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I'll show me mine if you show me yours!

What type of darkroom do you have?

  • Total voters
    238
I used to have a darkroom guide (I think the title was _Do it in the Dark!_--you know, a 70s thing) with a gratuitous photo of one of those Beseler 4x5" enlargers with the Dichro head and the ventilation hose, proclaiming it the coolest, fanciest thing one could possibly have in the darkroom.

The reason for the hose is to isolate the vibration from the fan, and keep the head from vibrating.
 
Mine is setup in an outdoor garden shed. Made from such cheap pine, it leaks light hence having to hang up dark out cloth. 8x8 doran fan and vent on opposite sides keeps ventilated decently enough but is getting a bit warm in midday, even setup in shade of tree. It works but....

I can disassmble if I need to use the bldg for something else. I'm using an Omega 5XL and seems rigid enough screwed to top of workbench. Leveled it once and haven't checked it since.

Just finally recieved a pristine condition Schneider 150mm Componon S and back from abroad finally. Excited about enlarging first 4x5 neg lol

Chris
 
I've been thinking of going the garden shed route myself. I'm getting tired of grovelling on the floor to develop and fix my prints... makes my back ache. Since I usually print at night after work, dark is no problem. But, how do you keep the dust and grunge out?
 
I just re-built my darkroom, it does however double as an equipment storage room. But it is a 12x13 room for dry work and a converted bathroom as the wetroom. Finally after all these years theirs a drawer, box,shelf for everything. I'm totally lost! Pictures soon
 
I built my darkroom in half of my laundry room. The room also houses the natural gas furnace and hot water heater.

After moving in I tore out the built-in shelving unit and replaced it with a plywood sink (24"x66") which overhangs half of a double laundry tub. That way, I didn't have to hack into the drain pipe under the laundry tub, it just drains into the tub.

My home-made plumbing board is connected the main water supply by 2 washing machine hoses so that it can be shut down separately. I have a regular laundry type faucet plus a home-made hot/cold mixing section that feeds into a water filter, then through a Delta Water Temp (not very high-tech, but at least indicates what temperature my 2 spigot following it are at).

Aside from a small counter holding my LPL enlarger, I was pretty shy on dry-side space. I just built a shelf on hinges behind the door that now holds my paper cutter and paper safe.

Printing is a dream now. Oh yeah, last fall I put in a ventilation fan with a small passive intake beside the door. Punching through 6" of concrete to vent the air outside was not fun. But totally worth it.

One of these days I will take a few pics of the setup.

Roger
 
If I'd do it again, I'd just buy better raw materials, frame it out and finish it up. Light tight and more stable than my setup.
 

First of all, wipe your feet before going in. Second use positive pressure ventilation through a good filter.
 
I finally got around to taking the pics and getting my neighbor to do a scan. I posted wetside/dryside pics in the 'Non-Gallery Pictures' gallery. Take the tour. Sorry I didn't tidy up first.
 
I took a photo of my darkroom to post but the negative came out blank???

At least I know it is lightproof :twisted:
 
baronfoxx said:
I took a photo of my darkroom to post but the negative came out blank???

At least I know it is lightproof :twisted:
Click to expand...

Hmmm...perhaps turning the light on would have helped? :mrgreen:
 

I did the same thing ... holding to the idea that the photograph should express the primary "raison d'etre" of the darkroom --- I exposed the film -- well - opened the shutter - while I was loading film into a JOBO 2500 series tank ... and, true to form, the film in the camera was blank (except for base fog...).

I agree - the "light" could have been turned on - I suppose you mean the "white lights" ... but then - it would not have been a "darkroom" - it would have been a "light room"....
:roll:
 
baronfoxx said:
I took a photo of my darkroom to post but the negative came out blank???

At least I know it is lightproof :twisted:
Click to expand...

I hate to mention this but it's obvious you misread your meter. Also what about recipricoty failure???-)
 
Robert said:
I hate to mention this but it's obvious you misread your meter. Also what about recipricoty failure???-)
Click to expand...

Hmm... A possiblity - but - The print DOES look - nearly exactly- like the scene. To the naked eye, the interior of the darkroom is totally dark - black- and so is the print. Technically - probably the "most perfect" print I've ever done. :?
 
Just added a snap of my darkroom to share. Fun to look into other's workspaces to see how they work out space problems.

I built this one myself and it was designed to have very little clutter unlike every other darkroom I've had. In additon to the darkroom is a room outside it dedicated as a clean/dry room for mounting and packaging. Another room serves as a "digital darkroom" and yet another for filing and storing prints and negatives.

Darkroom is complete with stereo system wired into the walls, a network plug-in for my laptop so I can access my negative and print databases and an intercom and phone to keep in touch with the outside world. More extravagant than any I've had before, but considering I spend up to 10 hours a day in the thing...
 
I'm using the odd-shaped smallest bedroom which gives me about 7' x 7' of usable space. The dry side is a cheap but sturdy pine table holding the enlarger, timer and a paper safe. The wet side (such as it is!) is a long dressing table supporting my trays (currently four 8" x 10" 's, but there's space for larger/more). All other clobber goes on shelves.

Prints go from the fixer into a water bath and I then carry them through to a tray washer which is set up in my bathroom. Drying happens in the bathroom on a rack on the floor.

Biggest problem is temperature and ventilation; bizarrely for NW UK the temperature is hard to keep down to usable levels! Best thing I've found is to wait for a cool day, open the door between prints and use a fan on the landing to blow cool air in!

Having to wash the prints in a separate room is a fiddle, but I can live with it.
 
Re Frankb's ventilation problems
I have an ongoing ventilation problem and have eased the problen by switching to odourless stop baths and Superfix high speed fixer both of which reduces the odours in the darkroom

both are available by mail order on www.novadarkroom.com :twisted:
 
hi

just finished building my darkroom wet side is about 1/4 the basement, dry side, shooting space and storage it is about twice the size ...

now, i just have to put the kids to sleep and make some prints

- john
 
My darkroom is coming along slowly but it is coming along. Been real hot and then there is money. Today we finally plumbed the sink drains. NO leaks. I am in the middle of changing out some of the plugs and making sure the electricity is good but I am gonna move in this coming week. We are jazzed to say the least. I am gonna mop the floor several times and then pour a lot of wax on the floor and then we get some of those neat rubber matts. I would like them to cover the whole floor but that probably won't happen.

anyway that is the continuing saga of the Everman darkroom.

lee\c
 
Lee, It is good to hear that you will be moving in this week. I can certainly understand that you would be excited. Not many would have gone through the struggle that you have in putting your darkroom together. I think that you should be commended for "staying the course". Good luck to you.
 
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