mobile darkroom

I just picked up a used Ford E150 cargo van. I'm planning on making it into a mobile darkroom. This is the model with no windows in the cargo area so all that is needed is a light tight bulkhead/partition behind the two seats to make it light tight. I would be interested in hearing of any suggestions that any of you may have as what you would include into the design. I have already encountered one problem and that is the exhuast fan. Most RV exhaust fans are not light tight. I could possibly use a doran 12x12 darkroom fan but I would have to design some way to mount it and run a power inverter to run it. My main purpose for this project is to enable me to take wet plate into the field. But it will also be used for film. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Exhaust, safelight, sink,ect...ect. Thanks in advance.

I'd be thinking LEDs for a safelight. I have a few LED safelights that are very bright and use very little power, but they run off AC. There's probably something out there (maybe a bicycle rear light, preferably not blinking) that uses the right LEDs and runs off batteries.

I think smieglitz posted some pictures of a portable darkroom tent for wetplate a while back. Do a search and that might give you some ideas.

I also think Brett Weston used a portable darkroom van. I'm not sure if there are any detailed descriptions of it.

David A. Goldfarb said:

I'd be thinking LEDs for a safelight. I have a few LED safelights that are very bright and use very little power, but they run off AC. There's probably something out there (maybe a bicycle rear light, preferably not blinking) that uses the right LEDs and runs off batteries.

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Dave, I noticed Porter's list a flashlight type of red safelight. It is a 90 degree head so you can sit it on a table. But you are right, the red led's would probably be the best bet. I know they make them in a miner's-light style to be worn on your head and that would probably be a good option.

I saw one of these on the road a few days ago and boy, did my wheels start turning.

http://www.fl-sprinter.com/images/Gallery2.jpg

js, I would have loved to have a hightop like that but unfortunately i didn't have that kind of money. At 5' 6" though i don't need to duck that much to move around. A stool on rollers will probably have to do, to work in the back.

RobertP said:

js, I would have loved to have a hightop like that but unfortunately i didn't have that kind of money. At 5' 6" though i don't need to duck that much to move around. A stool on rollers will probably have to do, to work in the back.

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Oh hell, I could never afford one either! I just saw that big 'ol thing and thought "rolling darkroom" and "mobile camera obscura/pinhole camera."

Good luck with your project. The rolling stool sounds good.

Somewhere on the net is a diagram of how the military's containerized darkrooms are laid out. Obviously, you don't have their budget, and probably have a different workflow for plates, but I remember there were some good ideas on space-saving in it. I'll try to look it up again. Occasionally, one of the containers pops-up on eBay.

Thanks Terence, all ideas are welcome. Although everything for wet plate can be done with trays a sink will be nice to dump water and developer. They make a hand pump type faucet that would draw water from a holding tank. (10-20 gal). So I don't really need an electrical pump but that could also be an option if it is 12v. But if I have to run a power inverter to run a 110 fan off of 12 volt I may need a larger battery. Or even a second battery. Maybe a small generator even, but I would hate to carry a generator just to run a fan.

Also, Cabelas has all sorts of 12V coolers, converters, etc. Might be worth looking into.

It might be easier to improvise a light-tight baffle for an existing exhaust fan than to use a converter and 110 volt fan. Red LED tail lights are available in auto supply stores or even Walmart. A few layers of heavy black plastic from a farm and garden store can partition off the darkroom from the cab.

Good point Jim, Maybe the cover off of a 12x12 doran fan can be used. I know they make a passive air vent that is just that. No fan exsist as yet but I assume you mean an RV exhaust type fan. Good idea

Jim. I just talked to a guy at a place called Custom Trim and he seems to think that the light tight cover can be adapted to a 12v RV exhaust fan. He says that he can do all the cutting and fitting for 250.00 that's with the price of the fan included. With a dash mounted switch. That may not be a bad deal

RobertP said:

Jim. I just talked to a guy at a place called Custom Trim and he seems to think that the light tight cover can be adapted to a 12v RV exhaust fan. He says that he can do all the cutting and fitting for 250.00 that's with the price of the fan included. With a dash mounted switch. That may not be a bad deal

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Does dash mounting the switch make sense?

