phone is a lifestyle. How crazy is that?
Calvin-August
Prest_400
Multiformat
Pretty much agree, as I mentioned, I do use the phone but not too much. Writing here during my commute, check news plus browsing around, videocalls with family. Looking at my chats, it's rather few people I contact.
Very useful in the cold to check my trains, usually off schedule lately.
I measured a common day and the screen is on for 2h, which is low by today's standards.
It is a lifestyle, I am not into the newer social media such as tik tok or snapchat. Only tested the latter but it is designed to take your full attention and these are the platform teens and younger adults use. Well, and kids.
Funny thing I phone called a friend to have a proper conversation and he had a phone usage limiter which cut our call. LOL not good if you need to go to that extreme. Makes me think of locking the bar and giving the key to someone else.
About the distractions, it is very much an issue. I recall the story of an acquaintance of my dad's worked construction, was very much in a phone call and was ran over by a road roller. Maybe that served as education for me to not use the phone continiously out.
Enviado desde mi Redmi Note 9 Pro mediante Tapatalk
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Yesterday there was nothing scheduled at work so I stayed home.
The leather "Professor's Chair" got delivered from Restoration Hardware. This was a custom order and somehow it arrived 3 weeks early. What a nice leather love seat.
We need another end table and a lamp and the living room is furnished. The other two antique matching chairs Maggie bought on Sotherby's online. Mighty comfortable. I can see falling asleep in them pretty easily.
Don't tell Maggie but the Professor's Chair is best for guitar playing. The arms don't get in the way.
Yesterday "Maggie" decided to order the matching ottoman. Perhaps it will get delivered in May.
I sent the day cutting and custom fitting Extruded Polystyrene panels to insulate the basement sills. I felt like I was back in art school because of the challenges and problem solving required.
I used about 4 cans of "Great Stuff" spray foam sealing up leaks and gaps. No contractor would go to the level of detail I went to for snug fits and making making things "FxxK"-fit tight.
The real head ache will be the hand spaces that extend from the foundation for the two "walk-outs." These spaces are irregular and have plumbing going to radiators. I will have to make templates to try and get a snug fit.
I already figured out how I will extend the wand off the spray foam to tightly seal the cavity.
I removed fiberglass insulation which is a no-no for insulating basement sills. Fiberglass and condensation near concrete of stone causes mold. The fiberglass was mold free though and I recycled it into the hallway on the first floor.
There is about a 1 inch gap where the front exterior wall and the ceiling meet that I was able to squeeze in the insulation with out the vapor barrier. Somehow I was able to man-NEW-ver fiberglass above and below the crack as to create a dam of sorts and to create dead air space to get rid of a draft.
This type of work indicates that not am I a clever MoFo, cheap-cheap-cheap, and I'm mighty stubborn. No contractor would spend so much time to do so little work. It is a labor of love, and for a house that won't be ruined by a gut renovation. The original details won't get lost.
So the snow where I live is very pretty. It does not get ugly with filth and dirt like in NYC; it remains a virgin white blanket.
Monday "Maggie" gets her second Covid Vaccine injection. I hope the Sunday storm is not a problem.
BTW the garage is not an 80 amp service: it is a full 100 amp service.
Cal
The leather "Professor's Chair" got delivered from Restoration Hardware. This was a custom order and somehow it arrived 3 weeks early. What a nice leather love seat.
We need another end table and a lamp and the living room is furnished. The other two antique matching chairs Maggie bought on Sotherby's online. Mighty comfortable. I can see falling asleep in them pretty easily.
Don't tell Maggie but the Professor's Chair is best for guitar playing. The arms don't get in the way.
Yesterday "Maggie" decided to order the matching ottoman. Perhaps it will get delivered in May.
I sent the day cutting and custom fitting Extruded Polystyrene panels to insulate the basement sills. I felt like I was back in art school because of the challenges and problem solving required.
I used about 4 cans of "Great Stuff" spray foam sealing up leaks and gaps. No contractor would go to the level of detail I went to for snug fits and making making things "FxxK"-fit tight.
The real head ache will be the hand spaces that extend from the foundation for the two "walk-outs." These spaces are irregular and have plumbing going to radiators. I will have to make templates to try and get a snug fit.
I already figured out how I will extend the wand off the spray foam to tightly seal the cavity.
I removed fiberglass insulation which is a no-no for insulating basement sills. Fiberglass and condensation near concrete of stone causes mold. The fiberglass was mold free though and I recycled it into the hallway on the first floor.
