Wanted: Darkroom Supplies and Equipment

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My name is Trevor Derksen and I'm the HS science teacher at St. David Unified School District in St. David, AZ. . My school has a old-school B & W darkroom that was used many years ago and then they stopped using it for whatever reason. I have submitted a request to the school administration, that I be allowed to create a course combining Chemistry, Art and Photography, as well as integrating STEAM into the course. Although I don't have a specific list yet, I was wondering how I go about requesting a donation of equipment and supplies or how do I go about applying for a grant to purchase what I need?

This will all probably happen next year, but I wanted to get a start on everything now.

Thank you for your time in considering this matter.
 

Donald Qualls

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I'd suggest you start with a detail inventory of what's already in the darkroom, and what condition it's in. Once you have that, we can help decide what you still need, and what it's likely to cost to get it.

Fortunately, enlargers, trays, and daylight tanks are pretty durable, so if someone didn't just loot the place when the school closed it, it may not require much in the way of equipment, just chemistry and materials.
 

Kino

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Welcome, Trevor!

I can't really advise you on grant writing proposals, or whom to send them to, but I would suggest that once you have an idea of what you need, you solict donations from people here on Photrio.

Myself, I have a few surplus darkroom items I would be happy to donate if your school administration approves your proposal.

What's the current condition and equipment in the darkroom?

How many students are you trying to accommodate?
 

bdial

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check with Vermont Center for Photography, vcphoto.org
They generally have quite a lot of darkroom equipment available.
 

removed account4

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hi trevor

after you put your list together you might also look at Craigs list. there is usually a huge amount of darkroom equipment there at bargain basement prices, and best of all you won't need to pay for shipping ..

hav fun with your new adventure !
John
 

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You might want to find a few high school text books to see how film photography was taught, the equipment discussed, then as suggested make list of what you have then a list of you will need. You can check to see if any of the high schools in Tucson or the Phoenix metro are still teach darkroom, they might resources. Or see of the Community Colleges in your area teaches darkroom. The largest problem you will run into is providing your students with access to a decent 35mm camera.
 

mshchem

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My name is Trevor Derksen and I'm the HS science teacher at St. David Unified School District in St. David, AZ. . My school has a old-school B & W darkroom that was used many years ago and then they stopped using it for whatever reason. I have submitted a request to the school administration, that I be allowed to create a course combining Chemistry, Art and Photography, as well as integrating STEAM into the course. Although I don't have a specific list yet, I was wondering how I go about requesting a donation of equipment and supplies or how do I go about applying for a grant to purchase what I need?

This will all probably happen next year, but I wanted to get a start on everything now.

Thank you for your time in considering this matter.
When I was a little kid, my father took me to his laboratory at his job. I remember he did an assay for salt content. It involved titration with silver nitrate. It produced snow white silver chloride, after filtering he put the filter paper in the window sunlight, I stood there amazed as it slowly turned black.
Analog photography is some of the most fun applied chemistry there is. It can be an entry into technical jobs, lab technician etc. So much fun.
 
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I'd suggest you start with a detail inventory of what's already in the darkroom, and what condition it's in. Once you have that, we can help decide what you still need, and what it's likely to cost to get it.

Fortunately, enlargers, trays, and daylight tanks are pretty durable, so if someone didn't just loot the place when the school closed it, it may not require much in the way of equipment, just chemistry and materials.

Dear Donald,

Thank you for your advice. I went out to school and did an inventory of everything and with the exception of some odds and ends that I need, it looks like all I need are the consumables. (Film, paper, chemicals..etc.) Any help you can give me, give me a shout @ trev2892@gmail.com or 715-610-7750
 
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find out what you need and if I have any of it i will help as much as i can
Mitch


Dear Mr. Brown,

I inventoried everything and it looks like all I'm missing are the consumables.(film, paper, chemicals, bottles...etc.) Any help you can offer would be wonderful. Email me @ trev2892@gmail.com and I'll give you my phone #.
 
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Welcome, Trevor!

I can't really advise you on grant writing proposals, or whom to send them to, but I would suggest that once you have an idea of what you need, you solict donations from people here on Photrio.

Myself, I have a few surplus darkroom items I would be happy to donate if your school administration approves your proposal.

What's the current condition and equipment in the darkroom?

