I am using my bathroom -- I open the light-proof (at night) curtain and run a fan to the outside while the neg washes in the kitchen.Where do you vent to? do you simply open a door to let the air go to a different room?
if that is the case then I believe that this would be my best option since I will be using the same chemical setup as you
i will probably end up doing something similar. thank you for your input!I am using my bathroom -- I open the light-proof (at night) curtain and run a fan to the outside while the neg washes in the kitchen.
As long as you do not mind the smell, using a fan just to clear the closet out will work for now. I'd run whatever house fans you have and/or open some windows, too. Running a darkroom for a couple decades or so, I hardly can smell regular-strength fixer anymore.
when you did that did you also have a fan to flow fresh air in?
I recently made several improvements to my bathroom/darkroom in order to improve the ventilation. Firstly, I decided to split the wet/dry spaces into two separate rooms - the wet space is still in a bathroom but my dry space is now set up in my home office. My office is much larger than the bathroom and that has given me enough space for two enlargers and more work surface area. Since I tend to spend the bulk of my printing time in the dry space, that time is now spent completely away from any chemical odors. Also, the doors to the rooms are opened fairly frequently (as I move from one to the other) which allows the rooms to get a regular influx of fresh air. I also purchased a Nova Monochrome (mentioned elsewhere in this thread) in order to save space/setup time and limit the surface area of the chemistry exposed to the air, thereby reducing chemical odors in the wet space. Couple that with a decent ceiling-mounted fan and the chemical odors are insignificant. The Nova is pretty expensive to ship to North America, but I figure it'll eventually pay for itself in saved time and chemistry costs.
If it didn't work I wouldn't do itDoes this work? After exposing the paper you place it in a dark bag and carry it into the wet room?
I have no ventilation where I tray develop 11x14 film. I am using a water stop and I keep the fixer tray covered unless I have film in it (and can even keep it covered while agitating the fix). I can vent the room after every negative to prevent a build-up of fumes.
It might have been nice if we had heard how the OP got on with his walk-in closet as over 2 years have elapsed since he raised the matter and his experience might have helped traveler_101 but we haven't seen the OP since Sept 2019.
Maybe he never made his walk-in closet darkroom so having got no further saw no reason to remain Pity
pentaxuser
Very good to hear because this seems to be the most likely solution. I didn't mean to doubt you; I was uncertain about tense - I thought perhaps you had just instituted the plan back on 2019. What is a paper safe? If I put the exposed paper in a thick black plastic bag and sealed the open end, would that work? What happens if the bag comes into contact with the exposed surface of the paper? Does it affect the image once developed?If it didn't work I wouldn't do it
I use a paper safe, but anything light tight should work.
That's what I'm doing. I water stop, and keep a lid over the fixer to block the smell of ammonia.
When developing paper (not film), you can open the door and turn on the lights after 60 seconds in the fixer. So the darkroom will receive unvented fumes for only 60 seconds.
Mark Overton
See my #19 on page 1 . What you describe above sounds very like my situation and neither I who may be biased towards darkroom smells nor my wife who definitely in not biased towards darkroom smells and has nothing to lose by being honest, notice any fumes in our bedroom which is next to the darkroom on top of the stairs landing which has no windows either.. I could try it, but the problem is that the room in question opens into the hall and is adjacent to the two main bedrooms in the house. There is no window in the room or the hall either. I don't mind, but my wife would almost certainly be very unhappy once the fumes vent into the hallway.
Very good to hear because this seems to be the most likely solution. I didn't mean to doubt you; I was uncertain about tense - I thought perhaps you had just instituted the plan back on 2019. What is a paper safe? If I put the exposed paper in a thick black plastic bag and sealed the open end, would that work? What happens if the bag comes into contact with the exposed surface of the paper? Does it affect the image once developed?
Here is an example of a paper safe.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224999396273
And here is a picture of one:
View attachment 313071
I heartily recommend them if you are moving paper around. I recommend the 12"x16" size.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?