There is about a 1 inch gap where the front exterior wall and the ceiling meet that I was able to squeeze in the insulation with out the vapor barrier. Somehow I was able to man-NEW-ver fiberglass above and below the crack as to create a dam of sorts and to create dead air space to get rid of a draft.
This type of work indicates that not am I a clever MoFo, cheap-cheap-cheap, and I'm mighty stubborn. No contractor would spend so much time to do so little work. It is a labor of love, and for a house that won't be ruined by a gut renovation. The original details won't get lost.
So the snow where I live is very pretty. It does not get ugly with filth and dirt like in NYC; it remains a virgin white blanket.
Monday "Maggie" gets her second Covid Vaccine injection. I hope the Sunday storm is not a problem.
BTW the garage is not an 80 amp service: it is a full 100 amp service.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
At Grand Central this morning I timed myself: the train arrived at 7:05 AM; a piss stop on the lower too 5 minutes; then it took till 7:45 to get to 68th street where I could "Clock-In."
So the walk is 24 short city blocks plus crossing the span of three avenues, and I have seven minutes to spare till 7:52 to still get to record a 7:45 clock in.
But on the way home I can clock out at 3:38 PM and gain me 7 minutes. What will get recorded is 3:45.
Add onto this that it takes an additional 7 minutes to cover the distance to mt lab further uptown and further east another avenue.
So if I use my Rolex perfectly with precision I can effectively beat the clock and work almost a half hour less by legally stealing time seven minutes at a time (7+7+7+7=28 minutes).
So Tuesday when I come to work I'll be racing and timing myself to beat the clock.
Am I lazy-slacker? LOL.
EZ-PZ...
Cal
So the walk is 24 short city blocks plus crossing the span of three avenues, and I have seven minutes to spare till 7:52 to still get to record a 7:45 clock in.
But on the way home I can clock out at 3:38 PM and gain me 7 minutes. What will get recorded is 3:45.
Add onto this that it takes an additional 7 minutes to cover the distance to mt lab further uptown and further east another avenue.
So if I use my Rolex perfectly with precision I can effectively beat the clock and work almost a half hour less by legally stealing time seven minutes at a time (7+7+7+7=28 minutes).
So Tuesday when I come to work I'll be racing and timing myself to beat the clock.
Am I lazy-slacker? LOL.
EZ-PZ...
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I am thankful that the predicted ice storm for Monday did not happen because I drove "Maggie" into NYC to get her second Covid Vaccine injection.
We went to Metropolitan Hospital in our old hood. The assault on the senses, the pollution, and the smell of sewer gases made use remark about how our skin is healthier and how fresh the air is in Peekskill. East Harlem was Fugly, the snow blacked by filth and pollution, meanwhile the snow in Peekskill is still like a postcard.
*********************
So Maggie suffered every side effect: fever, chills, head ache; muscle aches...
***********************
At work I arrived late, but learned in a last minute e-mail that going live for my group will happen April 11th, so I can continue my bad behavior of arriving late and leaving early for almost 2 more months. By then winter will be over.
Only 10 1/2 more months of work till I retire.
*********************
The 5:58 train on Metro North was 40 minutes late getting to Peekskill, there was a track change also, then in Cortlandt (the next stop) we waited for a southbound train to load all those passengers. The train was now crowded.
So a little light rain caused "mechanical problems." So my hill billy complaint is that this is Third World Service. Basically I'm riding in antique trains that need to be replaced. These delays and service problems are rather frequent. Metro North sucks. Well at least the Hudson line "expres" trains do.
******************
So last night I had to give myself a hair cut. How hill billy is that? I cut off 3 1/2 fist fulls of pony tail because I somehow got some "Great Stuff" spray foam insulation embedded in my hair.
I still have a 3 1/2 fist pony tail. I have to go to a stylist perhaps this weekend. This is about my typical pony tail length, and the 3 1/2 fistfulls of hair I cut off is what I would call "Covid-Growth."
When I mentioned getting a haircut, Maggie suggested that I keep it long because she likes my long hair.
******************
Coming up First Avenue this morning this homeless man was irate yelling and screaming under the 59th Street Bridge. At one point I got ready for mortal combat with my hands fisted inside my gloves. At one point he turned and walked towards me.
I maintained my stride and direction, and we walked towards each other. I was ready for a fist fight, but it didn't happen. From what I gleaned he was sleeping under blankets and someone came upon him and removed one of his blankets and threw it into the gutter. Since it was raining of course it was like a sponge and was soaking wet.
