My bathroom photo lab

MelanieC

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Dec 28, 2005
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I finally did it. Thanks to Dimitri, I now have two excellent Patterson tanks and reels that actually work. I got sick of being online and reading the myriad ways things could go wrong and just did it. The results are drying in my shower as I type.

They look like real negatives!

I have no idea if they're good but as soon as they're dry I'm slapping them on my scanner and taking a look.

Thanks for the advice and moral support. This is very exciting.
 
MelanieC said:
I finally did it. Thanks to Dimitri, I now have two excellent Patterson tanks and reels that actually work. I got sick of being online and reading the myriad ways things could go wrong and just did it. The results are drying in my shower as I type..
Congrats... Now you are well and truly hooked.
Please post an example as soon as you can.
 
MelanieC said:
I finally did it. Thanks to Dimitri, I now have two excellent Patterson tanks and reels that actually work. I got sick of being online and reading the myriad ways things could go wrong and just did it. The results are drying in my shower as I type.

They look like real negatives!

I have no idea if they're good but as soon as they're dry I'm slapping them on my scanner and taking a look.

Thanks for the advice and moral support. This is very exciting.

Sorry for not having been earlier among your supporters, but I join now: You have accomplished what many do not dare to start with!

BTW, one advantage of your set up is the luxury practice of hanging your negatives to naturally dry in a small room, much better than any mechanical device. In a small room like a bathroom you enjoy both the ability of sealing unwanted air flow, and by cold times using a wire heater (non air flow) to speed up the drying.

On the other hand, in the future as you may use your dark bathroom for more and more photograpic activities, just remember not to stock there printing paper, as the humidity will affect it.

Good Luck and keep telling what is going on there !
Cheers,
Ruben
 
A newbie developing her first negatives! Sigh... happy day.

Now that you have said you are doing it you HAVE to post.
 
Well, the negatives aren't dry yet, but here's my [sad] setup. No danger of leaving printing paper in there because as you can see there is no enlarger that could fit in here.

I can't wait to do another one, but I only have two film clips. How pathetic is that? Off to the store tomorrow to buy more clips!
 

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Melanie, you are giving me hope! I am still a month or so away from developing my first roll but with everything I have been learning on the RFF forum these past few weeks my confidence is high!

Can't wait to see some scans!
 
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MelanieC said:
Well, the negatives aren't dry yet, but here's my [sad] setup. No danger of leaving printing paper in there because as you can see there is no enlarger that could fit in here.

I can't wait to do another one, but I only have two film clips. How pathetic is that? Off to the store tomorrow to buy more clips!

Looks like a good setup to me. I did write three other posts but the all degenerated into senseless bathroom humor. The counseling is working!!!! :eek:

Yes, please do post those shots. I can just imagine how exciting it will be for you to see your first scans show up on the monitor.
 
MelanieC said:
...as you can see there is no enlarger that could fit in here.

I can't wait to do another one, but I only have two film clips. How pathetic is that? Off to the store tomorrow to buy more clips!

There's plenty of room for an enlarger, just remove all those toiletries...and the toilet :)
 
they're dry!

they're dry!

OK, the negatives are dry. I managed to scratch a couple, it looks like (see first "plover" picture -- now that I think of it I don't know if that's a plover, but whatever) but they came out OK, or at least not worse than my local lab produces. Whee!
 

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Those are great! Congratulations on your first processed roll! May you have many fruitful hours as you refine your process.
 
Melanie, awesome!
Love #2 and #3 is dangerously close to street photogrphy you know ;)

Wow. Congrats. All I did was drinking tonite at South Park and Sugar Lounge :)
 
MelanieC said:
Well, the negatives aren't dry yet, but here's my [sad] setup. No danger of leaving printing paper in there because as you can see there is no enlarger that could fit in here.

Wow, that bathroom is even smaller than mine! And that's saying something. However, like mine looks just great for darkroom - no window!!

Good luck, must get around to using mine as a darkroom soon rather than just developing the negs in the kitchen and scanning.
 
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