Material for custom darkroom sink

[arigram]

I have ordered a custom made sink for my darkroom and I was asked for the material that is to be made of.
Will stainless, non oxydising alluminium be fine, or does the sink need to be made of a different material or some coating applied to?
Do regular photo chemicals stain metallic materials?

What do you advice?

 

[Nick Zentena]

I think there is a grade of photographic stainless steel. Lesser grades might not handle the chemicals well. Some one will know.

 

[firecracker]

Hard plastic materials, whatever they are called work perfect since they do not react to any photo chemicals. Or FRP is always a choice if affordable.

 

[allen curtis]

Hard plastic materials, whatever they are called work perfect since they do not react to any photo chemicals. Or FRP is always a choice if affordable.

I've been around darkrooms for a long time, and have built a few of them.
The darkroom sink is for the most part made too expensive. You can make a sink the will last a long time out of MDO plywood and fiberglass resin. The joints get sealed with something like a 2x2 cut in half diagonally and sealed with silicon, and screwed in place. The sink is just a work area the drains. It doesn't need to hold water like a bath tub. The resin will seal the surfaces, and you may need to recoat it after a few years. But, it sure beats spending a few hundred dollars. Plus, you can build the sink in a matter of a few hours. It is better the let the resin cure of a week outside of the darkroom.

 

[arigram]

The sink will be built by a friend who has a manufacturing company of metallic professional equipment (for hotels, restaurants, etc) and so it will be metallic.
He doesn't know the exact material to use for photographic chemicals and that's why I ask.
I don't know myself what FRP is or how that would translate to greek terminology.

 

[resummerfield]

Type 316L Stainless Steel is the grade most used for photo equipment. After welding, I understand it's best to "passivate" the weld to reduce the tendency of the area heated by the welding to "rust". I'm not sure how it's done, but it has something to do with wiping an acid on the electrically charged metal. Any good shop should know how to do it.

One more thought..... If possible it's better to have "coved" corners, to eliminate any residual moisture in the corner seams, which may over time lead to "rust". Just a thought.

 

[firecracker]

The sink will be built by a friend who has a manufacturing company of metallic professional equipment (for hotels, restaurants, etc) and so it will be metallic.
He doesn't know the exact material to use for photographic chemicals and that's why I ask.
I don't know myself what FRP is or how that would translate to greek terminology.

FRP is fiber glass, used in a lot of things like light-weight car bodies. It comes in liquid or sheets depending on your purpose. It's actually a bit of a pain to deal with it and its toxic fume, but any DIY(do-it-yourself) store has it and sells it relatively inexpensive. Some people prefer epoxy for the same effect, which is odor free.

Commonly some people paint the FRP on the surface of their home-made sinks built with plywood and 2x4". I've made one before. But since you have a professional working for yours with metals, I guess this is not going to suit your purpose. But it's still good to know.

I don't know much about the stainless, but as someone else said, there's a specific number you have to look for.

Meanwhile my current sink is actually a large hard-plastic container/tub (about 4ft wide, 2/3ft deep). I don't know what it's called, but it's a big (green color) instant tub that's used by construction workers for mixing cement and washing tools, etc. It cost me 75 USD, and it's hard as a rock. I drilled a couple of small drain holes on the bottom, attached hoses, and set it in an angle so the water goes to the drain holes. It sits well on my home-made 2x4" frames/legs.

The size of this tub is good for washing prints: two 11x14" trays or one 16x20" tray can fit easily. I use a 6ft work table (also home-made with 2x4"s and a plywood) for the developer, stop and fix trays when I work.

It's not a perfect sink as I want it to be, but it does the job for the most part, and it's as durable and light-weight as a Delta sink in the same size that I had used before. Needless to say, it's chemical-resist and rust-free because it's all plastic. The most advantage is that if I have to replace it the future, I can go knock on the door of any DIY store (or any local contruction supply office) and buy one for sure.

Firecracker

P.S. There's a good book for building a sink called, "BUILD YOUR OWN HOME DARKROOM" by Lista Duren & Will MacDonald. It also shows you how to make other items such as an exhaust fan and a light table.

 

[allen curtis]

I have ordered a custom made sink for my darkroom and I was asked for the material that is to be made of.
Will stainless, non oxydising alluminium be fine, or does the sink need to be made of a different material or some coating applied to?
Do regular photo chemicals stain metallic materials?

What do you advice?

Well, you're a lucky man. If you're tray developing. make sure it is wide and long enough. Mine is eight-feet long, two-feet wide, with a three-foot extension on one end. The main sink is about eight-inches deep, which may be to too deep. It's high enough so I don't need to bend over. The extension has a three-inch combing around it. Having coved or rounded corners is important.