Garage darkrooms

Kev M

Kev M

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So after a very brief ownership of a Sony A700 which has just been returned for having a serious fault I'm toying with the idea of setting up a darkroom in the garage with the money instead.

I've got an idea what I need:

Enlarger (although I don't know about all the different lenses and why you'd need different focal lengths for printing)
Timer to control the lamp
Safelight
Tongs
Trays
Chemicals

My biggest problem is there's no running water near the garage and I suspect it would eat up my budget getting it plumbed in. As running water is only needed for rinsing can I dev, stop and fix the prints in the dark then carry the print through to the kitchen for washing?

Is it just the paper that's light sensitive or can the chemicals be affected by it as I open the door to carry the prints through to the kitchen?

Do prints need rinsing immediately or can I stack a few up rather than running back and forth after each print?

How hard it it to mark a garage light tight? I have a door at one end so I suppose I need to cover the key hole but is that it? At the other end is a door which is almost see-through so I'd need to find some way of making that end of the garage dark.

Should I paint all the walls black?

I've seen them tasty looking benches in the back of AP and B&W magazines made by Richards of Hull but their website is aweful and doesn't have any prices. going on the premise of if you need to ask you can't afford it are there any manufacturers of similar things to keep the darkroom tidy who publish their prices?

Anything I've forgotten?

Kev
 
Think it is just paper and films that are light sensitive, , Id rinsed my prints in a bucket of water, then just leave my prints in another bucket of clean water then take them all at at the same time and hang them up to dry

no you dont need black walls and Id just cover the whole door
 
Different focal length lenses are used for different sized negatives, so you can get the easel a reasonable distance away from the enlarger head. From memory it's 50mm for 35mm film, 80mm for 120 and 135mm for 4"x5".
 
Different lenses are used for different neg sizes, usually

50mm for 35mm
80mm for 120

It's just the useful projection size on the base board.

You should only need to paint the area around the enlarger black - to reduce any light spillage from the enlarger. The rest actually needs to be white (*opinions on this vary*) - this will reflect the safelight light. A small safe light torch is useful as are small luminescent stick on tabs http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/shop/categories/darkroom-construction/0/firstcall/firstcall-luminous-arrow-tape/.

A focus finder is useful, the Paterson ones focus on the film grain.

Light should not effect your chemicals in a tray.

A couple of 99p buckets would be handy.

Put all your prints in a big tray then transfer to the bath (in the bathroom) when you have finished, a syphon jobby over the plug hole is good for washing (if they still make them).

You could still have a sink to put the trays in, just put a bucket under the plug hole.http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/shop/categories/darkroom-construction/

Light tightness is more of a (black) art than a skill, do all the usual tests - sit for half an hour, you'll be amazed how much light comes in, also test your safelight - http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Test-your-darkroom-safelight-4773

Oh - a radio.

Have fun
 
Kev M said:
So after a very brief ownership of a Sony A700 which has just been returned for having a serious fault I'm toying with the idea of setting up a darkroom in the garage with the money instead.
....

My biggest problem is there's no running water near the garage and I suspect it would eat up my budget getting it plumbed in. As running water is only needed for rinsing can I dev, stop and fix the prints in the dark then carry the print through to the kitchen for washing?

How hard it it to mark a garage light tight? I have a door at one end so I suppose I need to cover the key hole but is that it? At the other end is a door which is almost see-through so I'd need to find some way of making that end of the garage dark.

Should I paint all the walls black?

I've seen them tasty looking benches in the back of AP and B&W magazines made by Richards of Hull but their website is aweful and doesn't have any prices. going on the premise of if you need to ask you can't afford it are there any manufacturers of similar things to keep the darkroom tidy who publish their prices?

Kev
Click to expand...

Making a garage light tight isn't too bad. I found when I closed the door and sat in the gloom, the light came in around the garage door and the asbestos roofing.

I light proofed mine for about £40 using blackout material from ebay and cheap wire curtain clips from ikea. Hung huge "curtains" half way along to block the light from the door, and little "pelmets" from the rafters to block the light coming along the roofline.

Most pricy bit was building shelving/worktop using ikea IVAR - about £150. Cheaper and more environmental but less to my taste would be pick up old tables/chests of drawers from local recycling centre (they used to be called rubbish dumps).

Painting the walls white to be able to see better by the safe light helped a lot too.

