New Basement Darkroom Advice

RetroFuture · Mar 18, 2018

Hi! I've been a long-time reader but first-time poster who's trying to make the leap to a budget darkroom space. I bought a bunch of darkroom equipment (enlargers, trays, lights, timers, etc.) very inexpensively so I'm good there. I identified a spot in my basement but I don't have a lot of experience building or framing. I was hoping I could maybe get some advice. the space is about 8-foot by 5-6 foot. I'll attach a picture of the space.

1. I was thinking I could just get some plastic sheeting, build a frame with 2x4's and deck screws and staple it to the frame, put a few tables in there (one for dry side, one for wet maybe with the trays sitting in a bigger tray of some kind) stick a 4inch dryer vent fan on one end and run a tube out the other. Is this a good idea? I thought I could just hang some sheeting or curtains but light gets in the top. I purchased some of the stuff to do this but then had second thoughts hence the post.

Here's what I bought:

... and here's the light leak I was talking about:

2. If I do that do I run into issues with code, etc? I don't want to do anything I shouldn't.

3. Should I be more ambitious? I'm enthusiastic enough I'd spend one or two thousand dollars but don't have much more.

4. Across the sheet rock wall on the other side is the basement sink-- would it be really expensive to somehow connect to it? Worst case I'll just walk around to wash prints.

Here's the sink plumbing:

I've attached pictures of the space, some of the things I've bought and the laundry plumbing across the wall. Incidentally Photrio is amazing - I've received great advice over the years in how to develop and make the few prints I was able to try in our bathroom. For me having a darkroom would be amazing so I'm hoping I can make it work... I find analog work so much more satisfying I'd probably sell my digital setup to fund it if I need to.

David Brown · Mar 18, 2018

May I suggest these three standard references:
Building a Home Darkroom, Kodak Workshop Series, 1991
Build Your Own Home Darkroom, Lista Duren and Will McDonald, 1990 *
The New Darkroom Handbook, Joe DeMaio, Roberta Worth, Dennis Curtin, 2nd edition 1998 *

These should be available at Amazon.com, and most are at Half-Price Books. You might also get a book on basic wall framing and plumbing.

Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com

https://www.hpb.com/home

CMoore · Mar 18, 2018

David Brown said:
May I suggest these three standard references:
Building a Home Darkroom, Kodak Workshop Series, 1991
Build Your Own Home Darkroom, Lista Duren and Will McDonald, 1990 *
The New Darkroom Handbook, Joe DeMaio, Roberta Worth, Dennis Curtin, 2nd edition 1998 *

Speak Of The Devil.....

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/3-books-for-sale.158360/

Svenedin · Mar 18, 2018

Do you actually need to partition off part of your basement? If the whole basement is dark then perhaps there is no need?

AgX · Mar 18, 2018

RetroFuture said:
1. I was thinking I could just get some plastic sheeting, build a frame with 2x4's and deck screws and staple it to the frame, put a few tables in there (one for dry side, one for wet maybe with the trays sitting in a bigger tray of some kind) stick a 4inch dryer vent fan on one end and run a tube out the other.

You must not overlook to allow the same flux of air through your basement as the ventilator sucks-in.

John Koehrer · Mar 18, 2018

I wouldn't bother with the plumbing. Hundreds if not thousands of folks have managed to walk a few feet to reach
running water I did that for years. It looks like the faucet has standard hose fittings. You could run a hose(!) from there to the darkroom. That invites
leaks and what do you do for a drain? The light around the pipe could be blocked with expanding foam or packing the gap with fiberglass insulation or even
stapling light proof plastic/fabric/? from the joist to the wall under the pipe. You have much more freedom than someone that rents.

RetroFuture · Mar 18, 2018

Thanks for all the great advice / replies... I'm seeing a short term and a long term maybe? I'd like to be able to something near term-- maybe just get a couple tables, hang up some sheeting without bothering to frame, open a window in the next room to allow airflow, block the light leaks with foam or more plastic sheeting and forget plumbing... then read the books for longer term advice on how to build it out further?

