Darkroom Club Rules?

One more suggestion: get some large, used cooking oil containers from a restaurant, wash them out and use them to accumulate spent fixer and/or any other chemistry that should be reclaimed for hazmat disposal.

If you keep the spent fix separate from other waste, a local lab should be willing to take it for silver recovery.

Kino said:

One more suggestion: get some large, used cooking oil containers from a restaurant, wash them out and use them to accumulate spent fixer and/or any other chemistry that should be reclaimed for hazmat disposal.

If you keep the spent fix separate from other waste, a local lab should be willing to take it for silver recovery.

Click to expand...

Yes, this. Very important. Find out what the laws/regulations about chem disposal are. My college has a Hazardous Materials department, and they take waste from the Chemistry department and my darkroom waste. They provide 25L jerry cans which we fill with exhausted fixer. I put the developers (HC110/Multigrade Dev) and the stop (Ilfostop/Fotospeed stop) down the drain. They neutralize when mixed, and with additional running water following, it's OK to go down. This might not be the case in your area, so find out.

Nicholas Lindan said:

And I hope and pray you are teaching them f-stop printing...

"Our Father (or Mother, as appropriate):
Please lead this teacher and his pupils in the paths of righteousness.
Forgive them any transgressions of linear time.
As we know you are logarithmic,
And have commanded us to go forth and Multiply, not add.

Amen."​

------
P.S. Darkroom Automation offers educational discounts.

Click to expand...

I taught them the linear way first.

Then I said, "Hey, I have a slightly different way I want to show you, but it's a little more difficult with these timers..." (They're not using the really large Gralabs, but the smaller Time-o-Lite ones, so it was just a bit harder to see and change the time each time. There are no digital timers.)

I told them they didn't have to use the method if they didn't want, but I wanted to show them both ways so they could make a decision.

Then they made a test strip and we compared them. They could very easily see the difference. Then we discussed the math behind it (which took a bit of discussion) and how that relates to lens f/stops, shutter speed, and ISO.

Basically, I taught them the linear way first to sell them on the f-stop way later. (Which worked.)

Unfortunately, my time with them was limited, so we didn't get to go very in depth, but I'm leaving them with a packet of information so they can keep exploring. The goal was to get them more comfortable in the darkroom, and to get them understanding the basics of using the darkroom--and I'm talking basics, like how to make sure your negatives are emulsion side down, how to NOT fog an entire box of paper, etc. They've definitely learned that and they're excited to keep making prints and moving forward.

As I hoped, as soon as they made one even partially decent print, they were excited to keep printing. We all lost track of time and not one of them checked their phone for several hours. Hey, the power of the darkroom.

So I'm hopeful that things are off to a good start.

Thanks again to everyone in this thread for your suggestions and information--very helpful!

Kino said:

One more suggestion: get some large, used cooking oil containers from a restaurant, wash them out and use them to accumulate spent fixer and/or any other chemistry that should be reclaimed for hazmat disposal.

If you keep the spent fix separate from other waste, a local lab should be willing to take it for silver recovery.

Click to expand...

Yes, the student leaders are in touch with the old photography professor (who has since moved to another state) and he told them how the fixer should be disposed of--they send it off to the chemistry department, and they deal with it. The chemistry department is aware and on-board.

FilmIsCheap said:

Yes, the student leaders are in touch with the old photography professor (who has since moved to another state) and he told them how the fixer should be disposed of--they send it off to the chemistry department, and they deal with it. The chemistry department is aware and on-board.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you've got the basics covered.

Good luck!

In these days of litigation mad people, safety glasses, aprons, gloves and print tongs should be available.
Also some sort of insurance protection to cover the organisers and students.
Possibly documented safety electrical testing of all electrical equipment.

Rule No.1

just because it’s dark in there does not mean you can do anything you want in there

Hassasin said:

Rule No.1

just because it’s dark in there does not mean you can do anything you want in there

Click to expand...

I am not sure how to read the above.
My murky mind is reminded by the above that in the UK people working with youngsters should be vetted for suitability.
Perhaps male and female chaperones may be useful in the dim and dark.

BobUK said:

I am not sure how to read the above.
My murky mind is reminded by the above that in the UK people working with youngsters should be vetted for suitability.
Perhaps male and female chaperones may be useful in the dim and dark.

Click to expand...

Now, how did you get "youngsters" out of that line? Even, if I did think that way, which I did not, it should still be a good rule, even better in that sense. Never mind I was simply putting some humour into the rule book, even if I fully support what's behind it.

What a world we live in.

BobUK said:

I am not sure how to read the above.
My murky mind is reminded by the above that in the UK people working with youngsters should be vetted for suitability.
Perhaps male and female chaperones may be useful in the dim and dark.

Click to expand...

Night vision goggles might be useful for chaperones.

Hassasin said:

Now, how did you get "youngsters" out of that line?

Click to expand...

The original post mentioned "college" and "students."
I think we are generally supposed to be on the theme of the original post.
When I was a youngster I was a college student.
Now I am a pensioner. Sadly, I'm still just as daft and gullible as I was then.

BobUK said:

The original post mentioned "college" and "students."
I think we are generally supposed to be on the theme of the original post.
When I was a youngster I was a college student.
Now I am a pensioner. Sadly, I'm still just as daft and gullible as I was then.

Click to expand...

OK, good enough. Still even mine was mostly a lighthearted entry, it is actually quite valid, maybe even more so for the "youngsters".

Hassasin said:

Rule No.1

just because it’s dark in there does not mean you can do anything you want in there

Click to expand...

Oh, yes you can... In high school (6th form in the UK) my girlfriend and I spent many very enjoyable hours taking advantage of the darkroom ("You can't come in Mom -- it has to be dark.") Sometimes we even developed things, though in a state of suitable dishabille. The things the young'uns miss out on by going digital.

As to "safety first," my motto is "Unsafe, insane, non-consensual." That usually stops conversations with soccer moms and their ilk.

As to chaperones - what's next, seperate hours for males and females? Put the females in burqas? The "new enlightenment" seems to be the "new puritanism."

Nicholas Lindan said:

Oh, yes you can... In high school (6th form in the UK) my girlfriend and I spent many hours taking advantage of the darkroom ("You can't come in Mom -- it has to be dark.") Sometimes we even developed things, though in a state of suitable dishabille. The things the young'uns miss out on by going digital.

Click to expand...

May have opened up a can of worms.

Hassasin said:

May have opened up a can of worms.

Click to expand...

I think I'll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones
Eensie weensy squeensy ones...