Have a jug and a couple of 2 litre coke bottles full of water for rinsing, and a bucket as I also don't have running water. Works fine!
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, especially the tips about lenses. Glad to hear I can get by without running water too (boo hiss to water meters).

I'm looking for a suitable enlarger now for B&W only. I've only used a De Vere enlarger in college and I really like the adjustment controls on the front, I've no idea how other enlargers work for height adjustment but the don't look as accurate as the De Vere. I thought I'd found one at Nova Darkrooms but it turns out the page Google found is old and the item has been sold. They offered me one with a colour and B&W heads for twice the price of the first one putting it way out of my budget.

Other than the De Vere's which I understand what others should I be looking at? I've looked on eBay but they all seem to be really old and flimsy and I'm concerned about availability of bulbs on the older stuff.

Cheers,
Kev
 
Kev, I have an LPL that was great and easy to use when I did printing at home. Durst are also a good make. You should be able to pick a reasonable one with 35mm and 6x6 lenses asnd carriers.

The only concern I'd have printing in a garage is dust. Can you paint the floor and stuff to reduce the problem?

With washing you could always run two hosepipes to and from the garage for running water and overflow back to a drain.
 
Don't use tongs you just end up marking the print, use your hands and wear thin rubber gloves when handling prints. A colour enlarger will be pretty cheap to buy and will allow you to use multigrade papers without additional filters.
 
Re Water meter. Remember you can use that rinse water on your garden after - perhaps not on the veg - but at least you get to use the water twice.
Certainly use the latex/vinyl gloves or you hands will stink of fix for days!
Have fun
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, most helpful. I'm getting nearer, I've found someone selling a shed load of gear 10miles from me. Does anyone have any experience of the Durst M605 enlargers?
 
Yup, nice bit of kit.

I've got the instructions somewhere, if you want an electronic copy let me know.

Will take a B&W or a Colour head.
 
I used a Durst605 at college a while back good enlarger. I think you'd be happy with the build quality Kev . What lens has it got?
 
john-oh said:
Yup, nice bit of kit.

I've got the instructions somewhere, if you want an electronic copy let me know.

Will take a B&W or a Colour head.
Click to expand...

Yes please John, it'll save me asking stupid questions like what is the red filter for in public. I'll PM you me email address.

chivers67 said:
I used a Durst605 at college a while back good enlarger. I think you'd be happy with the build quality Kev . What lens has it got?
Click to expand...

It came with a selection but I think they're all goosed. They look like they're misted up to varying degrees. They've been in the garage since Tuesday and not got any better so I'm wondering if it's fungus. If so it looks like I've got to buy a replacement.

It came with:

3 1/4" SUPAR F4.5 WRAY LONDON
COmparon 1:5.6/150 Schneider-Kreuznach
Durst Neopan 1:2.8 50mm
PHAGO Anastigmat 1:4.5 50mm
A.Schacht Ulm R Travegar 1:3.5/75

Dunno if they were any good to start with but I suspect I wouldn't get much out of them if I tried printing with them. That'll be a while off yet though, still got to get trays and chemicals.
 
Thanks to John-Oh i've just had a read of the instructions. The schiemplug thing sounds handy but never went into any detail other than til the head in one direct and the lens in the other. The other thing I wanted to know which I couldn't see is that there's a button type thing on the front next to the three dials and a little window next to it. You rotate the button on and off but I can't see what it does.

Any ideas?
 
Kev,

I think you have a newer head than the instructions refer to.

I believe that is a supplementary or base filter which used to be on the back of the head (see page 12 -3.3.4 Supplementary filter).

I'm not sure if the values are the same though, maybe time for some Googling.
 
I think you've hit the nail on the head there John, I checked last night and there's no lever on the back of mine.

Another one for you then. I'm trying to get some 6x6 masks and they're like hens teeth. If you use glass inserts do you use them instead of masks or as well as masks?
 
Kev,

From memory (my darkroom will take a day to clear up and two days for the dust to settle) the glass is used instead of masks, then you use the sliding mask thingies on the neg carrier. I'm not sure I ever had any 6*6 masks.

The glass is chamfered to fit just like the masks. The glass is a mixed blessing, keeps the neg flat but provides loads more surface to attract dust.
Glass can also induce a moiré pattern on the print.

I think they used to do an 'anti-moiré' glass which was etched, but I think they tended to reduce contrast (I never had any).

Cheers
 
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