CMoore · Mar 18, 2018

RetroFuture said:
Thanks for all the great advice / replies... I'm seeing a short term and a long term maybe? I'd like to be able to something near term-- maybe just get a couple tables, hang up some sheeting without bothering to frame, open a window in the next room to allow airflow, block the light leaks with foam or more plastic sheeting and forget plumbing... then read the books for longer term advice on how to build it out further?

Excellent idea.
You have everything you "need" to get started.?.......so do that, and it will become obvious What you need and Where you need it.
You will have a better darkroom That Way, than if you try to build one from a Standing Start, so to speak.
Good Luck My Friend

mshchem · Mar 19, 2018

My first darkroom, my Dad and I put up a few studs. We covered the walls with large corragated cardboard boxes. Get a bench and start developing. There's a lot less light leaks at night as well

Arklatexian · Mar 19, 2018

David Brown said:
May I suggest these three standard references:
Building a Home Darkroom, Kodak Workshop Series, 1991
Build Your Own Home Darkroom, Lista Duren and Will McDonald, 1990 *
The New Darkroom Handbook, Joe DeMaio, Roberta Worth, Dennis Curtin, 2nd edition 1998 *

These should be available at Amazon.com, and most are at Half-Price Books. You might also get a book on basic wall framing and plumbing.

Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com

https://www.hpb.com/home

+1, especially The New Darkroom Handbook which is the best I have ever used. I think Kodak's Building a Home Darkroom has a basement darkroom.......Regards!

saman13 · Mar 19, 2018

I develop in my home utility room. I just hung a trash bag over the window and that’s plenty light tight. Only “construction” was hanging two safelights on the wall. Gets you started quick!

John51 · Mar 19, 2018

CMoore said:
Excellent idea.
You have everything you "need" to get started.?.......so do that, and it will become obvious What you need and Where you need it.
You will have a better darkroom That Way, than if you try to build one from a Standing Start, so to speak.
Good Luck My Friend

Yeah, get stuck in while spending as little as possible. It's amazing just how little kit you need to get a print. I was young, keen and poor. My first ever print was taken with a Halina Paulette, developed using the see-saw method with me in the cupboard under the stairs and my brother on the other side of the door holding up a blanket and calling out the time. I used the Paulette as a makeshift enlarger in the loft. Much jiggery pokery. Nearest focus was about 4 feet lol so my 5x7 print would have been about 40"x 60" full frame. Could see detail in the fur of the black cat and its eyes were sort of sharp. Good enough for a first attempt.

I don't have that print or the negs now because I didn't spend on neg or print storage. Big mistake.

Once I had an enlarger, I used to do my printing in the kitchen at night. Thin curtains on the window but luckily no street light shining on it. Not full blackout but you learn to work quickly.

I would advise starting out with fresh paper and chemicals. You need to know that duff prints are definitely your fault. Play with old stock once you're good with fresh stock. Work out a series of tests for your first sessions. Safelight test first. 8 minutes plus is the goal but if your room is only safe for say 4 minutes, then you know how fast to work. Next comes the contact prints. Enlarger height just enough to cover 10x8 and find out what the minimum exposure time for maximum black is. (Blank neg in the carrier.) Once you know that, anything that looks good on the contact print should look good printed at the same enlarger height and time.

For those small leak leaks, stuff the holes with black plastic bin liners, doesn't have to be perfect, you can get away with just a hint of light showing as long as it doesn't shine.

Might well be higher humidity in your basement. If so, less dust problems but your glass won't like it, keep the lenses elsewhere. At only 8 foot by 5, it's a bonus imo that you can wash the prints in the next room.

Once you know exactly how you want your setup, get a reputable tradesman on the case, they won't break any codes and you'll have solid work surfaces and cupboards etc. all to your specs.

Have fun.

fiddle · Mar 19, 2018

I just recently finished setting up a “darkroom” in my basement. It was fairly dark to begin with, but ended up making small wooden frames wrapped In blackout cloth for the 3 windows down there. To control the random stray light, I draped a corner of the basement with the same blackout cloth, stapled to the beams, taped on the floor. In that section is the enlarger and trays. I have to walk around that section to get into the laundry room for water 10 feet away. I have a large plastic storage container on top of a table, my trays sit inside to avoid spills, etc. I have a fourth tray with water. I print, develop, into water tray, walk with tray around to laundry room and wash.
Been working well so far.

