Help setting up my first (bathroom) darkroom for printing

[SebC]

Hi All,

I have been doing lots of reading (here, Apug, photo.net, Ilford and many others) on setting up a home darkroom, and I have a mountain of little questions on various aspects which I hope some of you can help with. I’ve put them all in one thread rather than fill up the forum. Please chip in if you have any pearls of wisdom or think I’m missing something.

Some context: I shoot 35mm film exclusively (at the moment). I shoot more b&w that colour. I currently develop my own b&w, and my local lab does my colour (although I can foresee myself doing some c-41 in the future as I am growing tired of the scratches and dirt on my negatives. How a proper minilab can produce significantly more dirty and scratched negatives than the ones I develop in my kitchen and dry in the bathroom I do not understand!). I am planning to print only 35mm b&w for the time being but am open to the possibility of mf and/or colour in the future (but not imminently). The darkroom will be setup in my only bathroom (all electricals will be protected by an RCD), and put away after every printing session.

1. Firstly, some more reading. As useful as forums like this are, sometimes it’s nice to have a book to read through as the information is structured a flows logically (the same cannot be said for my wildly tangential googling). I initially thought of the Adams classics (negative, print) – but am unsure as to how relevant they will be (large format, individual development of sheet film etc. vs 35mm roll film). Are there any better books I should be reading as an (ambitious) beginner? Something from RFF’s very own Roger Hicks, perhaps?


Next up, kit!

2. I need an enlarger. I’m hoping to find something reasonably priced (this is a low budget venture, using secondhand kit where possible), reasonably compact, with the ability to take 35mm and mf negs (with the relevant carriers), with a colour head (for variable contrast printing), yet capable of excellent results. Am I asking too much? I’m thinking about Durst/LPL or maybe Leitz if one pops up cheap enough. Given the setup (bathroom, regular setup/teardown) would that make you lean towards one of the brands I have suggested?

3. As I’m going to have to put this kit away after use, would I be better off with a consumer 35mm only enlarger, rather than trying to move a hefty mf one around? I am worried about messing up alignment with having to move it so much.

4. If I want to print a whole 35mm frame and the borders, sprocket holes, etc. would I be better off with a mf enlarger rather than modifying a 35mm carrier?

5. Do safelights become less safe over time? (Does the plastic filter degrade?) Is this something I should pick up new rather than from an auction site?

6. Easels seem expensive. Are the cheap ones rubbish? Do I even need one?

7. If I pick up a whole darkroom kit is it okay to reuse their trays and tongs after a good soapy scrub? I’ll discard any plastic bottles as I don’t want to risk cross contamination.


Next up: Consumables.

8. Paper- I’m thinking of using Ilford RC multigrade. Good plan? Anything better for a beginner? Are any of the surface finishes (matt, pearl, gloss) easier or harder?

9. Do I need to use hypo clearing agent for RC paper?

10. Do I need a papersafe, or can I just use the paper’s original packaging?

11. I understand the developer is used for one printing session (but multiple prints). Correct?

12. If I use Ilford paper, I assume Ilford developer, stop and fixer would make sense for simplicity? I already use Ilford fixer for film, so will use that for paper too (but will use a separate batch).

13. As a final rinse for film I use a wetting agent and distilled water. Is this a good idea for prints? I live in a hard water area.

14. For storing chemicals, do people prefer those brown glass bottles, or something else? Any good UK sources of such things?

Sorry for such a long post!

Many thanks,

Seb

 

[ChrisN]

...

1. Firstly, some more reading.
...
Henry Horenstein. Black & White Photography - A Basic Manual.


Next up, kit!

2. I need an enlarger. I’m hoping to find something reasonably priced (this is a low budget venture, using secondhand kit where possible), reasonably compact, with the ability to take 35mm and mf negs (with the relevant carriers), with a colour head (for variable contrast printing), yet capable of excellent results. Am I asking too much? I’m thinking about Durst/LPL or maybe Leitz if one pops up cheap enough. Given the setup (bathroom, regular setup/teardown) would that make you lean towards one of the brands I have suggested?

Leitz are great but still very expensive. I have a Durst and an LPL and the Durst is better made.

3. As I’m going to have to put this kit away after use, would I be better off with a consumer 35mm only enlarger, rather than trying to move a hefty mf one around? I am worried about messing up alignment with having to move it so much.

Yes - the lighter the better.

4. If I want to print a whole 35mm frame and the borders, sprocket holes, etc. would I be better off with a mf enlarger rather than modifying a 35mm carrier?

Not necessarily.

5. Do safelights become less safe over time? (Does the plastic filter degrade?) Is this something I should pick up new rather than from an auction site?

No - old is fine but there are tests you must run anyway.

6. Easels seem expensive. Are the cheap ones rubbish?

Yes!

Do I even need one?

Yes, but start cheap so you appreciate a better one later.

7. If I pick up a whole darkroom kit is it okay to reuse their trays and tongs after a good soapy scrub?

Yes.


Next up: Consumables.

8. Paper- I’m thinking of using Ilford RC multigrade. Good plan? Anything better for a beginner? Are any of the surface finishes (matt, pearl, gloss) easier or harder?

That's what I'm sticking with for at least the first year.

9. Do I need to use hypo clearing agent for RC paper?

No.

