Color of Darkroom

hspluta · Mar 27, 2010

Hey I appreciate the thought that you folks put into your answers, even the funny ones, I particularly like the glass wall idea.

I believe I will go with the white exterior paint in the wet room, flat white in the enlarger "room" with black behind the enlarger itself, and a regular semi-gloss white in the viewing / setup room. I know it will not make a difference when loading film carriers, but then I am one of those people who has to take my glasses off when in the dark loading 120 or 4x5 anyhow.

I just picked up my Omega D5500 this morning so now I am really motivated to get going on it!

Many thanks,
Harry

sepiareverb · Mar 27, 2010

Photo Engineer said:
Our Kodak darkrooms were matte yellow tiles and we had no problem.

Think on that!!!!!!

PE

I like it!!

jp80874 · Mar 27, 2010

I am color blind. I shoot black and white film in a black camera under a white darkcloth. I have chemicals and paper for black and white prints. I built the darkroom with white panels, some of which I painted black around the enlargers. My walls and ceiling are black and white because I don’t want them to get any ideas that we might be doing color one of these days. You gots to take change and be sure those walls and ceiling know who is boss. Don’t want no uppity colors trying to sneak into my darkroom.

John Powers

MattKing · Mar 27, 2010

On a slightly related subject...

I use a clock with a sweep second hand to time my B & W paper processing steps, and either amber or red safelights (most recently red LEDs).

Recently, I found a great clock to replace the one I had previously been using to time my print processing - or so I thought.

It has nice big, readable digits, and a sweep second hand with presence! Unfortunately, that hand is coloured red, so while it is really visible in regular light, it is almost impossible to see under red safelight. It has now been "thrifted".

So if you are choosing colours, make sure you check them under your safelights too.

clayne · Mar 27, 2010

MattKing said:
On a slightly related subject...

I use a clock with a sweep second hand to time my B & W paper processing steps, and either amber or red safelights (most recently red LEDs).

Recently, I found a great clock to replace the one I had previously been using to time my print processing - or so I thought.

I highly recommend the RH Designs Stopclock Pro. Consider picking one up and you'll believe the hype.

Q.G. · Mar 27, 2010

MattKing said:
It has nice big, readable digits, and a sweep second hand with presence! Unfortunately, that hand is coloured red, so while it is really visible in regular light, it is almost impossible to see under red safelight. It has now been "thrifted".

So if you are choosing colours, make sure you check them under your safelights too.

Could a lick of white paint not solve hat problem?

Worker 11811 · Mar 27, 2010

The walls in my projection room are midnight blue. Flat latex. The ceiling tiles are dark gray.

The room needs to be a dark color to keep stray light from reflecting out to the audience because the front wall is glass. The dark color fades to black in dim light but doesn't look like a dark cave when the lights are on.

Almost everyone who goes into the projection room thinks the color is a little weird until we go dark for a show. Then they like the idea when they see how it works.

randyB · Mar 27, 2010

I took a new 18% gray card to Home Depot and had them match it in their better grade semi-gloss paint, I like the gray, it doesn't go black under the safelights and it doesn't scatter any enlarger lamp head leakage. White cabinets, countertops and ceiling.

jamesgignac · Mar 27, 2010

Wow, glad to have found this thread - I guess I'm not the only one after all. I do have matte black 'horse blinders' coming out from the wall around my enlarger - everything else is a lovely off-white-esque. - oh, and I have one chocolate wall too...it was like that when I moved in so I dont question it's presence

largeformat pat · Mar 28, 2010

Back in the 80's my work darkroom was powder blue.
Pat

DennisGrieder · Mar 28, 2010

To me the color of the wall's doesn't matter. The thing with white is it turns into any color that hits it. So if the room is dark with no light, then the walls will be black anyway. If you leave them white, the the safe light will take up the walls and reflect more SAFE light so it'll be easier to see as well.

Sim2 · Mar 28, 2010

clayne said:
Buck the trend - go with glass walls.

LOL! Make the glass a safelight red and then no need to have any internal safelight!

One for the "nouveau" 21st century darkroom I think - could even have a seated viewing gallery to watch the "old fashioned process" at work. Roll up, roll up. roll up - get your tickets at the booth.

:munch:

Sim2.

David Brown · Mar 28, 2010

jamesgignac said:
Wow, glad to have found this thread - I guess I'm not the only one after all. I do have matte black 'horse blinders' coming out from the wall around my enlarger - everything else is a lovely off-white-esque. - oh, and I have one chocolate wall too...it was like that when I moved in so I dont question it's presence

The darkroom that I am building has existing light "chocolate milk" walls. Whether or not I paint them will depend on the laziness meter at the end of the contruction. However, since I will have to paint a good deal of new wall anyway, the old ones will probably get it, too.