How many students are you trying to accommodate?


All the enlargers are very antiquated, but they work, not as well as I would like, but they work. This program would be mainly for 9-12th grade, which is about 70 students that I teach. I only have 5 enlargers ready for use and 1 color enlarger covered in plastic. The trays and everything are in decent shape. It looks like all I'll need are the consumables (film, paper, chemicals, bottles..). If I could update the enlargers, that would be great. Feel free to respond to me through my email at tderksen@stdavid.org
 
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You might want to find a few high school text books to see how film photography was taught, the equipment discussed, then as suggested make list of what you have then a list of you will need. You can check to see if any of the high schools in Tucson or the Phoenix metro are still teach darkroom, they might resources. Or see of the Community Colleges in your area teaches darkroom. The largest problem you will run into is providing your students with access to a decent 35mm camera.


Cameras are not a problem. I have a lot of cameras ranging from Pentax K1000 to Nikon FM-10's
 
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My name is Trevor Derksen and I'm the HS science teacher at St. David Unified School District in St. David, AZ. . My school has a old-school B & W darkroom that was used many years ago and then they stopped using it for whatever reason. I have submitted a request to the school administration, that I be allowed to create a course combining Chemistry, Art and Photography, as well as integrating STEAM into the course. Although I don't have a specific list yet, if anybody is willing to donate any equipment and/or supplies, I'd greatly appreciate it.
This will all probably happen next year, but I wanted to get a start on everything now.

Thank you for your time in considering this matter.
 

Donald Qualls

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A US Zip Code isn't very helpful or obvious to those in other countries (not that they're likely to be able to contribute other than monetarily -- shipping costs would usually make it cheaper to just buy stuff) -- might not even be completely obvious to an American relative to where in the very large United States that is. St. David, AZ would be more informative for most.

Now, for consumables, if you have any budget at all you can do pretty well. Xtol and D-76 powder packages are inexpensive (under $15 to make 5 liters of stock solution, which will make up to 15 liters of working solution -- enough to develop close to fifty rolls of 35mm with 1+2 dilution) and you can probably get similar amounts for a little less by buying Legacy or Arista branded equivalents (but watch out for liquid concentrates; you'll pay more to ship the water component than you'll save, in many cases). I recommend Xtol; it doesn't require hot water to mix and is probably the best commercial developer on the current market. You'll also want/need Dektol or equivalent (paper developer) -- a gallon pack of Dektol will dilute 1+3 for tray solution, which will put enough to cover a print well and develop half a dozen prints in about 32 trays. You can use the same fixer (likely at different dilutions) for both film and paper, stop bath is the same stuff and same strength, though it's preferred to keep the film stop and paper stop separate (the paper stop will get used up much faster). Indicator stop bath is highly preferred, since you can reuse it as long as it stays yellow, and know when its time to replace because it turns purple (black under safelight).

For film, if you don't already have one, I'd suggest prowling eBay, or asking to buy here, a bulk loader (two kinds, with the usual deep division between users of each, but they both work); a one hundred foot roll of .EDU Ultra 400 will cost about $52 and fill 17(ish) 36 exposure cassettes (or more, but with more waste for tails and leaders, if they're shorter; students shooting assignments are often better off with 12-20 exposures). You'll need loadable cassettes, but you'll still save a little over buying 70 rolls of film (and the cassettes are reusable), and for that size class you'll probably need two or three bulk rolls anyway.

A single user can stock a darkroom that already contains equipment for about $50. You'll probably need at least ten times that for film, paper, and chemicals for your class size (the single user is hit a bit by package sizes much larger than one student will use in a semester or year). Unless this is to be a core curriculum course, it's probably sensible to ask the students (parents) to contribute a little to cover film and paper -- $50 for a course isn't at all out of reach unless you have a lot of folks with financial hardship -- or ask them to supply, say, three rolls of 400 speed B&W film and a small package of multigrade 8x10 paper. What I recall from my high school photography course (in 1974, so I won't quote prices and don't recall them anyway) is that we shot a couple rolls of film each, made half a dozen prints (plus test strips), and for the capstone of the course we each shot a roll of E-4 Ektachrome and processed them all as a batch. Since I shot 620 in a TLR, I got IMMENSE transparencies out of that.

