Darkroom portraits

shutterclank · Jan 16, 2012

in a dark room

i just put some of my darkroom portraits into the darkroom portraits gallery.

but here they are.

i have to leitz/leica enlargers. one v35 and a focomat 2c. my darkroom "sink" is a industrial table that i have plastic on to protect from chemicals. i have the tools hung on the shelf above it.

oh, i also have an american flag hanging around...

Chris!

dambo29 · Jan 22, 2012

Agree with "Argentic" --- love the wet side of your place.

dambo29 · Jan 22, 2012

Hi George,
I'm in the process of designing my new darkroom and I'm wondering what to do about the sink. I want a stainless steel one but all I find are terribly expensive. Did you buy yours or make it yourself? I'm considering making mine out of wood and just using an epoxy to water-proof it.

Your darkroom looks beautiful by the way!

fotch · Jan 22, 2012

dambo29 said:
Hi George,
I'm in the process of designing my new darkroom and I'm wondering what to do about the sink. I want a stainless steel one but all I find are terribly expensive. Did you buy yours or make it yourself? I'm considering making mine out of wood and just using an epoxy to water-proof it.

Your darkroom looks beautiful by the way!

You may be able to find a good used one on Craigslist. Picked up an 8ft for $100 a while back. Would cost more to make one IMHO.

argentic · Jan 22, 2012

I picked up a 3 1/2 by 13 feet stainless sink for 100 a few months ago from a professional photographer. I had to cut it in half to transport it on the roof of my car for 800 km. But it was worth the effort. Now I have to find someone who welds stainless.

ozwoodnbrass · Jan 23, 2012

Darkroom on wheels

Hey , Has anyone put a darkroom in a caravan ??
Drag it from house to house. Shoot to shoot !

chioque · Jan 23, 2012

Somebody has. This is his setup Dead Link Removed .

manet · Jan 23, 2012

Nice installation, thanks for the link chioque.

Have à look HERE.
But,it is necessary to buy also a truck !

jp

John Austin · Jan 23, 2012

A bit different to this June 2006 pic as the 1947 DeVere 54 has gone and another Leitz Ic is on that bench - The bench for the 1947 DV is now used for slicing off silver jelly from a 42" wide roll - The door, off pic' to the left is being moved to the end so I can extend the dry bench for a contact printing frame and a DeVere 504 enlarger - The big bugger enlarger at the end is a DeVere 5108E for 10x8"

The deep tank of replenished D76d from 1985 is still the deep tank of replenished D76d from 1985 - Like me it improves with age

nikoniak · Jan 27, 2012

great darkrooms we have in here.

andrew.roos · Feb 6, 2012

My First Darkroom

I have converted the walk-in closet in my bedroom into a darkroom. It's home to my Leitz Focomat V35 and Opemus V enlargers, which were surplus to requirements at the local college of photography. They stand on a custom workbench, which has a 20cm (8") high central divider to separate the wet and dry sides. The wet side has a 4cm (1.6") rim around the top, to contain any spilt chemicals. I also installed the electric outlets and safelight. Phase 2 will include ventillation and a sink, which I plan to install beneath the boarded-up window under the clock. There is a small alcove on the far right with shelves that I use to store equipment - camera equipment and lenses are stored in airtight containers with silica gel dehumidifiers due to the tropical climate. Chemicals are kept in the fridge in the garage, although I would like to add a bar fridge in the darkroom when I can.

ic-racer · Feb 6, 2012

Eight years after the original post, new darkrooms keep appearing. Keep 'em coming.

manet · Feb 6, 2012

It's a good omen for the future of the argentic photography.

Nice corner of darkroom andrew

jp

andrew.roos · Feb 6, 2012

manet said:
Nice corner of darkroom andrew
jp

Thanks JP. It's... umm... the whole darkroom - but I think you knew that
- A

PKM-25 · Feb 6, 2012

I have two...

Just got mine done ( middle photo ), about 15 square feet of working space in the storage closet of our 820 square foot 2-bedroom apartment, vertically stacked trays, over 2,000 rolls of film in the fridge / freezer combo to the right. The 16x20 Eco-Wash connects to a diverter valve in our shower. Have been printing for two days and already sold three prints, 10 x 10's from Hassy.

My other darkroom goes over 100 MPH, gets close to 20MPG when not doing those speeds, has 235 watts of solar, a freezer, fridge and lets us stay out in the field for not days but weeks in the same location. I don't print in it yet but do soup film.

dambo29 · Feb 18, 2012

ROL said:
I ended up with the smallest available "split system" heat pump which serves only the DR. There is no air communication to the outside (no light leaks), as it recycles room air (I have separate outside fresh air by negative pressure exhaust). It is very efficient and effective for both heating and cooling as well as dehumidifying (really, cooling). I cannot recommend these systems highly enough. They are used widely throughout the world and are beginning to replace forced air systems in the U.S. The unit cost for small units sufficient for small rooms is not much more than a stand alone cooling or window-type unit (actually the same as better units, ~$200-$400). The extra cost (either judged to be worth it or necessary) is in the installation, where it pays to obtain someone with experience in split systems.

Hi ROL, I'm in the process of designing my own darkroom and the whole ventilation system is the one I need more help with. Can you specify which split system you have?

Thanks,
Alejandro

Roger Thoms · Feb 18, 2012

dambo29 said:
Hi ROL, I'm in the process of designing my own darkroom and the whole ventilation system is the one I need more help with. Can you specify which split system you have?

Thanks,
Alejandro

Yes ROL, I would be very interested in more specifics also.

Roger

dambo29 · Feb 18, 2012

Positive pressure question

Nicholas Lindan said:
Positive pressure: the pressure in the darkroom is greater than the surroundings; air is pushed into the darkroom with a fan; it escapes through a free-flow exhaust and/or cracks and leaks; you need to place an air filter on the fan that blows air into the darkroom, dust exits the darkroom through the exhaust and the cracks and leaks and is blown from the room when you open the door - thus positive pressure is the way to go for a dust-free darkroom.

Negative pressure: the pressure in the darkroom is less than the surroundings; air is drawn from the darkroom with a fan; it enters through a free-flow vent and/or cracks and leaks in the room; you need to place air filters in the intake vent and the the cracks and leaks, however, you can never seal all the cracks and dust gets sucked into the darkroom every time you open the door - in general, negative pressure is a bad idea

I totally agree with what you're saying in that a positive pressure system is better, I just don't know how to create it. I'm currently designing my darkroom and the whole ventilation (and room temperature) system is the one I need most help with. I of course want to put an exhaust above and real close to the sink (thinking of using a Doran A1212 fan) and then using one or two louvers in the opposite wall so as not to create a vacuum. So I feel I'm creating a negative pressure environment which is what I don't want.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Alejandro

dambo29 · Feb 18, 2012

Mike1234 said:
David... regarding your EARLY setup. OMG... those were the days. I remember COUNTLESS hours painfully holding my water while trying to concentrate on my printing. But that was when I was just a young lad between the ages of 13 and 18. Later, I didn't have the room in my little apartment and after that the wife (wicked witch of the west) never put up with any of my hobbies but now that I'm alone I have all the room I need and, as Mel Gibson put it, "FREEDOM!!!".

Hey... maybe I'll have the 120 ft2 storage shed plumbed and convert that into a DR. No wicked witch to say "no".

This is the funniest post I've read on APUG! --- Thanks for a great laugh.

Neal · Feb 19, 2012

Two!

PKM-25 said:
Just got mine done ( middle photo ), about 15 square feet of working space in the storage closet of our 820 square foot 2-bedroom apartment, vertically stacked trays, over 2,000 rolls of film in the fridge / freezer combo to the right. The 16x20 Eco-Wash connects to a diverter valve in our shower. Have been printing for two days and already sold three prints, 10 x 10's from Hassy.

My other darkroom goes over 100 MPH, gets close to 20MPG when not doing those speeds, has 235 watts of solar, a freezer, fridge and lets us stay out in the field for not days but weeks in the same location. I don't print in it yet but do soup film.

That is true dedication!

Neal Wydra

mike c · Feb 19, 2012

Push processing Tri X would be a snap at 100mph.

Mike

John W · Feb 19, 2012

dambo29 said:
So I feel I'm creating a negative pressure environment which is what I don't want.

Any suggestions?

Hi Alejandro,

You definitely want an exhaust fan. A common approach for positive net pressure is to use two fans, one for exhaust and one for intake. The exhaust fan should move less air per minute than the intake fan. Likewise, you will want to make sure that the intake fan has a replaceable (or cleanable) filter on the air inlet, to prevent it blowing dust into the darkroom. For my part, I'm working for a period of time without the intake fan. I'll install one in a later upgrade. I'll need to be diligent about cleaning the darkroom, and may get a HEPA in-room air filter.

As for the fans, I have a Panasonic WhisperWall fan in the darkroom and upgraded a bathroom to a WhisperLite. These fans are fantastic -- they move air well yet are very quiet when in use.

-- John

Nicholas Lindan · Feb 20, 2012

dambo29 said:
positive pressure system is better ... want to put an exhaust above and real close to the sink ...

The darkroom would have one large blower blowing into the darkroom and pressurizing it. The 'exhaust' above the sink doesn't need to have a fan - it is just a duct leading to outside of the darkroom. Since the pressure in the darkroom is higher the air flows out the duct carrying the 'fumes' out with it - I don't know why you would want to do that, though. "I love the smell of fixer in the morning".

If needed, a small 'assist' fan could be added to the exhaust duct, but it should not overpower the main blower that is pressurizing the darkroom.

dambo29 · Feb 20, 2012

Thanks to both Nicholas and John!

robbalbrecht · Feb 20, 2012

This thread is great. I'm working on building a small darkroom in our two car garage. We rent so I can't do anything too permanent. I need some kind of walls and water and power over to the side I'm building on. It's going to be a challenge but I think it will be worth it. I had a 4x5 enlarger with a bunch of accessories given to me last year and I'm getting the itch to use it. Thanks for the great pix and ideas in this thread. Oh yeah and any input or helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

Darkroom portraits

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