options for a small, water-less darkroom

[markandrew]

hi

i have some room in my cellar which i'm intending to convert into a darkroom, but it's quite small (about 3x1.5 meters) and has no water supply. my dad has an enlarger which he is willing to give me, but most of the other equipment i'll need to buy new (or used).

i'm wondering what options there are for the develop/stop/fix/wash cycle which might suit my circumstances - i've only really used plain old open trays of chemicals (for the first 3 stages) and a sink/large tray of water for the wash, before, so i'm not sure what other options might be available. our kitchen is at the top of the cellar stairs so i can at a push use the sink there and keep water in buckets, but if there are more 'enclosed' or space-friendly options they would probably be more suitable.

print sizes i'd be looking for is probably only around 10x8 - if larger is feasible that's great but not absolutely necessary.

any advice welcomed!

thanks

mark

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I used to have a darkroom like that. I set up my trays on a long table and just brought water in, emptied the waste into a bucket, and brought the prints to the bathroom to wash. I printed up to 16x20" in my space.

You could use something like a Nova slot processor to save space. It works best with replenishable chemistry, so that gives you a little less flexibility, but you could also use the Nova just for stop and fix, and a tray for developer, so you have more options.

 

[Steve Smith]

It can certainly be done without a water supply. Until I put my water pipe in, I did as David suggests and caried water in and waste out in a bucket.

I also do all of my washing either in the bath or shower.

I still have a bucket under the sink waste as I have not put the waste pipe in yet.

It is very easy now to put water in using modern flexible plastic pipe and push fit connectors so it would be simple to set up e.g. an old kitchen sink with a bucket for the waste. I'm assuming that as it's a cellar darkroom, you are too low to go into the house waste system.



Steve.

 

[ben-s]

I'm in a similar situation, but at the other end of the house.
I've got a darkroom set up in the loft, with no water or drainage. I manage fine with open trays, and after fixing, I transfer prints to a holding tray of water.
I then wash them in the bath at the end of each session, or when I stop for a break.

It's a little bit awkward, but no real hardship in the grand scheme of things.
I print up to 8x10" currently, but I'm half thinking about a Nova slot processor in order to go bigger.

 

[markandrew]

how do the slot processors work, and what are the ramifications of using replenishable chemistry?

our bathroom is two flights of stairs up from the cellar, and i'd have to carry things through the dining room to get there, so i'd rather not go down that route if possible. The kitchen is closer, but obviously that has other problems (chemicals vs food, etc)

 

[ben-s]

how do the slot processors work, and what are the ramifications of using replenishable chemistry?

Slot processors are thin but deep tanks of chemistry. Imagine your trays stood on end. The paper is held vertically in a special clip.

Have a look at this page: http://www.rogerandfrances.com/darkroom.html
Look at the "nova processors" section near the bottom of the page.

Replenishable chemistry is chemistry specially formulated to be refreshed by the controlled addition of a replenisher.
Replenisher is added at a certain rate per area processed. Working solutions "roll over" in effect, so they are always fresh and active, despite the fact that the original mix may have been made weeks previously.

 

[Mark Fisher]

The less expensive route to space saving is to build a set of vertical shelves for the trays. Honestly, though, you have a ton of room. This is about 2x my last darkroom and I never needed to go to vertical slot processing. My advice is to put the enlarger at one end with the trays along the long wall. You should make a shelf that spans that wall. The shelf could have a lip on it to keep the inevitable spills contained. The shelf will also give you some under counter space for stroage. I also use lots of pegboard on the walls to hold my filters, lenses, carriers, etc.

Have fun -- Mark

 

[nicolai]

What Mark said.

 

[srs5694]

One problem with Nova vertical slot processors is that they're expensive. Even used on eBay, they tend to go for over $100, although I see one completed auction (in the UK) for 41 British pounds. This auction is active with a current high bid of 10 pounds, but it's still got over two days to go, so the price could go much higher. Another UK auction for a larger unit currently has a price of 0.99 pounds, but it's still got over 6 days to go.

