Getting wet

I'm getting wet, or going wet I should say. I'm slowly transitioning from digital to film and today took the fateful step of buying (a bit on impulse) an enlarger. Now I live in an apartment with a medium size bathroom so this could be a problem, but I am determined to slowly get to the stage where I can both scan the negatives and also slowly learn wet darkroom techniques.

Does anyone have any advice on how to block out a window and how to try to seal a door so that the bathroom can be pressed into service?

The enlarger I bought (but have not picked up yet) is a Saunders D6700 and for $100 it came with a Nikkor-E 2.8 50mm lens. Any thoughts or comments on the luck (or lack of) of this setup? I bought it because it looked to be in better shape than the rest of them and seemed to be nice and smooth in all the operations. Otherwise I know nothing about this machine. I plan to do mostly 5x7 ... up to 11x14 black and white only.

It feels strange going against the tide. It feels even odder going into something where I feel so lost - but it is in a way a good feeling ... a challenge to be. I agree with many here, that while digital is great in the ways it works for many but for me there is this compeling force to do photography in a more traditional, more pure fashion and a darkroom is a vital part of the art form. Wish me luck over the next few months as I try to figgure out how to make this functional. At worst I will pack it away for a time until I can find a way - but at least I have the major piece of the puzzle.

I'd love to hear comments, warnings or any other information on this new adventure of mine. Wish me luck.

Take a look at the "Darkroom Portraits" thread for photos of my dark/bathroom and others.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Fortunately, I don't have a window. I just roll up the bath mat or a towel to block out light from under the door frame.

Assuming everything is in good shape the lens is fine. IIRC the enlarger is to.

The door can be made light tight with weather stripping except for the bottom. When I lived in an apartment I just wedged a piece of foam rubber under the door which worked surprisingly well. You could use a towel for that matter, but it's not too elegant a solution. My trays sat on an ironing board with it's back legs in the tub, and a plastic table cloth on the board to protect it from chemical splashes. The wash was accomplished in the tub with a plastic tray and a hose from the spigot. The enlarger sat on a removable wooden platform that I made to go over the sink and its spigot and was big enough to hold a box of paper beside the enlarger. The thing was that I left the enlarger up all the time, so that the only available sink was in the 'kitchen'. Well.........I didn't care what visitors thought (I was single at the time), but I was very happy!!

Your Nikon EL-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8 lens is among the best consumer-grade lenses; only a few APO lenses are likely to outstrip it in quality. (There may be fans of other lenses who'd disagree, but any such disagreement is over very small differences in final print quality.) I don't know about the enlarger model you bought, but if its parts operate smoothly and it's stable, it's probably fine. You might want to look into checking and, if necessary, adjusting its alignment. I have no references offhand, but a Web search on "enlarger alignment" should turn up some tips. If this seems too intimidating, though, you could start learning and then do the alignment later.

I've never had to black out a window, but IIRC, the most commonly recommended procedure is to cut a piece of wood to roughly the size of the window, wrap it in black velvet or a similar material, and fit it in place, then cover the whole window in more black cloth.

Good Evening, Pavel,

Black plastic (the construction-grade stuff which typically comes in either 3-foot or 10-foot widths) is very effective in blocking light. Several layers will probably be necessary; just staple it to a snug-fitting weatherstripped frame fitted into your existing window frame or to the surrounding trim on your window if you don't mind a few staple holes showing sometime later. Use as many layers as necessary; the stuff is very inexpensive.

Konical

Konical said:

Good Evening, Pavel,

Black plastic (the construction-grade stuff which typically comes in either 3-foot or 10-foot widths) is very effective in blocking light. Several layers will probably be necessary; just staple it to a snug-fitting weatherstripped frame fitted into your existing window frame or to the surrounding trim on your window if you don't mind a few staple holes showing sometime later. Use as many layers as necessary; the stuff is very inexpensive.

Konical

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This is the method I used to block up the glass block window in my basement. One layer was all it took for me; I block any stray leaks with a 'curtain' of black velvet hung over the window.

One huge advantage to this method is it is almost instantaneously reversable and, really, could be installed and removed at the start and end of every session.

Again, my mother in-law made me a window curtain which combined black plastic(from a heavy duty garbage bag, facing outside) and some linen(facing inside). I can easily pull it away when I don't need it. For door, I use some masking tape. Have fun with wet processing!

Alex W.

I use the D6700 for printing. Bought from a fellow APUG'er & it works great. Enlarges up to 16x20, but my darkroom/bathroom can only accommodate 11x14 prints. My bathroom is an interior room so no windows to worry about, but if I enlarge or process film during the day I put a blanket over the door & around the bottom to prevent light leaks. At night, I just turn off all the lights outside the room. No issues so far. Best of luck in your new adventure.

I was once in the same situation as you Pavel. "Getting Wet" (or even 'going wet'), I must say is a very appropriate term for going from digital to traditional! I started out with a Canon Rebel XT and I liked it a lot. But college came around and I enrolled into the Photo I class where my $800 digital SLR was completely useless. After a lot of time and frustration I came to love the darkroom and my 35mm film camera. The traditional method brought me a level of tangibility to the art form that was utterly addictive.

You won't regret it. My Rebel XT just doesn't do what film does.

So why exactly are you "reverting" back to the traditional processes or as you put it "going against the tide"? I'd be curious to know your reasons.

Go to a fabric store and ask for the material used to make backing for drapes - it's usually called blackout cloth or blackout material. Depending on how your window is made, you can fashion a curtain from this material that will completely block the light.
juan

srs5694 said:

I've never had to black out a window, but IIRC, the most commonly recommended procedure is to cut a piece of wood to roughly the size of the window, wrap it in black velvet or a similar material, and fit it in place, then cover the whole window in more black cloth.

