Darkroom GAS

[Anirudha Ambekar]

Hello APUG!
Recently I came across an advertise in the local claasifieds for a fujimoto 60M. It is within my range to buy but should I?
I know its really a question I should be asking myself. But I am just not sure!
I have been shooting and processing for a while but never did any printing. It seems like a thing I should have but I do not even have a darkroom!
Is this GAS?

 

[AgX]

GAS starts with your second enlarger...

 

[etn]

To print or not to print, that is the question!
I cannot comment on that particular enlarger, as I have no experience with it, but given that you already shoot and process film,
printing is the missing link. I bet you will enjoy it big time.

You do not need a specific room to install a darkroom. Is there a place you can temporarily convert to a darkroom when you want to print?
Ideally a place with water, but there are many options. Feel free to discuss your options with us here, we will happily give you tips
how to best install your darkroom. I think every darkroom is unique and each darkroom owner came with his own unique solutions.
For instance, my GF and I live in a small apartment in Munich. We mounted our enlarger on a cart from Ikea. All the equipment is stored in the cart.
We simply roll it into the bathroom when we want to print, it takes maybe 15 mins to install and the same time to clean everything up afterwards.

(The red box is for chemicals, miscellaneous equipment are stored into the black boxes, and we love Adox MCP310 )

Obviously, it gets complicated when one of us wants to use the toilet

Hope this helps. Be aware that printing is addictive

 

[Agulliver]

I don't have a darkroom either.

I live in a small flat with my wife, who tolerates my hobby in part because she does like some of my photos. I develop film at home as all the chemicals fit in a small bucket and I use a changing bag and Jobo 1520 tank..occasionally the Lomo comes out of the garage for 8mm motion picture film.

But for proper printing, I have an enlarger at my mother's house in the 3rd bedroom there. It sits on a small office desk with the chemicals, easels, safe light and paper beside it stored in four stacking development trays. I also now have an electronic enlarger timer and an ancient print dryer under the table. the whole lot is covered in a curtain because my mother thinks it's an eyesore. When I want to do prints, I simply visit my mother...do a few chores for her and in return I get a few hours in the room at night. I can darken it by covering the windows in kitchen foil and within 25 minutes I am good to go. For print washing, the bathroom is the next room along the landing so not far to go. I'd probably do the whole lot in her bathroom as it's large enough, but as per usual for the UK there are no electric sockets in there.

I have seen somewhere online instructions for turning small bathrooms and "cloakrooms" into temporary darkrooms. As for darkroom GAS....my print dryer and timer were acquired in December last year as was one of my print easels. So a mini case of darkroom GAS took over in the run up to Christmas.

 

[Sirius Glass]

GAS is involved in setting up the darkroom. Mine disappeared after that.

 

[Anirudha Ambekar]

This is great!
I too live in a small apartment and use our single bathroom as a temporary darkroom for loading the film on the reels.
I really like the wheeled cart idea. I can already picture mine!
However, my bathroom is pretty small and might leave little place after me and the cart get in there. Would I need more space for other stuff? Washer? Dryer?
My only other option is try and convert our bedroom to a darkroom which will be much much harder for so many many reasons.

 

[mooseontheloose]

When I lived in Canada I converted my bedroom into a darkroom, but since it was only me that had to deal with the blacked out windows, it was okay. I kept the enlarger on a table in the corner, it was covered up when not in use. I developed prints in the bathroom (only place with running water that I could black out, there was absolutely no room in there for an enlarger, especially with the lowered ceiling height). I washed prints in the kitchen sink. There's no right way or wrong way to do this - just finding the most convenient way for you to do it. In Japan I've seen people put their enlargers on the floor. There's no harm in getting the enlarger and seeing if it works for you (I mean, whatever set up you decide). I had my first enlarger for 4 months before I was able to start printing and processing.

 

[etn]

Would I need more space for other stuff? Washer? Dryer?

I wash the prints in the sink which you can see between the red and yellow baths on the above picture.
The sink is perfect for running water. (I am lucky enough to have a rectangular sink large enough for 30x40cm paper!)

