Options for darkroom improvements: where should I go first?

[pallo]

I’m considering a number of options to improve my darkroom. This is part of an attempt to direct my wish to buy new stuff to strategies that will help me to better use what I already have.

My current darkroom is rather simple. It’s a small space (1,3 by 2,3 meter) with a Durst 670 enlarger and a 20x25cm (8x10 inch) Nova black and white vertical slot processor. I wash my prints in a separate space. This suits me well. I’m happy with 13x18 cm as my main format with the option to print a bit larger.

Perhaps also relevant to state that I almost exclusively print on fiber-based paper.

These are the options I consider:
1. Replace the simple Kaiser safelight by a better 1m led-strip. This would mostly enhance comfort.
2. Replace the Durst Laborator timer (digital, but otherwise pretty basic) with something more fancy such as the RH Design Stopclock Pro. This makes sense as I miss the ability to memorise several times and do sometimes use splitgrade printing. Having a pedal would also be nice.
3. Buy a masking easel. For the past 30 years I managed with a reproduction board with magnetic strips. This works well because I always print the full negative, but prevents me from printing with clean borders.
4. Invest in an archival washer, but considering the small size of my prints this does not make all that much sense.
5. Improve the drying process of prints. Here, I could consider building / buying drying racks or getting a heating press. The latter would be used for other purposes as well.

As I see it now, option 1 offers a good balance between affordability and a tangible outcome, whereas option 2 would probably yield a more drastic improvement in productivity (easy f-stop printing) but at a much higher price. The remaining options are probably less relevant given the small size of my prints, although the drying process deserves some attention.

What are your experiences with investments in darkroom that deliver most both in pure productivity as in comfort and pleasure to use?

 

[koraks]

Define the problem. Determine criteria for solutions. Identify potential solutions. Compare solutions against criteria. Choose & implement.

You're now going backwards IMO. My advice: start from the top. What's the problem?

 

[Don_ih]

I'd pick whatever's most irritating and attempt to fix that. The timer -- can't see any reason to replace it. The easel? Yeah, get one of those.

 

[pallo]

In terms of “most irritating” or “most tangible problem” I would identify the safe light, or rather the combination of safe light and white light I use for evaluating prints. Now I have to reach outside of my darkroom (no door, only a curtain) to switch the light on and off.

Installing a led-strip with both red and white light (e.g. Heiland electronic led) would at once lead to more even light while printing and make the checking of prints less cumbersome

 

[wiltw]

Define the problem. Determine criteria for solutions. Identify potential solutions. Compare solutions against criteria. Choose & implement.

You're now going backwards IMO. My advice: start from the top. What's the problem?

1. Address the worst problem first.
2. Make the biggest improvement (in what simply 'works OK') next.
3. Simply indulge yourself last.

 

[Paul Howell]

I don't see much reason to update your set up, well a decent archival washer would be a nice addition, but seems space is an issue. A set of stacking screens for drying? I have set of expanding window screens that I stack to dry prints, as I live the desert her in the U.S I dry on my patio. What head do you have on your Drust, if you have a standard condenser head then maybe a color or VC head.

 

[pallo]

I wash and dry prints in a separate, much larger part of the basement. An archival washer or screens for drying would surely be an option there. Screens for drying would probably be the bigger improvement.

 

[dbrown57]

In terms of “most irritating” or “most tangible problem” I would identify the safe light, or rather the combination of safe light and white light I use for evaluating prints. Now I have to reach outside of my darkroom (no door, only a curtain) to switch the light on and off.

Installing a led-strip with both red and white light (e.g. Heiland electronic led) would at once lead to more even light while printing and make the checking of prints less cumbersome

In my darkroom I have a red safelight and led strip light wired up to a pull cord so that by pulling the cord I can switch between the safelight and white light very easily

 

[Prest_400]

In line of what others already mention, pick the most irritating thing. I'm using a shared community darkroom which is very well equipped but sometimes have thought about possible improvements or shortcomings depending on processes (ie. alt, large prints).
Eg. we have amber safelights which are great but certain papers get fogged, red safelights are much dimmer in a large room. SO do get back to us about the LED setup! The Timer IMO isn't quite a shortcoming, small prints and splitgrade with a colorhead are part of my current workflow and my exposure times do not venture past 20-30 seconds which for me is just turning the filter knobs, change the timer and do good notes. Some of the simple timers are found in the used market with some patience. I've actually missed a couple nice units which would be nice to have, as one of the stations has an erratic timer.
Easels are a fun one, our darkroom has somehow accumulated so many of the 2 bladed LPLs which I did not like until recently; whereas I happily use the 4 bladed ones instead. Fun fact: With a glass 4x5" carrier I can get the whole medium format 6x7-6x 9frame and rebate into a 17x24cm paper leaving just a 1mm border "I paid for the whole paper!". That size has become my standard for workprints.

