What to get for a 1st darkroom ?

[Jani_from_Finland]

Hello to you all good folks here on RFF.


I am keen on starting to develop my own films and learning to do prints of them, b&w for now.

Have wondered what do i need to get for a "small home lab" like what type of equipment and chemistry and so on.

At home i allready have some JOBO developing tanks i got from a friend around 2 years ago, that is from one of them processors so its got a deeper bottom for i think the magnet that attaches to the machine. It enough to develop 1, 2 or 4 films at a time.
Then i got a 1L and 2L plastic JOBO cans for chemistry, some small and one larger Kaiser plastic cans for measurement of chem's, one Kaiser thermometer and a pack for 1L Ilford film developer ID-11 and ilfostop 500ml and ilford rapid fixer 1000ml.

I am probably going to order some Agfa chem's (it is them branded Adox now) and also maybe some of Adox plastic MCP papers (should be Agfa MCP paper).

Dont have any other equipment, but i have an Leitz Focotar-2 1:4.5/50 enlarger lens i got years ago and and this plate you place your paper on that is some Leitz 18x24.
I got an email for a Durst F60 with EL-Nikkor 50mm 2.8 lens on it (think it has 39mm thread so i could mount on my Focotar-2 on it instead) and some other tanks and them some other smaller stuff like timer and ilford filters etc, but i dont now the shape of them. but the guy is bringing them over to me so i can watch them before.

What sort of lamps and other stuff do i need to get?
Looks like there is most of the basic stuff listed, but...
Also, might it be worth getting something to dry the films and some stand for the papers to dry in to avoid dust and scrap and cat hair etc? It seems the new dryers is very very expensive.


Thankfull for all help given and i'll keep you updated and trying to answer on what you answer me.


Brgds,
Jani

 

[hatidua]

Having worked in a number of darkrooms over the past 30 years, the thing that I have always really thought made life more pleasant was a good digital timer. Those glow-in-the-dark analog ones work, but the digital beeping variety are pure luxury in comparison.

That, and a GOOD easel & grain focuser.

 

[Jani_from_Finland]

Having worked in a number of darkrooms over the past 30 years, the thing that I have always really thought made life more pleasant was a good digital timer. Those glow-in-the-dark analog ones work, but the digital beeping variety are pure luxury in comparison.

That, and a GOOD easel & grain focuser.

Any suggestions on brand and type of them both?

 

[sepiareverb]

This. Nothing worse than spending a long time printing before one realizes the enlarger is not aligned.

 

[Jani_from_Finland]

This. Nothing worse than spending a long time printing before one realizes the enlarger is not aligned.

Well, how can i check that the enlarger is aligned by some simpler methods if i dont have the money to get a special thing like that?
I am not making money from photography or of prints, just trying to learn it for my own enjoyment and i cant put a lot of money on to it.

 

[ibcrewin]

Do have a dry wall ruler? Or a speed square? That should help with squaring things up on a budget.

I think you should build up your expertise from the bottom up. Start with developing your own film. Worry about printing later, (not too much later though). Once you achieved the film development merit badge, you can move on to the contact sheet, then the individual print.

Aim small, miss small.

 

[Red Robin]

Piece by piece, my dark room gets closer to being. My find today is a really big slow-cooker to heat my chemicals to the proper temperature. It's a big beast, about 16x24x8-10"deep. I read o a fellow that used one like it. After finding the optimum temp, one then marks it on the gauge to achieve the same temp every time. At least that's the theory. Good luck with yours.