Huram
Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2004
- Messages
- 70
- Format
- 35mm
Alright, I am in the process of creating my first own darkroom. I need help figuring out the best place to set it up and finding the right safelight for my situation. Here are the details. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Recently purchased a honking (large) Omega DII. Have two key decisions I have to make: where to set up the darkroom and what type of safelight to get.
Issue #1: The Bathroom or the Big Pantry
I live in a 1,050 sq. ft. apartment with my wife. I have two main rooms were I could work from. Below are the specs, pros, and cons of each room.
Bathroom Specs
- 6ft x 12ft.
- bathtub/shower
- sink
- toilet (obviously)
- 1 window facing the west
Bathroom Pros
- running water w/ tub and running water with sink
Bathroom Cons
- I could not leave my darkroom crap permanetly set up in the bathroom as it is our only bathroom, would take up a great deal of space, and don't want guest having to "work" around all that equipment.
- With the toilet, sink, and bathtub taking up a bunch of the room, it would be pretty tight working with. Would have a difficult time finding a place for my "dry" space.
Pantry Specs
- walk-in pantry w/ heavy door
- 10ft by 10ft
- window facing the east
- no running water
Pros
- would have more space to work with as the tub/sink/toilet is not taking up a bunch of space
- could permanetly leave things set up and permanetly black out the window as we don't "show" guests to the pantry and have don't have too much food in the pantry
Negatives
- no running water (nearest faucet would be the kitchen sink -- 10 feet away from the pantry's entrance door)
- chemicals in with out non-perishable foods (canned stuff, baking ingredients in tupperware, bags of chips, ziplocs, etc.)
Both the bathroom and pantry have crappy ventilation, but what can you do?
I would definitely love to have it set up in the pantry, cause I could keep it set up, and won't have to always set-up all the equipment every time I want to print. I hope to spend some quality time in the darkroom at least a couple times a month. My only concern with setting up the pantry is the water. I don't have a "wash basin" specifically designed for my prints. I have thought about getting one, and running a hose 15 ft to my kitchen sink -- but then I would have to deal with getting the hose in the pantry without any light seeping in, and find the right connection, tubing etc. How crucial is it that I have running water? Could I get by effectively without it? Any practical thoughts would greatly help.
Issue #2 -- Finding a Safelight
First off, I am recently out of college, and quite poor. Hoping to find an effective safelight for $25 or less. Secondly, I will be doing solely B&W work. I like to get things off of Ebay, but a little nervous when it comes to used equipment especially for something as important as a good safelight. Any thoughts on the best safelight in this $ ballpark would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Huram
Issue #1: The Bathroom or the Big Pantry
I live in a 1,050 sq. ft. apartment with my wife. I have two main rooms were I could work from. Below are the specs, pros, and cons of each room.
Bathroom Specs
- 6ft x 12ft.
- bathtub/shower
- sink
- toilet (obviously)
- 1 window facing the west
Bathroom Pros
- running water w/ tub and running water with sink
Bathroom Cons
- I could not leave my darkroom crap permanetly set up in the bathroom as it is our only bathroom, would take up a great deal of space, and don't want guest having to "work" around all that equipment.
- With the toilet, sink, and bathtub taking up a bunch of the room, it would be pretty tight working with. Would have a difficult time finding a place for my "dry" space.
Pantry Specs
- walk-in pantry w/ heavy door
- 10ft by 10ft
- window facing the east
- no running water
Pros
- would have more space to work with as the tub/sink/toilet is not taking up a bunch of space
- could permanetly leave things set up and permanetly black out the window as we don't "show" guests to the pantry and have don't have too much food in the pantry
Negatives
- no running water (nearest faucet would be the kitchen sink -- 10 feet away from the pantry's entrance door)
- chemicals in with out non-perishable foods (canned stuff, baking ingredients in tupperware, bags of chips, ziplocs, etc.)
Both the bathroom and pantry have crappy ventilation, but what can you do?
I would definitely love to have it set up in the pantry, cause I could keep it set up, and won't have to always set-up all the equipment every time I want to print. I hope to spend some quality time in the darkroom at least a couple times a month. My only concern with setting up the pantry is the water. I don't have a "wash basin" specifically designed for my prints. I have thought about getting one, and running a hose 15 ft to my kitchen sink -- but then I would have to deal with getting the hose in the pantry without any light seeping in, and find the right connection, tubing etc. How crucial is it that I have running water? Could I get by effectively without it? Any practical thoughts would greatly help.
Issue #2 -- Finding a Safelight
First off, I am recently out of college, and quite poor. Hoping to find an effective safelight for $25 or less. Secondly, I will be doing solely B&W work. I like to get things off of Ebay, but a little nervous when it comes to used equipment especially for something as important as a good safelight. Any thoughts on the best safelight in this $ ballpark would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Huram