Home Darkrooms

[ww2photog]

I tried the search function, but didn't have any luck. I'm looking for ideas for home darkroom layouts. I'm probably going to be confined to the basement. I've been donated a 4x5 Bessler enlarger and would like to be as old school as possible. Shooting black and white 6x9, maybe 4x5 eventually. Any pics or layout drawings greatly appreciated .

 

[FrankS]

Plan for more free counter height real estate than you'd think you'll need. One side for enlarger and dry activity, and one side for sink, trays, and wet activities.

 

[Ronald M]

30" wide aisles ideal. You will need a ceiling for dust control. Definitely water and air filters.

design every surface for easy cleaning.

Make the countertop heights fit you and do not make them kitchen height if you are 6 feet. Mine are 36". Stooping over will ruin your back. My short friends hate them.

You need a lot of headroom for a 4x5 enlarger, so much that mine sits on a 24" tall table
and I have a 12" removable step for small prints. I sit down for for large ones.

Table is a 2x4 frame with diagonal bracing on each side. Almost solid 2x4 deck covered with plywood. Built like a tank, but you do not want a shakey base.

If you come to Chicago area, you are welcome to visit.

 

[Lauffray]

All good suggestions, but definitely as Frank suggested, lots of counter space ! Seems there's never enough of that.

 

[Livesteamer]

Two lighting circuits. One for safe lights with the switch in a normal place and one for room lights with a switch in a hard to reach place. Good ventilation is nice too. Joe

 

[ChrisPlatt]

My ceiling, walls, floor, and counters were white to maximize safelight illumination.
Don't use fluorescents for non-safelight room lighting; they continue to glow slightly for awhile after they're shut off.

Chris

 

[ww2photog]

Man all great info already, a lot I hadn't even thought of.

 

[FrankS]

Here's something you can aspire to, or better, use as a warning. 🙂

 

[nikon_sam]

My ceiling, walls, floor, and counters were white to maximize safelight illumination.
Don't use fluorescents for non-safelight room lighting; they continue to glow slightly for awhile after they're shut off.

Chris

What Chris said on fluorescent lights...bad idea...

 

[BillBingham2]

Ceiling height is a big issue if you are doing large format. If they are 8 feet you are fine at just about any height you put your counter(s). If you are in say a shorter basement look for between the rafters to raise the head of your enlarger to.

Wet and Dry sides is how mine was, at school wet was the middle with enlargers and a changing room around the outside. Don't cross the streams (wet or dry).

I've never seen a darkroom with white walls, mine were mat brown (unpainted dull side of press board) at home and black mat paint. White reflects light and might lower the contrast of your prints. Might not depending how much space you have, but I'd go a dark mat color.

Depending upon how much printing you want to do, make the height of your printing cabinet/table comfortable for you to lean over a long time.

I had three safelights in my home set up. One over the developer try, and two in the dry area.

B2 (;->

 

[Roger Hicks]

There are pictures of several of our darkrooms over the years, and suggestions on outfitting them, in http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/darkroom.html

Cheers,

R.

 

[tho60]

Keeping out dust

Keeping out dust

How do you keep you darkroom free from dust? Esp. enlargers are "allergic" to small particles.
But someone should cause to remain drying films unexposed to dust.

Ventilators, or even your shoes can carry in some dust, not talking about fine particles of your raw chemicals.

 

[bmattock]

My darkroom is a changing bag. My sink, shower rod, and a scanner.

 

[vdonovan]

I'm building a darkroom too. I found lots of good (and bad) examples by doing an google image search on "home darkroom":
https://www.google.com/search?q=darkroom&espv=2&biw=1128&bih=571&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuocHSkvDJAhUQzWMKHSu8Dl8Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=home+darkroom

 

[harpofreely]

If you can't go for "ideal," do what I did and "make it work":

The area the trays are on folds up against the shelves. I routinely handle negs up to 6x9 and prints up to 11x14; my sink is in the next room over (behind the camera in this photo)

Would I love bigger and better? Naturally. But it's a damn sight better than no darkroom.

 

[aoresteen]

I just got my most recent darkroom working after a 2 year on-again off again build out process.

Like yours it's in my basement. My big issue was I did not have a floor drain. I had to install a lift unit to get the water to the main drain that was near the basement ceiling. It's a washing machine pump lift.

Full story here:


http://www.apug.org/forums/forum43/124797-last-building-out-my-darkroom.html

 

[FrankS]

I've tidied up and organized my darkroom since that picture was taken. 🙂

 

[Glenn2]

I've often wondered how a string of red LED Christmas lights would work as a safe light.
If they were mounted around the room where wall and ceiling meet it might even help keep you oriented. Thoughts? Must pickup a string next week when they go on sale and try it.

My web searches show red LEDS emit around 640 nm. with nothing below ~ 600 nm. so it should work.

 

[ChrisN]

Here's mine:



Darkroom by Another Chris, on Flickr

 

[ww2photog]

Some great dark rooms here. I've debated a number of different layouts in various locations in my house. I've decided to use an attic that was a former bedroom. Problem is it has no close plumbing. I'm thinking about a no running water set up with a slop bucket under the sink drain.
The wife and I have been discussing moving next year, so we don't want to commit to converting a bedroom that would hurt resale.