Robert please whatever you do don't develope and drive. I just don't want to see you on one of those TV police videos taking a breathalyzer test and finding out that the silver content of your blood was over the limit.

Although you could write an article for APUG on "Semi-stand at 65 mph"

your agitation per mile may vary.

All you need for a light tight exhaust fan is to fold the air path back onto itself and spray paint the interior of the exhaust path with flat black paint.

Imagine a tall, skinny box with a fan on the lower left side that pushes air into the box. In the center, a rib almost totally bifurcates the box but leaves an inch of space on at the top for the air to flow around. On the other side, directly opposite of the fan, there is a grille that allows the air out.

I made my darkroom fan by covering my basement window sill on both sides with flat black painted, marine grade 1/2 inch plywood. On the far right, inside, I placed the fan blowing outward and on the far left, I placed one of those clothes dryer louver vents that open and close with air pressure. Since there is about 2 feet between the vent and the fan, I didn't even have to put a center rib or baffle, but if you want to save space (and I am sure you will), you should go ahead and place the rib in the box.

Sounds like a great project for solar panels and a battery array!

Good luck.

RobertP said:

I just picked up a used Ford E150 cargo van. I'm planning on making it into a mobile darkroom.

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I've been thinking of purchasing one of these for the same purpose but have a line on an old class-C motorhome that I might buy instead. (I'm checking it out Sunday.) I've also been thinking about a Supreme Spartan 10' cube van but that drives the cost way up. A Sprinter would also be cool, but there goes $30,000.

This is the model with no windows in the cargo area so all that is needed is a light tight bulkhead/partition behind the two seats to make it light tight. I would be interested in hearing of any suggestions that any of you may have as what you would include into the design.

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Curtain blackout material might be useful for the lightproof partition. A bit of hook and loop fastener all around should suffice to hold it in place. You could also use red acrylic for a safelight in the partition.

I have already encountered one problem and that is the exhuast fan. Most RV exhaust fans are not light tight. I could possibly use a doran 12x12 darkroom fan but I would have to design some way to mount it and run a power inverter to run it. My main purpose for this project is to enable me to take wet plate into the field...

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I plan to passively exhaust the interior and open the doors wide after each plate is inside the sensitizing tank/holder. I'm not sure how effective a fan would be and also wonder about the safety aspect of such a thing. Ether and sparks is not a good combo. And I think the partition is also useful to contain the fumes from the driver's cab.

I'm planning to build a countertop and sink area that will accept the drop-in sensitizing tank I made for my darkbox. I may redesign the tank though so it can be filled, in place, and ready to use immediately. That will necessitate some sort spillproof cover. I also plan to have several large water tanks in the vehicle for rinsing the plates and collecting the wastewater. I plan to build some slotted shelves to hold glass plates of various sizes and also incorporate an ice cooler to store the collodion during transport.

Here's the link to the (there was a url link here which no longer exists). You can see the velcroed white blackout curtain used to cover the red sliding safelight windows in case film is loaded in the bax as well as wetplate. Portrer's black premium darkroom cloth was used as the shroud.

I bought a small Coleman fluorescent battery-powered lantern last year and covered the globe with rubylith tape. This acts as a decent safelight though the wearable headlamps with rubylith are also an option.

I'd also carry a couple wetplate manuals, plate examples, and MSDS along in the vehicle in case you do get pulled over. A mobile wetplate darkroom could be easily mistaken at first for some other type of lab making illicit drugs. Minimizing the chemicals within the van might get you under reportable quantities and copies of DOT statutes to that effect might also help in a pinch. Having finished materials there to back up your story should also help in such scenarios. Have a locked storage area for the Everclear and keep acids and other chemicals away from cyanides if you will use that chemical. I 'd have some fire extinguishes onboard as well as potassium permanganate to neutralize/oxidize any spilled cyanide.

I'd build in storage for camera equipment and supplies, and try to incorporate a bunk of some sort.

Let's share notes as we progress. Maybe Kerik and Quinn will chime in with further suggestions.