As Mark says, a vertical shelf for trays is another way to save space. I've also seen people advocate single-tray processing, in which you pour chemicals into a tray, drain it, and repeat, much as you do when processing film. I've never used this approach, though. A similar method would be to use a print processing drum, orbital processor, or similar device. These items are most commonly used for processing color paper, since they permit developing with room lights on. They can be used with B&W materials, though. The problem is that drums, at least, require cleaning and careful drying between sheets; water left in them tends to cause streaks. (This might be less of an issue with B&W paper, though; I've never checked this detail.) Drums are fairly common. You either roll them around on the table or use a motorized base to do the rolling for you. I've never used an orbital processor, but it looks like a covered tray that can rock in various directions.

Concerning water, you might be able to run a hose from your kitchen into your darkroom. That'll get you running water, but you'll still need to haul it up to the kitchen to dispose of the waste. You should be able to find some sort of adapter at a hardware store to enable you to connect a hose to a kitchen tap. The biggest challenge I see is in getting a hose into a darkroom without causing a light leak. You might have to drill a small hole in a wall, run the hose through it, and then seal it against light leaks.

 

[BWGirl]

Here is a not-to-scale drawing of my darkroom which is pretty clo0se to being the same size as yours. I do not have water in mine, either. The benches have shelves below. I can easily (without a lot of hastle) print 11x14. There are also photos of my darkroom in the darkroom photos thread. That would be a great place for you to look for ideas & inspiration!

 

[Chan Tran]

For B&W I did pretty much the same as others have said. Having 3 trays of dev, stop bath and fix and a bucket of water. I would complete the washing in the bath room or kitchen. I do only color now and my darkroom has no water or chemical. I simply load the drum in the darkroom and carry out the rest of the processing in the bath room and in full room light.

 

[MattKing]

I spent years without any running water in the darkroom, although my laundry room sink was closer than your kitchen.

Now I mostly use the tubes (Beseler, Unicolour, Cibachrome) with the enlarger in the windowless bathroom, and the tubes on the kitchen counter.

If you want to use the tubes, I certainly wouldn't worry about the chemistry for Black & White in the kitchen area. The quantities are small, and you probably have more toxic chemistry (cleaners, etc.) under your sink. Some things like toners are a bit smelly, but as long as you are reasonably careful, there shouldn't be a problem.

If you use trays in your darkroom, just invest in a bucket or two with a good lid, to make it easy to transport water to the darkroom for mixing the chemistry, and waste from the darkroom when the chemistry is exhausted.

Long life chemistry (e.g. Ansco 130 developer) and dedicated glass or similar bottles used to store the in use chemistry between sessions will cut down on transport issues. Be sure to get some good funnels

It's lots of fun, and much less hassle than you might think (if you have a dedicated space).

Matt

 

[DBP]

Have a look at this page: http://www.rogerandfrances.com/darkroom.html
Look at the "nova processors" section near the bottom of the page.

Rats! I was really hoping to be the first person other than Roger to point to one of his modules.

 

[waileong]

Running water is not necessary. A pail should be more than sufficient if you need fresh water in the middle of a print session, and you can have another pail to dump wastewater or used chemicals into.

 

[ben-s]

Rats! I was really hoping to be the first person other than Roger to point to one of his modules.

I'm surprised I was the first... His stuff is very good

 

[markandrew]

thanks for all the info - maybe i have more space than i thought! i've had a look through one of the 'darkroom portrait' threads and got some ideas from there, too.

 

[markandrew]

another thing i forgot to mention is ventilation, or rather, the lack of. the room has no windows and the walls are all solid brick (one backing onto next door, one into solid earth, and the other into the next cellar chamber - the fourth wall is basically an open doorway at the moment). i'm not sure therefore how feasible it will be to have a fan installed, unless it's in the door itself.

 

[DannL]

Running water is not necessary. A pail should be more than sufficient if you need fresh water in the middle of a print session, and you can have another pail to dump wastewater or used chemicals into.

Good advice. I take my finished work to where the water is. You can wash your work anywhere. Beyond that, old plastic milk or juice containers hold water very well. Several in the work area can be quite handy. It is a good idea to have some clear water nearby for emergencies. Make a simple "eye wash station". One plastic pale and a container of water in the pale. Keep it in the immediate workspace, always. Change the water out every six months. The day will come you'll be glad it was there.

