Help me set up a home darkroom on the cheap

greenspun.com : LUSENET : B&W Photo: Creativity, Etc. : One Thread

I am a college student who attends a school with no darkroom. I am dying without the red lights and smelly chemicals. I am suffocating without my beautiful images which appear in the developer. I have a large closet in my basement which is basically light tight. I was hoping that someone would have some tips on how I could gather the equipment, set up the ventilation system, etc. for not a lot of money. For right now, I'm not looking for state of the art. Just some place where I can conveniently escape and work. I live in the Atalnta area if that is useful. Thank you.

-- Jeannette A. Ward (jeannette@mindspring.com), November 04, 1998

Answers

I find that there are quite a few complete, used darkrooms in the classified ads for bargain prices. Many casual hobbyists sell off their equipment when they get married or have kids and generally they price them for quick sale. We have a classified ads paper here that had to put in a separate column for darkroom equipment since there was so much of it being advertised. Hope that helps.

-- andy laycock (agl@intergate.bc.ca), November 04, 1998.

Talk to a local shop that sells second-hand gear. They may not stock darkroom stuff because supply far outstrips demand, so the prices are too low, and they may turn away potential sellers. If they know you are interested, they may be able to help.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), November 05, 1998.

Well, the developing part of it's cheap. The only real expense in a home darkroom is the enlarger. I bought a used 4x5 enlarger for $250, and I have seen a new 35mm enlarger for under $200. Maybe you should put an ad in the paper saying that you are looking for used equipment to set up your own darkroom.

You can make the ventilation out of a cardboard maze and a fan. Get a box, maybe 6-in. square. Paint the inside black. Cut out baffles about 6x4-in. (2/3 the distance). Paint them black and then use black caulk or black opaque tape to afix them inside, maybe 1-in apart. And that's your vent. Place the fan as you find appropriate.

Since you'll be working in a closet, I'll presume that you might be washing the film there. (not necessary, but possible) For development process, I've found that one roll of 120 takes about two gallons of water, mainly in the wash. I change the water every thirty seconds, so about five minutes of wash after hypo clear really does take a bit of water.

Actually, if you do everything but the washing in there, you won't need much in the way of a waste chemical jug. Otherwise, you'll need a five-gallon jug (or two).

I remember Bernhard J. Suess in Mastering Black-And-White Photography : From Camera to Darkroom said that his first darkroom was in his basement, and he had to carry lots of water up and down the stairs. He also said that nobody ever asked him what his darkroom was like. They asked about films, papers, chemicals, camera, lenses, etc., but never what kind of a darkroom he had.

-- Brian C. Miller (a-bcmill@exchange.microsoft.com), November 05, 1998.


Secondhand darkroom gear is really cheap. I bought a 2.25 sq enlarger, with 2 lenses, dishes etc yesterday at a car boot sale for the princly sum of #15 UK. Now all I need is a Hasselblad...

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), November 08, 1998.

A good enlarging lens and a simple technique. Print on RC paper (ugh!) to save space and make for easier washing. Use washing aids such as Perma Wash. Buy the smallest enlarger you need for the format you are using. Work at night with the door open.

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), November 08, 1998.


I have nothing really new to add except to say that I am constantly amazed at the stuff you can find at yard sales, tag sales, garage sales, and event antique stores sometimes. People get really hot for something and then lose interest and it sits around and the dcide to get rid of it, they're not in it for the money so much as the loss of accumulated clutter.

I converted a 6' X 6' X 6' cedar closet into my darkroom by running an extension cord through a hole in the door frame and attaching a power strip on the wall to that. The enlarger sits on the floor which makes focusing fun and dust is a chronic problem but I do all right. I wash in the washing machine deep sink with a 16 X 20 tray and a Kodak tray siphon - both acquired at yard sales for little or no $.

It also helps to have a Significant Other with good shopping sense! My wife got a Besseler 4 X 5 condensor with a 16 X 20 easel, timer, assorted chemicals, 50mm Nikkor lens, Negatrans 35mm neg carrier, for $500.00. I just got a Bogen tripod 3047 for $60.00. Like they say in the X-files, "The stuff is Out There!"

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), November 23, 1998.


Jeannette, I too hated not having a darkroom and I'm still working on mine; at night I turn the kitchen of my one bedroom apartment into a darkroom. The enlarger was bought at a yardsale for $15 and I bought the lens from someone on www.ebay.com. The enlarger counts, but the lens makes the biggest "visual" difference. At least it did for me since the lens that came with the enlarger had mold growing in it. *G* Anyhow, I've gotten most of my equipment from a local second hand camera store and even some from bidding on ebay. Got an enlarger meter the other day for $24 at an auction! Look around and keep your eyes open, and even get your friends and family envolved. BUT, don't bother asking a friend that WILL look for you to buy the stuff too; especially if they know little of nothing about your craft. You'll both feel a lot better if you choose to buy it rather than them buying something totally off-the-wall. There's just way too many things out there to confuse the unexperienced. Know what I mean? ;-) Anyhow, the fact is that there's a lot out there looking for new owners that's willing to use it. And remember, it's not the equipment that counts as much as the person using it. Really! Although, do get the best lens you can afford. I wish you the best of luck and have fun! :-)

-- Leslie Ratliff (leslie@carteret.com), January 06, 1999.

I have a few pages on the net that might help, http://darkroomsource .com/ventilation.htm is about ventilation for a start. I hope it helps.

Andy.

-- Andy Hughes (andy@darkroomsource.com), January 13, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