As for the flat black around the enlarger: I never did this before, but in my prior darkroom, I put up pegboard behind the enlarger to hang neg carriers and other accessories, and it made a difference from the white walls. In the new room, I won't be able to do pegboard, but I might go with the dark paint. We'll see. Yes, I have a "plan", but I'm very flexible ...

canuhead · Mar 28, 2010

Walls around the sink are white and the enlarger bench and walls behind them are greyish. Looks gray card-ish but it was more to avoid black (hate).

MVNelson · Mar 28, 2010

my darkroom got painted semi-gloss burnt-orange (long story). The same color as the ceiling safelight. The DR seems rather bright compared to other DRs I visited. Tested, no fog even with very long lith printing times.

photomem · Mar 28, 2010

Sim2 said:
LOL! Make the glass a safelight red and then no need to have any internal safelight!

One for the "nouveau" 21st century darkroom I think - could even have a seated viewing gallery to watch the "old fashioned process" at work. Roll up, roll up. roll up - get your tickets at the booth.

:munch:

Sim2.

Funny thing, I have large windows in my darkroom/studio. I was talking to a friend who works in television and he was telling me about a store here in town that sells theatre and tele gels for about 5.00 per 18X24 sheet. I was thinking if I could find a color that was safelight, I could cover the windows with the gels, close my curtains over it, and print during the day instead of having to stay up half the night to print.

Kirk Keyes · Mar 28, 2010

Try the "106 Primary Red" sheet filter from Lee:
http://www.leefiltersusa.com/lighting/products/colours/ref:C4630710C51307/

It looks to absorb everything below 550 nm.

I haven't used it for this purpose myself, so it would be a bit an experiment. I'd try two sheet layered on top of each other to give a stronger filter.

fschifano · Mar 28, 2010

Kirk Keyes said:
Try the "106 Primary Red" sheet filter from Lee:
http://www.leefiltersusa.com/lighting/products/colours/ref:C4630710C51307/

It looks to absorb everything below 550 nm.

I haven't used it for this purpose myself, so it would be a bit an experiment. I'd try two sheet layered on top of each other to give a stronger filter.

I'd be very wary of that actually working. The amount of light streaming through a window, even though it's filtered, is far greater than anything a safe light will emit. If there's anything that's clear it is that ANY safe light will fog paper given enough time and/or intensity. If I were to do it, along with a couple of layers of filter material, I'd throw in a couple or three two stop neutral density filters and then hope for the best.

As somewhat of an aside, I have made a perfectly serviceable red filter for a 5x7 safe light by using two layers of rubylith and a sheet of 1 stop neutral density material over a sheet of glass. I figured that the neutral density material was a good idea since this lamp sits very close to the work table next to the enlarger.

Kirk Keyes · Mar 29, 2010

You can get ND lighting filters from Lee or Roscoe if you need to cut down the amount of light. Or just block some of the window with cardboard.

photomem · Mar 29, 2010

Well, I have the eclipse blackout curtains on my windows. I was thinking of making frames with the gels that I could set up and take down, then close the eclipse curtains over them

RalphLambrecht · Mar 29, 2010

ralnphot said:
It doesn't matter what color it is, but sheen does play a large part. I would definitly use flat exterior paint. Flat for obvious reason, and exterior grade because it has a mildewcide incorporated in it, so no mold or mildew problems, also its washable, so its easy to maintain, and its durable. I use exterior paint in the kitchen and bath for those reasons. My DR is a nice chocolate color, because it was a mis-mix at the hardware, and only cost $5 for a gallon (the best way to buy paint).

Rick

Is exterior paint safe for indoor use?

Steve Smith · Mar 29, 2010

randyB said:
I took a new 18% gray card to Home Depot and had them match it in their better grade semi-gloss paint, I like the gray, it doesn't go black under the safelights and it doesn't scatter any enlarger lamp head leakage.

Well. it probably scatters 18% of the light that white would have scattered!

Steve.

Kirk Keyes · Mar 29, 2010

RalphLambrecht said:
Is exterior paint safe for indoor use?

Sure - but I guess it depends on what your definition of "safe" is.

Some paints (indoor and outdoor) used to have mercury (phenylmercuric acetate as a fungicide and bacteriocide) in them - or are you thinking of volatile organic solvents as the issue?

RalphLambrecht · Mar 29, 2010

Kirk Keyes said:
Sure - but I guess it depends on what your definition of "safe" is.

Some paints (indoor and outdoor) used to have mercury (phenylmercuric acetate as a fungicide and bacteriocide) in them - or are you thinking of volatile organic solvents as the issue?

The comment about mildewcite worried me.

nyoung · Mar 29, 2010

clayne said:
Buck the trend - go with glass walls.

In all seriousness, I have seen, been in, and lusted after B&W printing rooms in high schools where there was a large glass window tinted OC Amber between the classroom and the printing room.

It made a very light room for the students printing and allowed the teacher to monitor activities in the classroom while working with students in the "dark" room.

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