Fiber washing is a bit of a challenge, but out of Japan and another blog which I can't find right now there was a bathroom setup where the printer had set vertically three trays for ordinary printing under their sink space or enlarger table. If you can somehow replicate that and do multiple tray washing it might work rather well to keep a small footprint. Our darkroom has a station of a sink with circulating water and I just drop them after a one tray or one tray + HCA bath and wash for the length of the session. Then have some racks with screens to dry on another space. I had learned a couple years ago to not dry emulsion down as if the prints are to bleached (for toning or such) that will show up as defects later on.

These are the options I consider:
1. Replace the simple Kaiser safelight by a better 1m led-strip. This would mostly enhance comfort.
2. Replace the Durst Laborator timer (digital, but otherwise pretty basic) with something more fancy such as the RH Design Stopclock Pro. This makes sense as I miss the ability to memorise several times and do sometimes use splitgrade printing. Having a pedal would also be nice.
3. Buy a masking easel. For the past 30 years I managed with a reproduction board with magnetic strips. This works well because I always print the full negative, but prevents me from printing with clean borders.
4. Invest in an archival washer, but considering the small size of my prints this does not make all that much sense.
5. Improve the drying process of prints. Here, I could consider building / buying drying racks or getting a heating press. The latter would be used for other purposes as well.

As I see it now, option 1 offers a good balance between affordability and a tangible outcome, whereas option 2 would probably yield a more drastic improvement in productivity (easy f-stop printing) but at a much higher price. The remaining options are probably less relevant given the small size of my prints, although the drying process deserves some attention.

What are your experiences with investments in darkroom that deliver most both in pure productivity as in comfort and pleasure to use?

 

[jvo]

I replaced my digital gralab timer i used for rh design timer 3 as a bridge to a "better" unit. I never moved on. It was a real joy to use, simple, elegant, well-designed unit. Spend less on the timer, get the LED's as well.

a two-fer! comfort in the darkroom will make a difference in how long you're in there producing - it did for me. instant savings!

 

[Pieter12]

I’m considering a number of options to improve my darkroom. This is part of an attempt to direct my wish to buy new stuff to strategies that will help me to better use what I already have.

My current darkroom is rather simple. It’s a small space (1,3 by 2,3 meter) with a Durst 670 enlarger and a 20x25cm (8x10 inch) Nova black and white vertical slot processor. I wash my prints in a separate space. This suits me well. I’m happy with 13x18 cm as my main format with the option to print a bit larger.

Perhaps also relevant to state that I almost exclusively print on fiber-based paper.

These are the options I consider:
1. Replace the simple Kaiser safelight by a better 1m led-strip. This would mostly enhance comfort.
2. Replace the Durst Laborator timer (digital, but otherwise pretty basic) with something more fancy such as the RH Design Stopclock Pro. This makes sense as I miss the ability to memorise several times and do sometimes use splitgrade printing. Having a pedal would also be nice.
3. Buy a masking easel. For the past 30 years I managed with a reproduction board with magnetic strips. This works well because I always print the full negative, but prevents me from printing with clean borders.
4. Invest in an archival washer, but considering the small size of my prints this does not make all that much sense.
5. Improve the drying process of prints. Here, I could consider building / buying drying racks or getting a heating press. The latter would be used for other purposes as well.

As I see it now, option 1 offers a good balance between affordability and a tangible outcome, whereas option 2 would probably yield a more drastic improvement in productivity (easy f-stop printing) but at a much higher price. The remaining options are probably less relevant given the small size of my prints, although the drying process deserves some attention.

What are your experiences with investments in darkroom that deliver most both in pure productivity as in comfort and pleasure to use?

Is there any reason not to do all of the above?