In my understanding (others, please confirm) you only need a dryer if you make fibre-based prints.
The dryer will allow the film to remain flat while drying.
We don't have one and for this reason limit ourselves to resin-coated paper. (would love to try fibre some day, though,
but just stocked a few hundred sheets of MCP 310 in various sizes a few weeks ago).
We let the prints dry overnight on our clothes dryer rack, it is large enough for the output of one evening.
The prints stay flat, no problem.

 

[mshchem]

This is great!
I too live in a small apartment and use our single bathroom as a temporary darkroom for loading the film on the reels.
I really like the wheeled cart idea. I can already picture mine!
However, my bathroom is pretty small and might leave little place after me and the cart get in there. Would I need more space for other stuff? Washer? Dryer?
My only other option is try and convert our bedroom to a darkroom which will be much much harder for so many many reasons.

You need to consider priorities. Sure you could get a cart or you could just move the toilet to another room. Here is an excellent, All American, low cost solution. Shower when it rains. Of course you should buy the enlarger! Mike

 

[mklw1954]

I started by using a 5 ft. x 6ft. bathroom as a temporary darkroom with the enlarger on two small low tables and trays on the toilet, sink, and hamper (for black and white). The last tray contained water and I would take that to the kitchen to wash the prints. Very tight space but it worked for years. For color prints, only a drum was loaded in the darkroom and all processing as in the kitchen.

Then I set up a bedroom as a darkroom, with a long table for two enlargers and another table for trays. But again, because I didn't want to supply water to this room, the last tray contains water and I take that out to the kitchen for print washing. The other benefit of this approach is that I'm not in the darkroom all the time and am not concerned about ventilation.

I use a tray and Kodak tray siphon in the kitchen sink for washing prints and, because I get great results with RC paper, I use a wooden frame with screen material for drying prints.

 

[Malcolm Stewart]

I'm afraid I'm at the other end of the cycle. When I moved to Milton Keynes in 1982 my priority was to find a house with space for a studio, and a utility room with plumbing installed for a washing machine and/or dishwasher etc. (Previously I'd compromised like many of you writing above, but at last...) Before acquiring too much furniture, I did use the lounge as a studio but I couldn't do that now.
My darkroom worked out pretty well - not as big as is often recommended, but space for an enlarger, adjacent dry bench, and space for dishes, plus a sink with hot and cold water. It worked well, was dark, ventilated, and used regularly until I went digital in around 2002, and my interests moved to inkjet printing - and since then it's got very cluttered with d-i-y tools etc. Now, I'm back shooting B&W film again, and I'm having to make space so that I can once again do my own developing and printing. There's two Leica V35s waiting to be used - one with a colour head, the other with Variocontrast, and at the moment, they are cluttering the kitchen and my entrance hall. (Both V35s were bought via eBay, and neither was capable of making a sharp print when I collected them. I now know a little about the subtleties hidden away by Leitz.)

 

[Anirudha Ambekar]

You need to consider priorities. Sure you could get a cart or you could just move the toilet to another room. Here is an excellent, All American, low cost solution. Shower when it rains. Of course you should buy the enlarger! Mike
View attachment 178515

Ha! Priorities!!!
I think I'll give it a whirl afterall.
(The enlarger I mean, not the poop bucket.)

 

[Luis-F-S]

GAS starts with your second enlarger...

More prevalent after your 4th large format enlarger....................L

 

[mshchem]

More prevalent after your 4th large format enlarger....................L

I have 4 setup and 5 in storage. I rode my bicycle to the camera store today, still found a nice tripod plate for my Deardorff V8. I couldn't come home empty handed
Mike

 

[howardpan]

I think you should. You will really enjoy making your own prints. You will find an entire new dimension opened up to your creativity.

 

[John Koehrer]

If your bath has a tub, many people have set a shelf on the tub lengthwise. This gives you room for trays.
Limited to a shower? a small wire table or shelving for the misc things and enlarger on the sink or even toilet seat.

 

[Harry Stevens]

Don't know about anybody else but when I do a print in the darkroom it makes me feel rebellious.....