Making a darkroom dark!

IMG_7114w.jpg

D
IMG_7114w.jpg

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
Cycling with wife #1

D
Cycling with wife #1

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
Papilio glaucus

D
Papilio glaucus

  • 0
  • 0
  • 9
The Bee keeper

A
The Bee keeper

  • 1
  • 4
  • 139
120 Phoenix Red?

A
120 Phoenix Red?

  • 7
  • 3
  • 144

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
198,177
Messages
2,770,655
Members
99,573
Latest member
A nother Kodaker
Recent bookmarks
0

and36y

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2003
Messages
32
Location
near London
Format
Medium Format
My proposed darkroom is a 14' x 12 room at the end of an granny-annexe on the back of my house. This room has a sizable 6' x 4' window on one wall. Has anyone any suggestion on how I can block the light from this window. I would like to be able to take the shutter down after every session, and obviously would like assembly time to be as short as possible. What have you used that has worked?


Thanks

Andy
 

jvarsoke

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
117
Format
Holga
My darkroom is also my office and has 2 rather large windows. What I did was take two pieces of cardboard and cut them about an inch larger than the window on all sides. Then I bent the sides in to create flaps that hug the sides of the window. I also hot-glued eye-screws to the top, and use nails to help hang the cardboard in place. Then I took garden/landscaping black plastic (which is about 9ply heavier than black garbage bags) and taped the borders with clear packing tape (which comes off semi-matt painted walls w/o leaving the gum behind as ducktape does). BTW: black garbage bags work too, as long as you leave them folded over like when they come out of the dispenser -- but I found they eventually unfold and become too much of a hassle.
 

Calamity Jane

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
159
Location
Manitoba Can
Format
Large Format
The best, darkest, and cheapest shutters I have ever had were made with a light wooden frame to fit the window opening covered with a sandwich of black builder's plastic ("foundation wrap") with tinfoil in the middle. When you lay out strips of foil, fold a half-lap seam to join them length wise until they are wide enough to cover the frame. Use some masking tape or electrical tape as a staple strip along the edges so the staples don't rip the plastic - staple thru the tape, plastic, foil, plastic, and into the wood.

To get a good light seal, I added a strip of wood to the window frame (about 1/4x1/2") for the shutter to rest against and then painted the edge of the shutter and the inside part of the window frame flat black.

I used one of these for many years on a west-facing window and it is ABSOLUTELY BLACK even in the afternoon sun.
 

dancqu

Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2002
Messages
3,649
Location
Willamette V
Format
Medium Format
and36y said:
What have you used that has worked?

I'll suggest something I haven't used and may work.
I think it's called Builder's Board; a fibrous, low weight
insulating material, white on one or both sides, which
comes in 4x8 foot sheets. Cut to exact dimension
and press fit. Dan
 

Nick Zentena

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2004
Messages
4,666
Location
Italia
Format
Multi Format
I just use cardboard and drapes. Cut the cardboard a little oversized. Push it in to fit. Then hang some heavy cloth in front of that. If you have an old blanket it should work just fine. Time to put up/take down is almost nothing.
 

mono

Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
548
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
I use the black plastic bags of the paper and cut them as I want them.
 

Joe Lipka

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Messages
908
Location
Cary, North
Format
4x5 Format
I have a window in my darkroom. I put mat board in the window, then the missus purchased some "black out" cloth at the local fabric store. She sewed the blackout cloth between some fabric and then velcro around the perimeter. I tacked the other side of the velcro around the window. Pressed the two together and light tight for just over 18 years.

The black out cloth thing was also used on the dark cloth she made for my view camera.
 

gordrob

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 29, 2005
Messages
991
Location
Western Cana
Format
Multi Format
This solution ( a rolling shutter) is probably a little pricey but would be the easiest way to deal with a window that size where you want to use the window after you have finished in the darkoom. They are used more to provide security on larger windows but also allow you to block all light out and can be raised in a matterof seconds. We use one here at our house to cover a window that has been used a source of breakins in the past. when down they are secure against outside access and whne installed properly keeps out all light.

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ic000818.html
 

Shmoo

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
973
Location
Southern Cal
Format
4x5 Format
dancqu said:
I'll suggest something I haven't used and may work.
I think it's called Builder's Board; a fibrous, low weight
insulating material, white on one or both sides, which
comes in 4x8 foot sheets. Cut to exact dimension
and press fit. Dan

The foam insulation board in my area is coated/laminated on both sides and is like styrofoam. By itself, I found that the 1" thick material will still let in light so I used a spray adhesive and slapped some blackout drapery lining material (about $6 a yard, 60" wide) on it. Works like a dream.

S
 

Flotsam

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Messages
3,221
Location
S.E. New Yor
I used Black Foamcore. It's cheap, easy to cut to size and shape with a razor blade. It's lightweight and completely opaque. I can print even when the full afternoon sun is hitting them directly. It is not the sturdiest material but I have been using the same one's for a couple of years, taking them down after each session with little noticable wear but they can be quickly replaced for just a few bucks if they become damaged.
 