Anyways it was an explosive situation, and I had my finger on the trigger so to speak. Good thing nothing bad happened. I could of easily over reacted. I felt in danger and threatened.
So this is the NYC I left behind. Maggie and I are so happy we left.
So I figured out how to annex some space onto the 6x9 basement darkroom. I have another 11x4 space that will make the overall space into a "L" shaped space, but this requires incorporating a corner and a wall.
I figured out that I will likely widen the 6x9 slightly so that these three inch pipes that are part of the manifold that feeds all the radiators is utilized as a radiator to heat my darkroom. This is a clever idea and uses what already is there. It is also EZ-PZ and is the slacker's way because it does not involve work.
Calvin-August
We went to Metropolitan Hospital in our old hood. The assault on the senses, the pollution, and the smell of sewer gases made use remark about how our skin is healthier and how fresh the air is in Peekskill. East Harlem was Fugly, the snow blacked by filth and pollution, meanwhile the snow in Peekskill is still like a postcard.
*********************
So Maggie suffered every side effect: fever, chills, head ache; muscle aches...
***********************
At work I arrived late, but learned in a last minute e-mail that going live for my group will happen April 11th, so I can continue my bad behavior of arriving late and leaving early for almost 2 more months. By then winter will be over.
Only 10 1/2 more months of work till I retire.
*********************
The 5:58 train on Metro North was 40 minutes late getting to Peekskill, there was a track change also, then in Cortlandt (the next stop) we waited for a southbound train to load all those passengers. The train was now crowded.
So a little light rain caused "mechanical problems." So my hill billy complaint is that this is Third World Service. Basically I'm riding in antique trains that need to be replaced. These delays and service problems are rather frequent. Metro North sucks. Well at least the Hudson line "expres" trains do.
******************
So last night I had to give myself a hair cut. How hill billy is that? I cut off 3 1/2 fist fulls of pony tail because I somehow got some "Great Stuff" spray foam insulation embedded in my hair.
I still have a 3 1/2 fist pony tail. I have to go to a stylist perhaps this weekend. This is about my typical pony tail length, and the 3 1/2 fistfulls of hair I cut off is what I would call "Covid-Growth."
When I mentioned getting a haircut, Maggie suggested that I keep it long because she likes my long hair.
******************
Coming up First Avenue this morning this homeless man was irate yelling and screaming under the 59th Street Bridge. At one point I got ready for mortal combat with my hands fisted inside my gloves. At one point he turned and walked towards me.
I maintained my stride and direction, and we walked towards each other. I was ready for a fist fight, but it didn't happen. From what I gleaned he was sleeping under blankets and someone came upon him and removed one of his blankets and threw it into the gutter. Since it was raining of course it was like a sponge and was soaking wet.
Anyways it was an explosive situation, and I had my finger on the trigger so to speak. Good thing nothing bad happened. I could of easily over reacted. I felt in danger and threatened.
So this is the NYC I left behind. Maggie and I are so happy we left.
So I figured out how to annex some space onto the 6x9 basement darkroom. I have another 11x4 space that will make the overall space into a "L" shaped space, but this requires incorporating a corner and a wall.
I figured out that I will likely widen the 6x9 slightly so that these three inch pipes that are part of the manifold that feeds all the radiators is utilized as a radiator to heat my darkroom. This is a clever idea and uses what already is there. It is also EZ-PZ and is the slacker's way because it does not involve work.
Calvin-August
MrFujicaman
Well-known
Cal, if you want to see what you can do in a small darkroom, go over to "Large Format Photography Forum", and go to page 76 of the darkroom equipment section. I post under MrFujicaman there also.
My darkroom is 6-8 wide, 11' long and only has a 6-5 ceiling.
Considering the cold up there, you might want to carry that survival blanket I sent you in your coat pocket..
My darkroom is 6-8 wide, 11' long and only has a 6-5 ceiling.
Considering the cold up there, you might want to carry that survival blanket I sent you in your coat pocket..
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
I keep that survival blanket in my camera bag, but you remind me that I should keep it in my car.
Oil got delivered today. I expect about a $500.00 bill. Last delivery was over $600.00, and before that $400.00.
So with full/real 2x10 rafters I got to insulate at least the basement ceiling. R-30 for attics is the way to go but this is insulation designed for attics so I have to add a craft paper vapor barrier as an afterthought.
Right now I'm tied up with using EPS (Extruded Poly Styrene) to insulate and seal a crawl space and the sills. Lots of custom fitting. You have to know that we Chinese are mighty stubborn.