10. Do I need a papersafe, or can I just use the paper’s original packaging?

Yes = original packaging is fine.

11. I understand the developer is used for one printing session (but multiple prints). Correct?

Yes - read the Ilford fact sheets.

12. If I use Ilford paper, I assume Ilford developer, stop and fixer would make sense for simplicity? I already use Ilford fixer for film, so will use that for paper too (but will use a separate batch).

Yes, especially if that is more easily available.

13. As a final rinse for film I use a wetting agent and distilled water. Is this a good idea for prints? I live in a hard water area.

Not necessary - just use tap water above 4 degrees C. Again read the fact sheets.

14. For storing chemicals, do people prefer those brown glass bottles, or something else? Any good UK sources of such things?

I'm using plastic, but if you have brown glass that's ok too.

Sorry for such a long post!

No worries! Have fun!

 

[degruyl]

I wish you were closer, I would sell you half or more than half of the stuff you need. (hint, I have an extra enlarger/timer/easels/trays if you are close and want to pick stuff up).

You need a timer. Depending on how serious you are (and whether you espouse the notion of being cheap costs more in the long run) I would suggest you look at the darkroom automation timer. It is nice enough to work with and works in "stops". In fact, it works very, very well. It works with a meter that they also sell, and some charts that come with or you can make your own.

You also need multigrade filters. I really like the ones in the plastic that go below the lens. The thin sheets of plastic work fine, though. The convenience difference is not that great. I actually prefer filters to fiddling with dichroic heads.

Focusing aids are good.

Lenses: as with all lenses, get as good as you can within budget. Enlarger lenses are cheap, and don't worry too much about buying used lenses.

Easels: just buy an 8x10 speed easel at first. It makes life easy. Once you are sure you won't be printing larger than (for example) 11x14 or something, buy a good easel at that size. You can always print smaller on an adjustable easel.

(some of this makes a lot more sense for medium and large format where you can reasonably print at large sizes.)

 

[Finder]

There is no advantage to having a medium-format enlarger when using a 35m full-frame carrier.

I would go for a medium-format color enlarger. Durst, LPL, and Beseler all make good units. You will have more flexibility than with a 35mm one--panoramic 355mm formats as well as medium format. I had a medium-format LPL for a bathroom darkroom and it was easy to move around and store. Now I have a Beseler 23CIII-XL with a dichroic head (I print color and b&w) as well as a 4x5 Chromega enlarger. Enlargers are not complex machines and I have never thought going to Leica was worth the inflated prices and I am really not sure that they actually make better enlargers than companies that specialize in enlargers.

Get a good lens. A six element design from either Nikon, Rodenstock, or Schneider is a very good bet. (Beseler HD lenses are rebadged Rodenstock lenses.) Something new that is coated is preferable. If you can get an APO version, that is great, but non-APO lenses are more than satisfactory--I only have one APO lens and the reason I have that is it was bought on ebay for the same price as a non-APO lens.

I would use a digital enlarger timer that can go to at least tenths of a second. Analog times are too crude.

Get a grain focuser. Peak is a great brand. Their top-of-the-line model was also sold under the Omega name and is cheaper because few seem to know about it. At least they did until this post.

 

[SebC]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Re: Grain focusser - I see a lot of cheap paterson ones on eBay. Good enough, or junk?

I've read plenty about which lenses to buy. Honestly, compared to Leica RF lenses they'll all so affordable I won't skimp at all!

Timer - tenths of seconds??? That's quite some precision! I'll see what's available.

Thanks again 🙂

 

[pesphoto]

GO for a magnasight grain focuser if you can. Nice larger area to focus on
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bestwell-Magnas...ultDomain_0&hash=item4ceeaeb6d8#ht_3138wt_982

 

[Finder]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Re: Grain focusser - I see a lot of cheap paterson ones on eBay. Good enough, or junk?

I've read plenty about which lenses to buy. Honestly, compared to Leica RF lenses they'll all so affordable I won't skimp at all!

Timer - tenths of seconds??? That's quite some precision! I'll see what's available.

Thanks again 🙂

I have used Paterson and they work. They are certainly better than no grain focuser. Peak is a very good brand and all their models are reliable. As long as there is no physical damage, most focusers should work. The biggest difference between inexpensive focusers and expensive ones is the the cheap model only works in the center of the print whereas an expensive model can work toward the edges, which is helpful for large (16x20 or larger) prints.

Many enlarger lenses work best stopped down two stops from full--focus is done wide open. Exposure times can be under 10 seconds. If my exposure time was 6 seconds and I want to darken the print by about 10%, I would increase the exposure time by 10%. So you can see tenths of a second can be valuable. But it is not that hard to find a timer to do this. I have an LPL timer for my Beseler. My Omega enlarger has a dedicated timer--also in tenths.

 

[SebC]

Okay, that makes sense, thanks.

I'll keep an eye out for a decent focus finder, but I guess as long as I get a solid enlarger and lens to get me started, I can improve the little bits over time (and as Chris said it'll make me appreciate the better stuff more).

 

[SebC]

Woo, picked up a Leitz V35 today (with the 40/2.8 too) so just a few more bits (well,most bits - I only have the enlarger, fixer and grain focusser thus far) to go!