Also stapled the blackout cloth to the ceiling joists, my attempt to minimize dust. Guess it helps, still dusty, but im still learning, so this is not an issue for me.
Used Roc lon blackout liner, semi cheap, about 2 and change dollars a yard, and it really blacks out. No light comes through.

jacaquarie · Mar 19, 2018

My suggestion, do the minimum! Start printing and then worry about the perfect darkroom later.
I place trays on washer and dryer, have the utility sink a few feet away for print washing. I do not worry about the light leaks, I work at night. If the light is not there then you need not worry about the light sneaking in. Black builders plastic makes the neighbor go away. Do not wait the rest of your life preparing to print, start printing NOW!

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 19, 2018

No matter what you do, make your darkroom safe. 2 things come to mind, ventilation and safe use of electricity. If you make your darkroom safe, it will be a pleasure to use and hours of fun.

John51 · Mar 19, 2018

On the subject of ventilation, what if you can't vent to the outside?

I've only printed in a kitchen. Back in the day, I was invincible so ventilation didn't matter. Now that I am
(mostly) mortal, it matters an itsy bitsy teeny weeny little bit.

What about the carbon filters as used by our (purple haze) friends? Connected to a suitable inline fan, (without any ducting,) bad air goes in, good air comes out. No extra holes in the walls.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 19, 2018

John51 said:
On the subject of ventilation, what if you can't vent to the outside?

That means fresh air can't get in either. It's a bad place for a darkroom.

CMoore · Mar 19, 2018

Its in a basement.?
There must be a door.
Make a Light/Man trap with some dark Plastic/Cloth and use a 12" fan in the darkroom.
I do not see it being a problem.
It's not like you are going to be locked in there for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. You CAN go out every 1-2-3 hours and let some air in for 15 minutes.
How long does it take, with a fan moving, for any "Harmful Fumes" to fill up a room that size.?
More than 1-2-3 hours.?

Maris · Mar 19, 2018

My last and best custom made black and white darkroom has airconditioning instead of forced ventilation. What about the bad fumes? There are none. I use odourless developer, odourless stop bath, and odourless fixer. The only significant volatile in there is water. The other photographer who works hours and hours in this darkroom is a senior figure (and fellow sufferer) in an Australian allergy and chemical sensitivity support group. The "ventilation' happens when the darkroom door is often opened to let curious spectators in to gaze upon the latest good/bad result in the fixer tray.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 19, 2018

Aussies are tough compared to us Yanks. They even thrive on toxic air!

John51 · Mar 19, 2018

Mainecoonmaniac said:
That means fresh air can't get in either. It's a bad place for a darkroom.

Says who?

If you don't get to breathe the bad stuff, it was never there.

It's not about getting bad air to go outside, it's about not getting bad air into your lungs.

Svenedin · Mar 19, 2018

A slot processor takes up less workspace, releases much fewer unpleasant fumes and prolongs the life of chemicals by a long way. Also all ready to go so minimal setting up.

Mainecoonmaniac · Mar 19, 2018

John51 said:
Says who?

I could only speak for myself. I've had 2 photo professors from my undergrad days that died from what I think from exposure to photographic chemicals. One from brain cancer, one from Parkinson's disease my experiences have taught me when it comes to chemical exposure, always be on the safe side.

MattKing · Mar 19, 2018

Working in a small room with poor ventilation is unpleasant at best and unhealthy at worst even if you don't use photographic chemicals.
Fresh(er) air needs to come in and older air needs to go out.
A bathroom or kitchen or dryer vent will do the job well, but any source of decent air flow can be enough.
If the room is small, regularly opening the door can make a real difference.

AgX · Mar 20, 2018

Mainecoonmaniac said:
That means fresh air can't get in either. It's a bad place for a darkroom.

That is why he thinks of using a gas filter. Thus he would not need a stream of fresh air. Whether such filter is feasible would be a further question,

New Basement Darkroom Advice

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