Bighead

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
471
Format
Medium Format
In the words of my father.... The cheesiest guy I know.... "Keep all of your burnt out light bulbs for your darkroom"...
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
12,237
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format
I don't have that big a window, but I also have a black foamcore light shield. In my case, the 32x40 full size foamcore board wouldn't lap over the molding outside the window, so I had to get a little creative. First, I cut strips of black-core matt board to make a frame insert that slips into the window frame; this is assembled and attached to the foam core with black masking tape. Then I used more strips of the same matt board, scored and bent, to extend the edges of the foamcore and lap back over the window molding on the sides and top (since I can't paint the window molding or frame black, I need a little extra help here to tame reflections). At the bottom, where the sill prevents lapping over, I used a double gasket, each layer made of two strips of the black tape, sticky sides together, one at the glass-side edge of the inner frame and the other at the outer surface. After a few uses, I had trouble with the cover popping loose at a couple corners, and found it had developed a mild warp; adding similar gaskets on the three other inner frame edges both added friction and further cut down reflections.

My bathroom/darkroom is now dark enough (providing I remember to leave the fluorescent over-sink light out for a half hour beforehand) to handle film at EI 4000 or higher with full sunshine outdoors (though it surely helps that the window is on the north side of the house). I can go from bathroom to film changing (i.e. no chemical mixing or pulling up the rugs to get the enlarger cart in) in about five minutes.

Cost to make the unit was about $12 -- $10 for the foam core board, and a proportion of the $7 matt board and $8 black tape (for which I've found dozens of uses since thinking the roll was outrageously expensive).

Your huge window is going to be difficult. If it's a multi-sash, you're home free -- make multiple foam core covers like mine, and they can butt against each other at the center frame(s), assuming the individual sashes are narrow and/or low enough for a single sheet to cover. Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at Masonite, aka pressboard, as an option for the main cover; you can get this in 4x8 foot sheets, so you can cut to lap past the frames all around in one piece, if needed. Bad news is, that big a piece of Masonite will be heavy -- like 20-25 pounds -- and if it's all one huge pane, you won't find it easy to make a multi-panel cover that will be light tight at the joints.
 

lee

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2002
Messages
2,911
Location
Fort Worth T
Format
8x10 Format
they sell a foam insulation board at Home Depot that you can cut with a knife and stick it in the window and then use gaffers tape around the edges to clean up the light leaks. Some go as far as putting black out cloth over the whole thing. Sit in the room with the lights out for a while and check to see if the light leaks are gone.

lee\c
 

Bob F.

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2004
Messages
3,977
Location
London
Format
Multi Format
I've used Velcro along all 4 sides of a piece of blackout material overlapping the window by 6 inches in the past - one part of the Velcro stuck to the wall, the other half sewn to the material. It did have a habit of coming unstuck from the wall unless I was careful to "peel" the material off carefully starting from one corner and it can be tricky to line up as the material stretches. A heavy duty plastic material as discussed above may be better here as it will not stretch as much as a cotton type material.

However, if you are covering the window, you need to think about how you are going to get air to circulate in the darkroom. At the moment I use two fans on a sheet of wood that covers about 25% of the window - that remains in place all the time. The rest of the window is covered by removable blackout material. To use the fans I open the part of the window directly behind the fan's light baffle (there is a foot deep sill between the room wall and the actual window, which opens outwards).

Cheers, Bob.
 

Lee L

Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
3,281
Format
Multi Format
I've used 1/2" and 3/4" thick foil-faced rigid foam insulation that comes in 4ft x 8ft sheets. I've done this on wooden frames that go over windows, but currently use a 3/4in thick panel cut just to size for my casement windows. It fits snugly within the window frame, held in place between the removable screen and the glass/frame. Comes out very quickly by just removing the screen and then taking it out. The fit is good enough and well enough baffled that I don't have to tape or fill any gaps, even on a very sunny day.

Trade names are Thermax, R-Max, or similar. It's very lightweight and easy to cut with a utility knife. Has the added advantage of being a reflective thermal barrier and insulation.

Lee L
 

B-3

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Messages
180
Location
Paradise
Format
Multi Format
I made a shutter with MDF (medium-density fiberboard). It's like wood but much less expensive. It's easy to work with if you have basic woodworking tools. It's stronger than the foam stuff and will hold up to repeated installation/removal/installation/removal etc. I cut it larger than the window and made a frame/baffle from pine boards. I built a fan unit into the shutter and installed an intake vent in the door on the opposite wall. I made mine permanent, but it wouldn't be difficult to make one that can be easily removed and reinstalled.
 

B-3

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Messages
180
Location
Paradise
Format
Multi Format
Also - never overlook the possible benefits of electrical tape (or duct tape if you're into that) and good thick construction paper, and also caulk, to plug light leaks of various sizes.
 

Ben Taylor

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Messages
108
Location
Norwich, UK
Format
Multi Format
In my new (and still under construction) darkroom I made a wooden frame which just fits in the window, then I used foam pipe cladding along each edge so that it seals tight when pushed in place. The whole frame is wrapped in blackout cloth which is pinned to the inside of the frame with flaps on each side to help seal the edges.

Blacking out my darkroom is just a mater of pushing the frame in place.
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom