Essential non-photographic equipment

[ricksplace]

My 3/4 ton 4WD truck. Gas hungry pig so I don't drive it much. Goes places no car can go, and some I wouldn't or couldn't walk.

 

[naturephoto1]

Compass, map, and altimeter and/or Brunton ADC weather station.

Rich

 

[Eric Rose]

Toilet paper

 

[Markok765]

In a photo bag?
Just a swiss army knife

 

[jeroldharter]

I have a large grease board on the wall next to the enlarger which I use for diagramming a printing sequence while I am working it out and before I record it in my notebook. It is large enough that I keep static information as well such as dilution volumes for my chemicals in the volumes of working solution that I usually use, standard conversion, paper clearing times, etc.

Also, I use plastic beakers with handles for printing chemicals doing single tray method. The sizes are 5000 ml and 3000 ml depending on the size of tray I am using.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=4&product%5Fid=11858

 

[JBrunner]

I have a large grease board on the wall next to the enlarger which I use for diagramming a printing sequence while I am working it out and before I record it in my notebook.

Great idea!!

 

[Amund]

Eh, a DSLR LOL

 

[Shelly Grimson]

Portable AM short wave radio to get more interesting news or music while spending long times in darkroom, especially during developing (with Jobo) or washing prints.

 

[Jim Jones]

Clothespins. Better for some purposes, binder clips from office supply sources. In addition to gaffer's tape, white artist's low-tack tape. Stainles steel rulers. Kitchenware for measuring and mixing chemicals. Plastic soft drink bottles for storing some mixed chemicals. Single edge razor blades. With the backing removed, they also work well in my Logan mat cutter. Red LED night lights. Kitchen timer with audible alarm for timing film development in open trays. Clock that ticks once a second for timing prints that need burning and dodging. Clip-on light sockets for safelight and studio use. Plastic litter boxes for cheap trays. A variety of fabric for backgrounds, backdrops, and draping models. Nearly sheer fabric for scrims. 1x2" T-bar for light stands for draping scrims.

 

[Woolliscroft]

A Land Rover or a Cessna 152 and a decent GPS moving map machine.

David.

 

[sionnac]

Gaffer's tape, always. Darkroom radio/CD player with R. L. Burnside loaded (developing music). Good comfy shoes (my Wyoming cowboy boots). Notebook and pen, check. Mini flashlight. Mittens that convert to fingerless gloves - excellent for winter.

 

[Elox]

In addition to a small flashlight:

www.radtech.us/Products/ISight.aspx

 

[jeroldharter]

Some more:

Thick, diamond tread anti-fatigue matting

Magnetic stirrer

Vinyl covered, retractable clotheline for hanging wet prints to dry from Clipex clips.

Draftsman's suede weight filled with lead shot for mounting prints

Duluth trading company cotton apron

Latex gloves

Small, oil-less air compressor for blowing dust off negatives.

 

[Scuffy]

http://www.utilikilts.com

As a card carryin', kilt wearin', camera haulin' American I love these! I'd never heard of them before. Thanks for that link! I have to add that although I do wear my kilt quite a bit I don't think I've ever worn it in the darkroom. Studio- yes, with a flask in my sporan and Killians in the film cooler! Not bad at all. Thanks brother! I think I just found something to add to the top of my Christmas list!

I'd just like to say that it's threads like this that make me realize all over again why I love it here! So many people with so many unique and wonderful ideas and just enough quirky antics to make it addicting.

I second the grease board idea, I literally have had one next to my enlarger for the past three years and it is one of the best non-photo tools I've used. To mention something not yet listed in this thread... hmmmm... I'd have to simply say my 6 cup coffee maker. I use it to heat up water if I'm in a hurry (as I have no warm runing water in the darkroom) and I also use it to make peppermint tea. Don't know where that tradition came from but my darkroom and that tea go hand in hand. I think it started near Christmas time when I first built my darkroom and I needed to keep warm so I obscounded with some of my mom's tea!

It's either that or ammo cans. They are waterproof and they are great for holding anything from film to camera gear when outfitted with thick foam from discarded old couch cushions.

Scuffy

 

[Black Dog]

Valerie Singleton's cardie

Darkroom radio/cd/tape player, blutak, assorted bits of card and some sticky backed plastic.........here's one I prepared earlier

 

[benjiboy]

All but the kitchen sink

A space blanket( lightweight survival blanket with crinkly silver aluminium interior that makes a great reflector and folds very small ) a piece of black velvet to use as a gobo,two small collapsible lighting stands rubber bands, freezer bags, a whistle (easier than shouting in an emergency) a changing bag, a film leader extractor, white sticky labels, a pen that will write on all surfaces . an exposure record notebook, an ordinary notebook, a pencil, a compass .

 

[reub2000]

Most of my "studio" is made out of PVC. This stuff is lightweight and comes apart easily.

A spring clamp will attach just about anything to anything. I can attach lamps to pvc or furniture. On of them is being used to hold a safe light in my darkroom.

 

[Andy K]

My Dawes Republic, gets me anywhere I want to go.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Climpex miniature scaffolding -- www.smurray.co.uk. It looks expensive until you have a kit, at which point you realize how much quicker and easier it is than bodging something out of gaffer tape, bamboo, bulldog clips, bits of pipe, silicone putty, etc.

Also: hot-melt glue gun. Staple gun.

Cheers,

R.

 

[severian]

absolutely essential

cadbury chocolate bars

Severian, Autarch of Urth, Journeyman in the Society of the Seekers of Truth and Penitence, Jack B

 

[Charles Webb]

For holding small items, jewelry etc. "Paste up" or carving wax will allow for repositioning or a slight tweek in in the subject. Dop Wax is more difficult to use as it is not as flexible as some of the other waxes. A Hot glue gun is indespinsable for holding many things. Skim Milk airbrushed on bright items or surfaces will dull them down, then eaisly washes off with water. There are several spray cans that also do a job of dulling down hot spots. Dull coat modeling spray and Krylon Matte spray are a couple. Steel Window screening works well for hot light diffusion. Tin or other foil wrinkled and spray mounted to a 16x20 matte board makes a fine quickie reflector. Car windshield sun guards make into very useable reflectors, they come in shiney bright, dull silver and gold.

 

[butterflydream]

iPod and coffeemaker.

 

[Lee L]

a cheap and useful line laser

I picked up a little plastic 1.5 inch cube that throws a laser line for US$7 at Home Depot today. http://www.strait-line.com/irwin/consumer/straitline/jhtml/laser_cube.jhtml It has two built in bubble levels. I thought that it would be good for squaring up and setting up light stands for copying artwork. All the sides and edges can be used to register it against a straight or flat surface. When checking whether it would register well against a hot shoe I realized that under lights that aren't too bright, it can throw a nice line on a smooth or dark surface for focusing with a rangefinder, split image, microprism, or on a ground glass. Uses three LR44 or 357 batteries, which are the same as most of my camera bodies and easy to find.

Just realized that it could also be used to align an enlarger if you put it on the baseboard and placed a piece of glass at the film plane.

You can get a lot out of it with or without the included reusable 3M adhesive strips.

Lee

 

[PatTrent]

Pen and paper to take notes as I make exposures on film or paper!

Pat

 

[Black Dog]

The Mark One human eyeball.