Yes, expensive, but worth it, imo. I bought an 11x14 one new in the late 90s and it's still great. I've used other types in school darkrooms and the Saunders is way better.
Yes, expensive, but worth it, imo. I bought an 11x14 one new in the late 90s and it's still great. I've used other types in school darkrooms and the Saunders is way better.The 4 bladed 11"x14"/14"x17" easels (Saunders are common) are great, but unless you get lucky on Craigslist, expensive.
This is very good advice!This is all very, very good advice from people who probably all have more experience than I have, but:
Don't get hung up in assembling the perfect enlarger, with the perfect lens and spend days and days restoring everything to perfect working order, and getting the perfect combo of chemistry,etc.
Instead start printing!
It is very easy to overthink, but very hard to over-do, with emphasis on "do". I always learn something useful in a printing session.
You will make mistakes no matter what, so why not get started with that?
Yeah, this is definitely good advice. That’s always been an issue I’ve had with film photography because everything has a measurable cost.This is all very, very good advice from people who probably all have more experience than I have, but:
Don't get hung up in assembling the perfect enlarger, with the perfect lens and spend days and days restoring everything to perfect working order, and getting the perfect combo of chemistry,etc.
Instead start printing!
It is very easy to overthink, but very hard to over-do, with emphasis on "do". I always learn something useful in a printing session.
You will make mistakes no matter what, so why not get started with that?
Hey, Robin!Hi Sam, Like you I have moved on from F2 repairs to mucking around in the darkroom. So here are a few tips and tricks that I adapted to my setup in a basement room that has no easy access to water and drainage. (see attached photos) To solve this first problem I ran in a water pipe and fitted a tap to that. But with no possible connection to drainage I just ran a small pipe out through a joint in the brickwork onto the garden. No chemicals will be going this way as they go into large storage containers for later disposal the environmental way. I have no sink just a large plastic container which catches the run off from the 20 litre water container that is fitted with a water heating element from an old kettle and a drain tap. It is a great setup, nice and compact and does a good job of print washing which is just a made up spray pipe into a shallow tray.
For a Safe light I adapted a standard 15 watt obscure glass downlight to an old desk lamp. This points at a white ceiling. Fitted over the glass is a Red #25a filter plus a Red safe light filter on top with lots of tape around to block the white light leaks. This works very well and I have done a few 7 minute tests using various methods and it seems fine. It is so bright I do switch it off during enlarging so I can see the print better.
Using the enlarger I found an easy way to do test strips is to use a bit of masking tape to hold the strip in place. Then use a large fridge magnet to move across the test strip. It holds down tight to the test strip and this allows one handed testing. I began by using old print paper to mask the test strip till I discovered that light from the enlarger travels right through print paper. Cardboard works well but my fridge magnet is better than that.
"Darkroom Dave" has some good youtube tutorials as do "Borut Peterlin" and "Clyde Butcher". Try a bit of white light flashing of the prints for some radical highlights. I've pulled prints out of the developer at half way and then used an SB24 flash on auto pointed at the white ceiling and put the print back into the developer till it looks just right. Gives an infrared affect. If you can find an old microwave these are good for a quick 10 second blast on wet test strips, they come out near dry and steaming.
Have fun, make lots of mistakes as every day is for learning.
Robin.
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Sounds like a handy investment in the future. For now, the normal room temperature for me is around 70F, so as long as I keep all my chems and dilutions at this temp (developing with replenished XTOL and mixing others with room temp water) I'm well within normal developing temperature with minimal adjustments.Hey Sam, another really handy tool for the darkroom is a Heat Gun. They are like hairdryers but a lot hotter and pretty cheap to buy. It is really quick to heat up developer and fixer in a tray to the correct temp. If the temp drops off a bit during darkroom work just wave the heat gun over the developer and within a miniute or so it will be back on 20c exactly. I also use it to prewarm a Patterson tank and it is essential for getting my colour developer c41 kit mixes to the exact temp. But I suppose your more likely to need cooling in Tampa.