Click to expand...

This is roughly what I did, except I used a large piece of thick cardboard instead of wood - I don't really have any woodworking equipment. I glued a $5 towel to one side of the cardboard panel, leaving a generous overlap on every edge. I shoved that panel into the window, but it didn't stay up very well, since the humidity from the developing trays tends to warp the board. So I stitched a Velcro strip to the towel and stuck the corresponding strip on the window frame (this was the most expensive part!). Now it works great.

BTW, I also made a louvered fan that I stick in the window. I used a Fedex box and a $12 battery-powered fan. The air exchange rate isn't enormous, but my bathroom is small and my chemicals aren't smelly, so it helps.

Mine is a permanently converted bedroom so the door was far from lightproof in terms of its fit but as others have said I found that weatherstripping/ draughtproofing strips did a good job.

I took care of the bottom of the door with a metal draught excluder that screws on the bottom and has a line of dense bristles which brush the floor. It's a bit like the type of excluders which fit around a letterbox on the outside door. Provided the floor doesn't rise as you open the door you can afford to fix the excluder close to the floor. Unless the gap under the door is massive the bristles' length covers any gap. It works well.

Provided that the window has a rebate i.e. a big enough frame, then I'd use a piece of plywood painted matt black on the outside and with foam draught excluder all round the outside. Press it against the window then use plastic clamps screwed onto the wood just beyond the piece of plywood which you then turn 90 degrees to hold the wood to the frame, pressing the foam draught excluder tight. It can be attached and removed in a few seconds

Alternatively if the window is small and you intend to use the bathroom as a semi permanent darkroom, consider a proper darkroom blind. It looks better and may be more acceptable to the wife/partner.

Even if the bathroom contains the only toilet, there will be plenty of opportunities for other members to use it during a film processing or printing session.

Best of luck

pentaxuser

My girlfriend and I have different uses for our bathroom so mine changes function quite quickly.

I have a problematic bathroom as it has a huge skylight window, which when very sunny streams a lot of light in. I use two layers of photographic blackout plastic and use adhesive velcro to attach it to the window frame.

In hot sunny conditions, the glue can melt and so the backout material falls down. I bought heavy duty adhesive velcro and two layers of blackout material on the skylight window which is doing the trick. It's fine during the rest of the year and in the evening when it is cooler.

For the doors, I use the same set up with strips of velcroed material around the edges. It is amazing how much light can leak in. Don't spare the velcro, it helps to seal the edges.

Planks of laminated wood sit over the bath for the 3/4 processing trays, with wash trays sitting in the bath itself.

The enlarger sits on a butchers trolley which can be wheeled in.

Have fun.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. My bathroom is in two parts. One walks into a five by seven room meant for dressing and that is where the window is. Then to the right is the bathroom itself which is small - about seven by six but I like the layout and plan to do the wet stuff over the tub. The window of this old (30's) apartment is different that most. It is of metal framing and recessed into the masonry so that there is a slightly irregular opening which goes in about five inches. So I have the window sunken in.
I've been thinking about it today and my plan right now is to build a thin wood frame around which I shall wrap velcro. The reason for the frame is so that I can screw the frame itself into the wall with eighth or so screws. I shall put foam tape on the underside to seal tightly. My thinking is that this way the velcro will not come off like it likely would if I simply glued it in place. Then I shall get a cardboard backed (for light weight with some structure) piece of black out material cut to just a bit bigger than the outside opening and this will have velcro stitched around the perimeter. I hope not to sew my fingers together doing this ... perhaps this coming weekend. I've only used a sewing machine once ... and it was ugly. But this is a worthy cause, right?

I'm going to miss the wonderful light that floats in via this large 4x6 foot window - and I can always take the contraption off .... but I plan to make it kind of a permanent thing.

So in front of this window I will put a cart (gotta buy something cheap ... but well suited) as there is a plug right there and this will be a good place because it is out of the main flow of traffic.

I May install a bottom bit of crown molding on the outside of the door with just enough spacing for foam tape. That seems more elegant than the towel thing. The problem is that the door seats in a way where there is no room for foam tape between the door edges and the door frame. I suspect that light will leak around. Probably just a very little .... but I can't picture it light-tight. Any thoughts on that?

The other problem I expect to need to find a solution to is the water. It runs hot and cold. It wont run the same temp no matter what. How can that be worked out? Any ideas?

Pavel+ said:

I like the layout and plan to do the wet stuff over the tub.

The window of jThe other problem I expect to need to find
a solution to is the water. It runs hot and cold. It wont
run the same temp no matter what.

Click to expand...

I came up against a tray space problem at my start
up so adopted the single-tray processing method using
one-shot chemistry. The method is similar to rotary tank
processing with one-shot chemistry.

A second tray is used for holding; actually the first
rinse & soak cycle. Prints are layered in and alternate
with hydrophobic polyester separator sheets; available
as 'interfacing' at local fabric shops. Sheets are cut to
paper size. Result, a still water horizontal slot washer.
Two or three transfers from one tray to the other
will do. Requires no running water and little of it.

Where more exact water temperatures are needed
I suggest one, two, or a few jugs be brought
to ambient before use. Dan

Pavel+ said:

The other problem I expect to need to find a solution to is the water. It runs hot and cold. It wont run the same temp no matter what. How can that be worked out? Any ideas?

Click to expand...

How cold is cold and how hot is hot? For B&W prints, temperature is far less critical than you might think. If you're comfortable in shirtsleeves at room temperature, that's good enough.