 

[pentaxuser]

Another vote for the Nova Quad processor. I wouldn't worry about odours if you get one of these. So little of the chemical surface is exposed. RC paper requires very little washing. You could use the 4th slot as the first water wash and you could then transfer to an actual washer slot which can be bought separately or to a bucket. The 4th slot can be emptied into a bucket and refilled periodically as can the final bucket ot two.

I have running water so I cannot testify to this but I suspect that a minute in the 4th slot then transfer to one and possibly two buckets should be enough without further running water washing.

It might not be to full archival standards but at this stage how many of your prints are you likely to want to endure archivally? If it's just the odd one or two then a running water washing to finish off should be possible.

If you can be sure of good secondhand Nova processor for the equivalent of $100( under £50) I'd jump at it. This is only a little over two packs of Ilford MGIV paper including p&p.

Your hobby is going to cost way more than this over a matter of even a few months. Over years and thousands of prints the Nova is cheap on a per print basis.

pentaxuser

 

[eli griggs]

Mark, I just this week managed to get the small darkroom I have been gathering for the last 2 years, up and running.

Built around a Durst M600 on a rolling metal pc printer cart, with wings that fold out for additional shelve space, it is currently located in my son's carpeted, x-bedroom.

Located against an exterior wall, next to the corner, there is a set of three folding wood TV dinner tables running alone the interior corner wall. On top of these, I have a temporary darkroom sink, without drain, made of a section of 5x5 foot cardboard, duck taped together and lined with a heavy mil plastic sheet. The sheet was lain in and taped to the upper edges so as to avoid any need for taped interior corners. It is about 12 inches deep. This sink is wide enough for 11 plus inch trays, but I only have purpose made darkroom 8x10 trays on hand.

Because I am only doing small prints at the moment, nothing larger than 8x8, I have taken Gladware 104 oz. containers and have set up a printing line of developer, stop, fix #1 (and 2 as needed) HCA and a large plastic dish basin from Walmart for about a 3 gallon holding bath. If I need the 2ed fixer tray or a toner tray, the holding bath can go on a cabinet at the developer end of the sink.

All my washing takes place in the bathroom, when I'm ready to transfer prints and other than loading tanks, that is where I develop roll films. Washed prints are brought back in to be squeegeed on a large, thick piece of Lexan that sits, leans on top of a large plastic cabinet that holds photographic odds and ends.

Jugs of distilled water for chemistry and jugs of tap water for water-stop and bath are ready for use at a moment and the temp of the liquids is a constant 68-70F. These are mostly stored under the sink tables. When I'm not developing on the line, the PETE Gladware trays have tight fitting lids on and because they are deep, I simply consider them to be just another jar for storing chemistry. Any small spills in the sink are cleaned up with paper towels at the end of a session and if I desire, I can print and developer from a small stool without any trouble.

All mixing/bottling of liquid chemistry and filling/dumping of trays takes place in the loo. Dry chemistry is compounded in my little studio at a work bench and scale.

My line of chemistry runs toward the enlarger as I don't want the developer too close to that piece of kit and I don't leave water baths uncovered overnight. Central air takes care of climate control.

I could comfortably move this setup into a large closet or moderate sized walk-in and never miss a beat for want of running water for that soon to be replaced paper sink, but as it will be wider than what I have now, these measurements are adjustable.

A quick check with a tape tells me all this is now in an area of 5.5 x 7.5 feet.

I hope this helps. As has already been said, you have plenty of room, so show us some prints when you are up and running.

 

[eli griggs]

Thinking a bit about getting rid of your waste water, etc, I wonder if you might consider taking a small stump or bilge pump and installing it in a 5 gallon dump tank, with a small dia. flex-hose going up to a wastewater line/dran on a upper floor.
You could also have a small freshwater tank(s) situated on a sturdy shelf above your darkroom sink that could be filled with a small flexable line like srs5694 suggested. That way your water will be to ambient temp. for low flow washing, mixing. You could fill the elevated tank(s)/covered bucket(s) in series well before a session and leave the upper floor tap free for normal duties.

I don't believe you would need special skills to make such a simple setup and you could use a water tank like the small ones some towns/organazation use on the back of ATVs to water remotely placed flora.

Eli