Well, even though the actual work isn't done yet, I made the final payment this morning, so...
...my last photography related purchase was A DARKROOM. Walled in, door hung (tight enough I can get a light seal with weatherstrip, unlike the mobile home doors with big gaps at the bottom in the rest of the house), window cover partially completed, plumbed and sink installed, short counter by sink (sloped to drain into the sink) and cabinet under, two kitchen carts (for the enlargers) on the way. Still need another work space on the dry side, will probably buy a flat pack cabinet to go between the enlarger carts -- plus shelf or shelves above the wet side counter and shelves or cabinet above the dry side -- but the expensive part will be done today. Finish up the window cover and weather strip the door and I can change film in there instead of a bag; it'll be ready for daylight tank developing as soon as the drywall mud dries (though I'll probably finish painting first).
I'm think I'm justified in a Wooo Hooo!
I've only wanted my own, permanent darkroom for the past fifty years, after all...
A few Wooo Hoos are definitely in order!Well, even though the actual work isn't done yet, I made the final payment this morning, so...
...my last photography related purchase was A DARKROOM. Walled in, door hung (tight enough I can get a light seal with weatherstrip, unlike the mobile home doors with big gaps at the bottom in the rest of the house), window cover partially completed, plumbed and sink installed, short counter by sink (sloped to drain into the sink) and cabinet under, two kitchen carts (for the enlargers) on the way. Still need another work space on the dry side, will probably buy a flat pack cabinet to go between the enlarger carts -- plus shelf or shelves above the wet side counter and shelves or cabinet above the dry side -- but the expensive part will be done today. Finish up the window cover and weather strip the door and I can change film in there instead of a bag; it'll be ready for daylight tank developing as soon as the drywall mud dries (though I'll probably finish painting first).
I'm think I'm justified in a Wooo Hooo!
I've only wanted my own, permanent darkroom for the past fifty years, after all...
Post pics soon! Same here - about a month away from finishing a custom darkroom as part of new home being constructed - nothing spared. Finally a custom darkroom after 50 years of suffering - sounds like a trend!
MFL
I got a projector stacker to help with dissolves:
View attachment 245775
I'll take a chance on breaking the no-digital rule here and post a cell phone panorama of the room when I get the enlargers up (if FedEx ever delivers the kitchen carts I ordered for them -- out for delivery four days in a row).
Wow.
Mine is only 8' x 9', but that's still bigger than any non-shared darkroom space I've ever been able to use. Wet side is a 42 inch (I think) standard countertop installed on a 36" base cabinet, with a half inch of slope down to the 24" laundry tub sink, and the joint caulked up with RTV silicone (couldn't get standard counter with a raised lip on the edge, but I'll run a bead of silicone along there if I find it's needed). Dry side will have a pair of kitchen carts, one for each enlarger, that I can roll out to access the doors (paper safes, lenses, negative holders, etc. will be stored beneath each). I may have to get creative mounting the power supply and controller for the color head, but I haven't even unboxed that enlarger yet (arrived last week, 30th). Between the enlargers, I'll have either a counter-top cabinet, or a counter-top cart for dry side counter space, and storage underneath, and I've reserved space with an outlet for a print drying cabinet (which I'll probably have to build, even $700 for a bottom end commercial one is a bit much after paying for the construction work). Meantime, film and prints will hang on a "clothesline".
I have a set of 16x20 trays, and my enlarger base boards are 18x27 (ish), so I'm reserving the ability to enlarge to 16x20. Might be tricky washing prints that big, though; the laundry tub is 24x24 (with a washboard molded into the front?!), but it tapers to no more than 20" square at the bottom. I may have to build (vs. spending $300+) a slot washer to fit diagonally in there if/when I get to 16x20. The other potential issue with going that big is that this is a mobile home, so except for the "cathedral" living room and kitchen, the ceilings throughout are just 7' high. I *think* I can get to 4:1 enlargement from 4x5 with a 135mm lens and keep the condenser lamp house under that ceiling height; otherwise, I may have to do the biggest prints only from the color enlarger (the dichroich head is several inches lower than the condenser lamp house), or see if I can get coverage out of a 105-110 mm.
Turning the heads to put the easel on the floor has always seemed to me like a great way to dump the whole enlarger on the floor; at a minimum, I'd have to get some 25 lb barbell plates to counterweight the base boards to keep everything upright, and an Omega D2 won't turn sideways for wall projection, but I'm not likely to want to go bigger than 4:1 from 4x5 anyway (unless I need to crop a lot).
No such rule - you are welcome to post illustrative digital photos of analogue photography things or techniques you are posting about.I'll take a chance on breaking the no-digital rule here
Very nice! Decades ago (circa 1981) I programmed a stacked array of 16-24 of these driven off of an Audio Visual Labs (AVL) micro-computer. I had used a CP/M-driven AVL Eagle, which was about the same size as the original IBM PC, to sequence two dozen projectors to soundtracks. The first Eagle computers were produced by Audio Visual Labs (AVL), a company founded by Chuck Kappenman in New Jersey in the early 1970s to produce proprietary large-format multi-image equipment. Those computer sequenced projectors driven by the Eagle were used to create massive 40 foot long by 20 foot high rear-projection multimedia extravaganzas for large corporate events. These were stunning, heart-stopping Hollywood-class analog multimedia productions for major corporate events, hosting thousands of employees, years before the emergence of mainstream computer-based multimedia as we know it today, became possible.
http://www.stevenmichelsen.com/AVL/
Regards,
Mike
Wow, that brings back memories. In the early 80's I set-up and operated a 20 minute (I'm guessing, here), 12-projector presentation that travelled from L.A. to N.Y., then Chicago and S.F. We brought along the slides and audio track with cues, rented everything else on location.Fantastic! Please tell me more - I love hearing about these complex AV shows. Also thanks for the link which was really interesting and from there I found Douglas Mesney's site which is a treasure trove full of projection techniques I can't yet fathom. There's so little information online about multiple projector shows, it's like being back in the '90s trying to figure out a technique from a pictutre in a magazine. I used to think RA4 printing was niche, but at least you can read about it online. With multiple projector techniques you're totally on your own!
Just received my Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar - probably around a 1970 vintage, based on the serial number. A little pricey for me as I usually go for cheaper models, but it's often a false economy as I end up replacing or repairing them more often than not. It's really gorgeous and I can't wait to take it out to shoot some photos! That said, I'm also a little reluctant to do so because it is so nice.
That's exactly why you should use it and use it often!Just received my Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar - probably around a 1970 vintage, based on the serial number. A little pricey for me as I usually go for cheaper models, but it's often a false economy as I end up replacing or repairing them more often than not. It's really gorgeous and I can't wait to take it out to shoot some photos! That said, I'm also a little reluctant to do so because it is so nice.
That’s a sweet Rollei, looks super clean. Have fun shooting with it.
Roger
That's exactly why you should use it and use it often!Meanwhile, I ordered some XP2 120 and some Fomapan 400 35 mm from Speed Graphic.
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