For bottles, I recommend raiding the local grocery store to get liter bottles of club soda -- they're under a buck, and the bottles are better than either accordion bottles or the dark, square bottles (less air permeable, easy to squeeze to eliminate air, and clear so you can see what's inside, at least well enough to know that's stop bath and not developer). Dump the contents and remove the original labels, of course. Sticky labels from office supply stores are a little better than masking tape to label the bottles, but you'll need masking tape as well to fasten film to the spools in the cassettes.
 

jvo

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I'd look for Photrio members nearby to come and help there are some in AZ. They can help evaluate and get things in shape, It will also help to do "dry runs" and literally, "wet runs" before students ever get into the darkroom. It will highlighted any thing missing that you'll need, and hone better darkroom procedures for groups of people.

Are you ready to start receiving - paper, chemicals? do you need film?
 
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Thank you JVO. I am ready to receive paper, chemicals and film. I'm looking for film of all ISO types and B & W paper of all sizes. I especially need chemicals. How do I search for members in my area??
 

eli griggs

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Once you get approval, and recommendations from Photrio.com members, what is no offered up here or elsewhere, have your school send out a request for darkroom kit student's parents might be willing to donate, even deliver and set-up, and give instruction where needed.

Also, while I've mentioned this before in another thread, I suggest you request and display for study, 'Master Photographs, that no only give, for example, illustration of certain classic combinations of say film/ISO/developer/paper developers for many types of papers RC/MG/Fiber base and graded, as well as toners, but set the artistic minimum of acceptable prints and films, including smug, dust and processing marks, as point off a serious grade.

Choice of type developing methods, such as two-part, stand, heavy and light agitation and local water vs. store bought distilled water, as well as stop/no stop, and types of fixers, all contribute to a massive need to take control, point to founding best practices and exposure of your students, to Oh, so many options, so one film, developer, stop, fixer, wash method, continuous, of Ilford method, as water waste is likely something your kids will no be OK with in that part of the Country, etc, etc, etc.

Do teach Caffenol (for the younger students) and how to safely, in class, compound both Parodinal, acid stop with white vinegar or Vitamin C, and basic fixer with pool supplies.

A third method of home development is the Monobath, which they compound themselves and process in a thrift store mug, in class.

By teaching them this, and compounding their own supply of Parodinal, in a safe manor/environment at school, you will have given them good ways to carry on at home, during breaks, bad weather or Pandemic Isolation, or Summer time, etc, which I hope would allow them to enjoy analog photography at their own leisure, while young or later in life.

Having standards in mind may just be the only way to judge the progress of students, and excite them to new artistic challenges.

IMO.
 
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Donald Qualls

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Do teach Caffenol (for the younger students) and how to safely, in class, compound both Parodinal, acid stop with white vinegar or Vitamin C, and basic fixer with pool supplies.

Warning! Danger, Will Robinson! Vitamin C is a developing agent; if the solution remains alkaline from carry-over developer, it will continue developing rather than stopping development. You probably meant to suggest citric acid, which is commonly used for odorless stop baths. Both are usually derived from fruit, but they're very different products.
 

eli griggs

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Cheers, I appreciate the correction very much.

It seems that I've conflated the two, for some time now, but have always used Citric acid, which I bought in small, bulk amounts from the "Home Economist," etc, as Vitamin C is just silly in price, or was, and in tabs, no powder.

Eli
 
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Donald Qualls

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Cheers, I appreciate the correction very much.

It seems that I've conflated the two, for some time now, but have always used Citric acid, which I bought in small, bulk amounts from the "Home Economist," etc, as Vitamin C is just silly in price, or was, and in tabs, no powder.

Eli

Health food and nutrition stores will have ascorbic acid powder on the shelf, or you can buy either ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate (non-acid, used in Mytol) from Amazon. I always thought the pricing wasn't bad for a developing agent -- compare it to the hydroquinone it replaces.

Either way, citric acid makes perfectly fine stop bath, though if you're going to mix your own, it's worth spending $20 for a little bottle of bromocresol purple -- a couple drops of the solution in a liter of mixed stop bath will give that familiar yellow color that turns purple when it loses its acidity. Saves money, because you can keep reusing the stop bath as long as it stays yellow, instead of one-shotting it.
 
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