That's how I had to give myself a haircut last night. I used these German scissors I got while I worked at Grumman that I use to trim my arrogant chin beard. I'm told by stylists that Asian hair is so tough and thick that it dulls scissors, but that German steel is really great. Kinda funny that the scissors I used are kinda small.
So part of that 3-3 1/2 inch manifold I plan on running through my darkroom as a funky ready-made radiator to heat my darkroom. I intend on super-insulating the walls, and using this foil covered foam sheet to insulate the floor. So 6x9 likely will become 7x9.
Then I was looking into annexing this 4x11 aisle that includes a corner.
Having a gas hot water heater that already exists (free) that has a large tank and reserve overcapacity for my darkroom will be great.
I have a lab thermometer in my basement. It was pegged at 55 degrees which I suspect is just ground temperature. My basement leaks all over and is like a sinking ship. Already I raised the ambient basement teperature to 56 degrees by sealing and insulating just the north rafter with Great Stuff foam and R-30 after sealing the sills with 2 inches of EPS foam.
If I can get the ambient basement temperature above 60 my super insulated darkroom should be fine.
Thanks for all that info. I learned a lot on how to avoid condensation and mold. It is good that the Baby-Victorian is small, otherwise it would be too much as far as costs and amount of work.
Our front stoop need replacement. The prior owner had it dressed up with a skim coat and added slate that already is buckling and coming apart. I figure $3K-$4K to replace the stoop totally, and then there is the walkway...
From some old pictures I know it had a brick stoop, so I might be lucky if the base/stoop foundation is still sound. If so then I can just have a mason come in and do his thing. The walkway I would have the concrete removed and bricks used as pavers. The foundation of the now enclosed porch (back in 1967 it was an open porch) is red fire bricks.
The house currently is Stucco with embedded crushed stones. This is one of the most durable building materials. The Romans used it.
But if I ever had to reside the house (a lot of work and costly) I would go back to narrow lap siding but use engineered siding and add a layer of EPS foam insulation. Add a rubber roof that looks like a slate roof and I would have a diamond.
I'm right there with you with not needing a vast area. The rubber roof would be a 50 year roof, and the engineered siding is mucho low maintenance. EZ-PZ.
Thanks for being a great friend.
Augie
MrFujicaman
Well-known
Cal, if there's space behind that manifold, put some of the foam insulation with the foil face behind it with the foil facing the pipes to reflect heat back into the room.
The reason I said to carry the survival blanket in your coat pocket is in case Metro North gets stuck somewhere. If the train loses power, it's gonna get mighty cold in the cars. And make sure Maggie keeps hers in her purse.
The reason I used the Army surplus workshop for my darkroom is that: A: it was prewired-I just had to move a few wires slightly to get lights where I wanted them. To run 4 strands of #6 wire over to the 48' semi-trailer I had planned to put the darkroom in was going to cost me $3 a foot times 105 or $1260 just for wire! Even 10 gauge burial wire was going to be very costly. B: it already had a heat/AC unit built in. I've got a 18K BTU's of cooling unit-I'm afraid to turn the AC all the way down! C: Using it saved hours of labor and quite a bit of $$. D it was all ready insulated. E: less work running a water feed line and drain line. I hate digging ditches!
And on your darkroom...the hot setup on safelights is now amber or red 2.2 watt LED bulbs from www.superbriteleds.com.
The reason I said to carry the survival blanket in your coat pocket is in case Metro North gets stuck somewhere. If the train loses power, it's gonna get mighty cold in the cars. And make sure Maggie keeps hers in her purse.
The reason I used the Army surplus workshop for my darkroom is that: A: it was prewired-I just had to move a few wires slightly to get lights where I wanted them. To run 4 strands of #6 wire over to the 48' semi-trailer I had planned to put the darkroom in was going to cost me $3 a foot times 105 or $1260 just for wire! Even 10 gauge burial wire was going to be very costly. B: it already had a heat/AC unit built in. I've got a 18K BTU's of cooling unit-I'm afraid to turn the AC all the way down! C: Using it saved hours of labor and quite a bit of $$. D it was all ready insulated. E: less work running a water feed line and drain line. I hate digging ditches!
And on your darkroom...the hot setup on safelights is now amber or red 2.2 watt LED bulbs from www.superbriteleds.com.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
You too are a clever devil.
So here is the best U.S. Military surplus story I heard. My friend Albie in the Hamptons knew a guy who went to a military surplus auction early because he wanted to buy 6 Duce-And-A-half trucks for his farm.