Joe

Joe, Thanks for the imput. You may have a good point with the exhaust fan. I could probably get away with a passive exhuast and be much safer. I plan on using potassium cyanide to fix. I was under the impression that chlorine (household bleach) was good to neutralize cyanide. I already have a 17x14" stainless sink and a 16 gal fresh water tank. I was planning on using a pump type faucet and I'm looking for a waste water tank now for the gray water. I've noticed they make a portable tank that you can just roll out and dump. I also was planning on making the counter tops hinged so I can store all the chemicals and plates. This isn't a hightop van so head room is limited but it is pretty comfortable from a stool with casters to roll around back there on. This will make the counter tops and sinks about 24" high from the van floor. I agree let's share notes as we progress.( two heads are better than one.) I'll start construction in a couple of weeks as I'm collecting the needed parts as of now. What were you planning on making your counter tops out of? thanks, Robert

Hi,
have you thought of looking at a yachting supplier already? They use to sell all kind of materials for mobile plumbing jobs, like fresh- and waste water tanks, pump faucets and the like. Even dorade louvers, painted black inside, may be useful for solving your ventilation problem.

Ulrich

Ulrich, I've mostly been looking at van conversion and RV sites. Thanks for the tip I'll check a few yacht suppliers out.

Front bulkheads

For a bulkhead between the driver's seat and the back of the van, you can use a simple wall made of thin plywood (1/8" door skins) and 1x2's. Use a foam weather strip for the seal between the wood and metal (hardware store type at the door department, 1/4" or 3/8"). Make two walls with a door between them.

Level the van first, so it is jacked up and perfectly flat on the floor and even in all directions. A simple "torpedo level" used to check front to back and side to side is all you will need. Decide where your walls will go and mark them with a magic marker on the inside of the van.

Make a cardboard wall template as your mock-up: scribe with a compass (keep it horizontal between the point and pencil, or level with the horizon) and just use scissors or a utility knife to get it close enough for the foam seal. Make a left side and a right side for the walls but leave them a bit too wide so you can decide how much door is needed in the center. Once you have a good set of patterns, the wall is made by laying 1x2's in as "studs and plates" on one side of the plywood wall. To make the curved edges which go against the metal of the van, use a saw blade set so it won't go deep enough to cut the 1x2 plate stock completely in two (table saw or skill saw). Kerf the 1x2 so it can bend enough (every 1/2" or so) to conform to the curve along the top and side wall. Glue and nail (small brads) the edges of the 1x2 once it is kerfed, onto the door skin then lay in the "studs" about every foot from the inside edge (the door jambs) to the outside curved edge. Once the walls are made, you're ready to install them.

With the walls made, stick the foam in place and use self-tapping metal screws to fasten them against the van, through the edge of the 1x2. It would be a good idea to have the door made as well, so you can set one wall, fasten the door in place, and then set the second wall to make sure it all fits properly against the door. You will need a "header" between the two walls at the top and a "threshold" at the bottom for your light traps. Again, a foam seal would be easiest to make for a light-tight fit. tim

RobertP said:

...What were you planning on making your counter tops out of? thanks, Robert

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I'm hoping they are already in place in the motorhome. I'll never use the vehicle for anything other than a darkroom (though I may sleep in it overnight) so I'm not really worried about silver nitrate spills. I've also decided not to use cyanide so won't have that worry. (BTW, there is a post on Quinn's forum about neutralizing cyanide solutions before disposal and the quantities of the oxidizers like permanganate needed to do so.)

Otherwise, I'd just use plywood or melamine shelving, maybe with some acrylic sheet for a work surface. I hope to simply remove the stove and replace the top with plywood slotted to hold the sensitizing tank. I probably will not use any pump system for the sink but just decant water from plastic jugs for rinsing/washing plates. But, I really need to see the layout before I can say for sure.

Joe

Tim, Thanks for the bulkhead design. I have trans-scribed the contours of the top and sides and made a paper template. I was going to just use a single sheet of 5/8 plywood for the bulkhead but I like your design much better. As far as any leaks that would occur around the foam seal. I think this could be solved by using that spray type expansion foam. I don't recall what it is called though. Thanks, Robert.

RobertP said:

I just picked up a used Ford E150 cargo van. I'm planning on making it into a mobile darkroom.

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You know, this is a fantastic idea! Used ones in decent condition are really cheap too. Hmmm ... brilliant idea. Plus one could store gear and go on long distance field trips too. I'd love to see how you've set up the interior when you done - or in progress.

Regards, Art.