I don't think I've ever read where anyone has used a flash in darkroom printing. But I watched some videos where the experts give a print a few seconds of no filter light when on the enlarger after the filtered time. They then mention this increases the highlights. So I just thought what the hell lets hit it with a flash during developing. Well it worked well with the Nikon SB24 flash on auto bounced off the ceiling and I will be doing this some more. However when I tried it with my old Metz it blew the print black instantly - it's a beast of a unit and I use it out photo spotlighting Roos and wildlife at night. It's fun trying new stuff in the darkroom and I get a lot of laughs at all the stuff ups that come from this.
The lab technician who does all the B&W film processing at Melbourne's main camera shop told me he develops his film in Xtol then in his darkroom he tests the strips in normal print developer to establish the enlarger time and filter then develops his final prints in Caffenol for around 3 minutes or so lifting them out during this time to check how there going. I've developed a lot of film in Caffenol but plan to try this printing process soon. Maybe for something radical I'll use the flash on it whilst it's soaking in the Caffenol.
Have fun. Looking forward to seeing some scans of your prints.
Robin.
Developed 4 rolls of film over the past two days without any issues. Those Paterson tanks are loads easier to not mess up than stainless ones!
I also started printing last night and it took me 4 hours total to make 4 prints, and 2 of them were crap. I really need to get my process more efficient....
I’m using ilford PQ developer 1+9 and the published time is 1min for RC paper. That seems pretty short to me but it says 1+14 is only recommended for film.
You’re right, I misremembered the dilutions. Well, I may try extending the development time to 2:00 in the future.I think the data sheet for Ilford PQ Universal developer actually refers to 1+19, not 1+14 for large format sheet film.
More importantly, that data sheet also says: "To maintain print to print consistency when batch processing a large number of either RC or FB prints, it may be advantageous to reduce exposure slightly and extend development."
It also refers to doubling the recommended time for RC Cooltone paper.
Intriguingly, the data sheet for the Ilford RC papers actually recommends a development time of 2:00 for Ilford PQ Universal.
All of which might very well lead you to the conclusion that the recommended development times are just that, a recommendation.
Within reason, you can extend those times regularly. Just make sure to use the same development time for the test strips and the resulting prints.
I’ll do this, thank you!Set your enlarger to a height that you can reproduce (mark it or max height if that's suitable) and then do a test strip to work out the time that the black on the paper with no film in front of it is the same tone as the black in the rebates. Use your "standard" contrast filter. Make note of this exposure and use it for your contact sheets with that film and paper. You won't need to do test strips for them again if you don't change film or paper. This exposure will show you all the detail you've managed to capture in the shadow end of things and will look right for the vast majority of correctly exposed negatives. Strong highlights and overexposed negs will blow but they should still be printable.
I know there are a bunch of "beginner darkroom" threads on this site and I've read through a lot of them. I've been asking a few questions here and there but decided to just hopefully get everything in one place.
I've developed and enlarged before but while I was in college and had access to all the equipment and chemicals I would ever need. I just graduated (so funds are very tight) and am now looking to set up a darkroom for the first time. I purchased a fairly complete darkroom setup including an Omega B-8 enlarger, trays, lights etc.
Now, what I need is advice on chemicals. I am setting this up in a very small bathroom (the only one in my apartment) so size is a factor. The fewer chemicals the better for both storage and cost. I'm wanting to start developing my film by using replenished XTOL. So, here is the list of chemicals I know I need:
Developer: XTOL for film, Eco Pro for paper
Fixer: Eco Pro Clearfix Neutral Rapid
Stop: I was just going to use water
Now, how necessary is a hypo clearing agent and photoflo? The fewer chemicals I have to purchase, the more paper I can buy, which is GOOD!
I still have some Ilford RC and FB 8x10 paper from my classes so those are what I will be using for now.
Am I missing any vital chemicals? Any tips or tricks for setting up a darkroom for the first time? I can see how easy it would be to get carried away buying equipment and chemicals to start a darkroom which is something I really want to avoid. In fact it is something I have to avoid (my bank account frowns). So, any advice on how to keep costs down? I'm super excited to get this show on the road and start printing again. Nothing beats watching that image appear on the paper. Never gets old!
I'm such a big fan of this website because I don't know how else I would have all of these questions answered by people with such a wealth of information. So please Photrio, unload your collective knowledge on me!
I also started printing last night and it took me 4 hours total to make 4 prints, and 2 of them were crap. I really need to get my process more efficient....
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