He went early to do a careful inspection, and one of the 2 1/2 ton trucks only had 116 miles on it. It had been used to carry bombs from a bunker to a runway and now this truck was being surplused.
So on this one truck the farmer took a piece of white caulk and wrote on the driver's side door "cracked block" so that no one would bid on it.
So the farmer bought the truck with almost no mileage for the cost of the opening bid.
So the story gets better. So instead of six trucks he only buys 5, but the policy after paying is immediately removing the purchased goods. He had some friends put on some military camo that he bought at an army navy store and formed his own military convoy to bring his fleet of trucks back to his farm.
No hassles, never was questioned or stopped, even though all the trucks lacked registration.
I say that farmer had brass testicles.
Anyways good to know how or taxes are benefiting some people. LOL.
Cal
You too are a clever devil.
So here is the best U.S. Military surplus story I heard. My friend Albie in the Hamptons knew a guy who went to a military surplus auction early because he wanted to buy 6 Duce-And-A-half trucks for his farm.
He went early to do a careful inspection, and one of the 2 1/2 ton trucks only had 116 miles on it. It had been used to carry bombs from a bunker to a runway and now this truck was being surplused.
So on this one truck the farmer took a piece of white caulk and wrote on the driver's side door "cracked block" so that no one would bid on it.
So the farmer bought the truck with almost no mileage for the cost of the opening bid.
So the story gets better. So instead of six trucks he only buys 5, but the policy after paying is immediately removing the purchased goods. He had some friends put on some military camo that he bought at an army navy store and formed his own military convoy to bring his fleet of trucks back to his farm.
No hassles, never was questioned or stopped, even though all the trucks lacked registration.
I say that farmer had brass testicles.
Anyways good to know how or taxes are benefiting some people. LOL.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
18,000 BTU is a rather large air conditioner. I know because I bought one to cool my 1000 square foot loft that had 14 foot ceilings. In Williamsburg on the "Southside" the air was so polluted that if you opened the windows dirt would settle everywhere.
Then also was the smell of burnt newsprint or the smell of cotton candy that emulated from the Domino Sugar Refinery abou a half block away on the East River. So not only was I living in a flood zone, but I lived in danger from massive explosion by living very close to a sugar refinery (bomb factory).
So my 18,000 BTU air conditioner I bought on 14th Street, but just outside the store no cab would stop for me.
I ended up taking the "L" train home and grabbing my hand truck, while the store held onto my purchase. Then I had a decision to make: take this over 100 pound air conditioner on the subway: or walk it down to Delancy Street and walk over the Williamsburg Bridge.
So you make a choice and I took it on the subway. Mucho crazy. So gravity helped so it was not so bad taking this rather large object into Union Square and getting it on the "L" train, but getting it up the stairs at the Bedford stop was a "Man-Killer."
So this is what I was capable of when I was in my late forties. Realize that when I was 49 I ran the NYC Marathon "Off the couch" with no real training. I only had one full day to get ready.
This 18,000 BTW unit I called "life support." Pretty much we ran the air conditioner and never opened the windows. The air was gritty and that polluted.
My landlord was a Brooklyn tough guy, but he called me a "scary man." Perhaps I came across as a bit crazy.
So I have two ideas for my radiator. I'm not so keen on reflective surfaces in my darkroom. One is passive where I construct out of copper flashing some fins that I can use to tap and radiate heat off the manifold.
The better idea is to box a section of manifold to create a duct where I could add a filter to trap dust, and also use a muffin fan to pull air and suck air to add a positive pressure to the darkroom to mitigate and control dust.
This section of manifold runs above the oil tank so no valuable space is consumed.
Cal
18,000 BTU is a rather large air conditioner. I know because I bought one to cool my 1000 square foot loft that had 14 foot ceilings. In Williamsburg on the "Southside" the air was so polluted that if you opened the windows dirt would settle everywhere.
Then also was the smell of burnt newsprint or the smell of cotton candy that emulated from the Domino Sugar Refinery abou a half block away on the East River. So not only was I living in a flood zone, but I lived in danger from massive explosion by living very close to a sugar refinery (bomb factory).
So my 18,000 BTU air conditioner I bought on 14th Street, but just outside the store no cab would stop for me.
I ended up taking the "L" train home and grabbing my hand truck, while the store held onto my purchase. Then I had a decision to make: take this over 100 pound air conditioner on the subway: or walk it down to Delancy Street and walk over the Williamsburg Bridge.
So you make a choice and I took it on the subway. Mucho crazy. So gravity helped so it was not so bad taking this rather large object into Union Square and getting it on the "L" train, but getting it up the stairs at the Bedford stop was a "Man-Killer."
So this is what I was capable of when I was in my late forties. Realize that when I was 49 I ran the NYC Marathon "Off the couch" with no real training. I only had one full day to get ready.
This 18,000 BTW unit I called "life support." Pretty much we ran the air conditioner and never opened the windows. The air was gritty and that polluted.
My landlord was a Brooklyn tough guy, but he called me a "scary man." Perhaps I came across as a bit crazy.
So I have two ideas for my radiator. I'm not so keen on reflective surfaces in my darkroom. One is passive where I construct out of copper flashing some fins that I can use to tap and radiate heat off the manifold.
The better idea is to box a section of manifold to create a duct where I could add a filter to trap dust, and also use a muffin fan to pull air and suck air to add a positive pressure to the darkroom to mitigate and control dust.
This section of manifold runs above the oil tank so no valuable space is consumed.
Cal
Borge H
Established
Interesting thread, I also moved 60 km out of a large city by Swedish standards (Gothenburg) to an old house. I therefore recognize some of the problems you mention about heating and insulation of the house. Here it is now 10 cm of snow and has been -20 degrees C. Small cars do not work, I have a VW Amarok four-wheel drive pick-up, my wife a Skoda. In the winter we change to good winter tires with studs.
Our house was also heated with oil but we have switched to our own wood. I therefore installed a wood boiler myself with a 1500 liter accumulator tank. When it is cold I fire once a day, in the summer it is enough once a week for hot water. With an oil boiler, it is also easy to install a pellet burner. Pellets are cheaper than oil here in Sweden. It is also much more environmentally friendly, most people here have gone from oil.
As for insulation of the basement, it is tricky to do. The air in the house has higher humidity than the cold air outside in winter. As the air moves through the walls with insulation, the temperature is lowered and the moisture in the air condenses in the wall. You get moisture damage and mold in the wall.
It is therefore critical that the air is not allowed to move freely and penetrate the wall and the insulation. You must have a condensation barrier, a plastic wrap closest to the inside. What is recommended in Sweden is to insulate on the outside of the basement wall. You then dig up around the house and insulate and set up a moisture barrier with drainage to prevent moisture damage from water along the foundation. Temperature is now raised on the dry outdoor air in the insulation in the wall, there is no risk of moist indoor air condensing in the winter in the wall.
We use polystyrene (cellular plastic) with great care in insulation, some varieties burn very easily. Mineral wool is usually fireproof.
Best wishes!
Our house was also heated with oil but we have switched to our own wood. I therefore installed a wood boiler myself with a 1500 liter accumulator tank. When it is cold I fire once a day, in the summer it is enough once a week for hot water. With an oil boiler, it is also easy to install a pellet burner. Pellets are cheaper than oil here in Sweden. It is also much more environmentally friendly, most people here have gone from oil.
As for insulation of the basement, it is tricky to do. The air in the house has higher humidity than the cold air outside in winter. As the air moves through the walls with insulation, the temperature is lowered and the moisture in the air condenses in the wall. You get moisture damage and mold in the wall.
It is therefore critical that the air is not allowed to move freely and penetrate the wall and the insulation. You must have a condensation barrier, a plastic wrap closest to the inside. What is recommended in Sweden is to insulate on the outside of the basement wall. You then dig up around the house and insulate and set up a moisture barrier with drainage to prevent moisture damage from water along the foundation. Temperature is now raised on the dry outdoor air in the insulation in the wall, there is no risk of moist indoor air condensing in the winter in the wall.
We use polystyrene (cellular plastic) with great care in insulation, some varieties burn very easily. Mineral wool is usually fireproof.
Best wishes!
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
B,
Condensation leads to mold.
I intend on insulating the basement ceiling. Sealing up mucho leaks both big and small is the first imperative.
I was trying to avoid building in moisture traps by centralizing a modest 6x9 "free-standing" darkroom. This might still be the best way to go.
What I love about this old Baby-Victorian is that it still has mucho original detail from 1912 when it was built. Here in the U.S. so many houses have been "gut-renovated" where a house gets reduced to a shell and is rebuilt in a modern manner.
My house is a bit funky. Advertised as a 4 bedroom 2 full baths is an exaggeration, especially since it is under 1500 square feet of living space.
Really the house is only a two bedroom with an office space and the smallest "bedroom" or third bedroom to me is perhaps sized for a baby's crib.
So call me romantic, or perhaps stubborn, but I love the retro charm and the challenge. I would not want another house because this is the one for me, warts and all.
Really my house is about the size of a big two bedroom apartment in NYC. Kinda ideal and the right size for just two people. The 2 car garage, having a yard, having a second back-backyard, and the location of being close to a 1500 acre preserve are all a bonus. My neighborhood is a maze of dead-ended streets where I see cars turn around before they get really-really lost and can't get find their way out.
Also I believe my house might likely be the oldest house on my street, or perhaps the small isolated tucked away neighborhood right on the edge of the "city." I can think that I am so remote that I can consider my neighborhood as being a suburb of Peekskill, the city.
Because my house stands out as the old lady in the area, it suggests that artists likely live there. There seems to be some element of timelessness, something interesting and enchanting.
I am finding old decomposed newspapers from the 1950's used to fill leaks and cracks. I'm using extruded Poly Styrene and mucho cans of Great Stuff spray foam. I buy a dozen cans at a time to save over a dollar a can.
Over a century ago there was The Hudson River School of landscape painting. I see a great opportunity to photograph during and after storms. The geography is spectacular and rugged. I can see me getting into an 8x10 and contact printing.
Peekskill at one time was an industrial city of iron works and steel mills known for its plows and stoves. A cheaper source of iron ore out west caused rapid decay and urban blight. It was a city you avoided.
The arts and artists moved in to gentrify a run down city. When you take the Metro North train which hugs the river, across the river on the western side you see either stone cliffs or mountains and a widening of the Majestic Hudson to its widest point.
Just north of Peekskill is West Point, a natural fortification where the Hudson River narrows. Beacon got its name for being a lookout and forward military post. A neighboring town is named Garrison. Today a Camp Smith is just north of Peekskill.
Peekskill in its early days made many guns and cannons.
Neopolian once said, "Geography is destiny." I find Peekskill to be a special place and being an hour and 5 minutes from NYC's Grand Central.
Calvin-August
Nokton48
Veteran
Cal,
Regarding contact printing 8x10, Kodak Mammography film comes only in 18x24cm, which is the european sizing. A bit smaller than 8x10 but fits in any 8x10 camera back. I've been buying these euro sized holders in Germany, 9x12cm 13x18cm and 18x24cm. Big advantage when cutting down from XRAY film. 32 cents a sheet vs five or six dollars + a sheet. Ordered in November and just starting to get here thanks to covid.
Sinar Norma 18x24 Lisco Holders XRAY by Nokton48, on Flickr
As you can see the 18x24cm Mammo XRAY stock fits perfectly in the Norma holder. This will make nice size contact prints. I envision split printing these negs. I got the idea for a contact printing light source that works with the big Multigrade filters. the idea came from Tim Layton and I followed his lead. These negs could benefit from being split-filtered to really nail the tonality.
A small darkroom footprint should work fine for making 8x10 contact prints. Some even work in a closet sized space.
Regarding contact printing 8x10, Kodak Mammography film comes only in 18x24cm, which is the european sizing. A bit smaller than 8x10 but fits in any 8x10 camera back. I've been buying these euro sized holders in Germany, 9x12cm 13x18cm and 18x24cm. Big advantage when cutting down from XRAY film. 32 cents a sheet vs five or six dollars + a sheet. Ordered in November and just starting to get here thanks to covid.
Sinar Norma 18x24 Lisco Holders XRAY by Nokton48, on FlickrAs you can see the 18x24cm Mammo XRAY stock fits perfectly in the Norma holder. This will make nice size contact prints. I envision split printing these negs. I got the idea for a contact printing light source that works with the big Multigrade filters. the idea came from Tim Layton and I followed his lead. These negs could benefit from being split-filtered to really nail the tonality.
A small darkroom footprint should work fine for making 8x10 contact prints. Some even work in a closet sized space.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Cal,
Regarding contact printing 8x10, Kodak Mammography film comes only in 18x24cm, which is the european sizing. A bit smaller than 8x10 but fits in any 8x10 camera back. I've been buying these euro sized holders in Germany, 9x12cm 13x18cm and 18x24cm. Big advantage when cutting down from XRAY film. 32 cents a sheet vs five or six dollars + a sheet. Ordered in November and just starting to get here thanks to covid.
As you can see the 18x24cm Mammo XRAY stock fits perfectly in the Norma holder. This will make nice size contact prints. I envision split printing these negs. I got the idea for a contact printing light source that works with the big Multigrade filters. the idea came from Tim Layton and I followed his lead. These negs could benefit from being split-filtered to really nail the tonality.
A small darkroom footprint should work fine for making 8x10 contact prints. Some even work in a closet sized space.
Devil Dan,
As you know I admire large format shooters and the IQ and tonality of large format.
At times I emulate large format IQ and tonality in my prints. Well I kinda can approach it.
Right across the Bear Mountain Bridge (just north of Peekskill City Hall) is of course Bear Mountain State Park which is right next to Harrimon State Park. I can see me cross country skying or snow shoeing in to say shoot with an 8x10 Ebony all these winter scenes with fresh virgin snow.
I also can see me scanning an 8x10 negative and printing out a digital negative using Piezography to contact print utilizing Lightroom for making the perfect negative for contact printing. EZ-PZ.
Could also delve into alternative processes...
Perhaps I can drag Devil Christian and other wack jobs to go on my storm chasing expeditions in and near Peekskill.
Almost as if Ansel Adams had an Audi A4 to carry his tripod, and he spent lots of time scouting out locations. This way I can hunt for good light and use smaller formats as tools.
In pre-history at one time glaciers formed the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, the Hudson River Valley, Manhattan, and of course Long Island.
I have the geography nearby that is very-very distinct. The western flank of the Hudson River is stone cliffs, and the eastern side of the Hudson a glacial field of plowed rock and earth.
I'm feeling really inspired.
"Crazy is good," I say. "Don't tell Maggie." LOL.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
You know you are a hill-billy when you give yourself a haircut and you like it.
I thought I would have to get an emergency haircut from a stylist that "Maggie" goes to that does all the refugee hipsters that escaped Brooklyn that now live in Peekskill.
It all started with getting a glob of "Great Stuff" spray foam in my hair. Luckily is was in the last 3 and a half fistfulls of my ponytail that reached a record length of down to my waist.
I had my hair tied back in a ponytail and performed a simple straight blunt cut.
"Maggie" says it isn't perfectly straight and even, but the wild and feral hill-billy growing in me likens the imperfection because in my eyes I look good. LOL.
I still have a 3 and a half fisted ponytail, and the bonus is that with the $100.00 I would save on the haircut and tips I can buy about twenty more cans of Great Stuff spray foam to seal my leaky Baby-Victorian.
Back when Ronald Ray-Gun was President I worked on a Star Wars secrete project: a Neutral Partical Beam Accelerator that would be a space based weapon to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missles in their boost phase before they vaporize us. When I was there I used this product called "Hair Epoxy" that stated "Wind Tunnel Tested."
I would shower, comb my wet hair, then rake in a good amount of Hair Epoxy, and then drive to Los Alamos National Labs where I worked. The drive on State Highway 4 was 47 miles of mountains and I drove my Jeep Scrambler without the half cab top and without the doors.
The result was this crazy, clumped up, windblown feral hair that was of a mountain man. It looked like dregs but with straight hair.
I liked my do because it was low maintenance.
Augie:the rookie hair stylist.
I thought I would have to get an emergency haircut from a stylist that "Maggie" goes to that does all the refugee hipsters that escaped Brooklyn that now live in Peekskill.
It all started with getting a glob of "Great Stuff" spray foam in my hair. Luckily is was in the last 3 and a half fistfulls of my ponytail that reached a record length of down to my waist.
I had my hair tied back in a ponytail and performed a simple straight blunt cut.
"Maggie" says it isn't perfectly straight and even, but the wild and feral hill-billy growing in me likens the imperfection because in my eyes I look good. LOL.
I still have a 3 and a half fisted ponytail, and the bonus is that with the $100.00 I would save on the haircut and tips I can buy about twenty more cans of Great Stuff spray foam to seal my leaky Baby-Victorian.
Back when Ronald Ray-Gun was President I worked on a Star Wars secrete project: a Neutral Partical Beam Accelerator that would be a space based weapon to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missles in their boost phase before they vaporize us. When I was there I used this product called "Hair Epoxy" that stated "Wind Tunnel Tested."
I would shower, comb my wet hair, then rake in a good amount of Hair Epoxy, and then drive to Los Alamos National Labs where I worked. The drive on State Highway 4 was 47 miles of mountains and I drove my Jeep Scrambler without the half cab top and without the doors.
The result was this crazy, clumped up, windblown feral hair that was of a mountain man. It looked like dregs but with straight hair.
I liked my do because it was low maintenance.
Augie:the rookie hair stylist.