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The two big stainless sinks I have are both insulated on the bottom.
Why don't you try calling B&H in NYC. They sell Arkay stainless steel sinks made to order for photographic use. I bet B&H could find a solution. You should find someone who knows what they are doing.
I have a secondhand Arkay sink, 10 feet long, has a nice stand.
Plastic or fiberglass makes for great sinks too.
Don't put up finished, wet prints on any surface at the sink, where unseen splashed chemicals can ruin your prints, even if it'll take weeks, months or years to show the damage on the prints.
A magnetic stainless back wall or tall splash guard that you can place test strips and prints, data, charts, etc, on, with magnets, etc, sounds like a good idea.
I mentioned earlier in this thread that a large sink basin with a cover and drain should be incorporated.
You can use it for a water thermal bath and even take the additional steps of installing thermal insulation to the sides and bottom of the outside, underneath the lower sink, for better performance.
IMO,
Eli
I just looked at the German sinks, those look amazing.
I have 2 big stainless sinks and 1 fiberglass. The fiberglass one is 7 feet long and has a built-in dump trough, so when you're finishing up you just lift your tray and dump the solution in the trough. This is a Kreonite sink, probably 45-50 years old, came from a factory graphic arts lab.
The fiberglass sink is (essentially plastic) great.
One other thing, before you order a 4 meter long sink, remember it's got to fit through doors and hallways.
I would get in touch with Deitenbach and see what they think.
Whatever you design, make sure you can actually move it into the place it'll need to be installed in. Take into account any corners, turns etc you'll have to navigate on the way in. It sucks to order something only to realize you need to break out a wall to install it once it arrives at your doorstep.
A sloped bottom, and a multi-section removable rack inside that is flat and allows water to flow under it. Plastic shelving material is good.
A comfortable to lean on front lip is important, and a height that matches your height is too.
You can also check local auction sites. Where I live, they are sold there second hand occasionally. I bought mine, 2 professional sinks there, a few years back For very little money.
UK customs still apply here, unfortunately, but shipping will probably be a bit cheaper than from the US.
I did, but there aren’t any here in Portugal.
Great point about the removable rack. I'll add that to my design notes. Not sure what plastic shelving you're referring to though. Something inside the sink or above/below it?
I checked B&H first, but with shipping, import, and customs duties, the price of each sink doubles.
I found two manufacturers of plastic sinks in Europe—one quoted €10k (not including installation) for two 2-meter sinks, and the other never responded after multiple emails. It turns out I can get a custom stainless steel sink made here in Lisbon for much less.
Good point about the unseen splashes of chemicals. Definitely, finished prints should be placed much higher for that reason.
As for thermal regulation, I think that's beyond what this company handles (they specialize in stainless steel work) and would likely require bringing in other specialists, which could complicate things. Here in Lisbon, we don’t have low temperatures, and my darkroom will be air-conditioned, so maintaining an exact temperature doesn’t seem crucial. So far, I’ve never paid much attention to it, and the room temperature has always been around 20-23 degrees. It would be nice to have precise temperature control, but right now that sounds a bit complicated. I’ll still talk to the guys and consider it, though.
This is the German company I mentioned, and they quoted me around €5000 for one of those 2-meter plastic sinks. For that kind of money, I could almost buy one from B&H, including shipping and customs. Plus, I’m not really a fan of plastic. Stainless steel just looks better—more like an architectural piece—and it’s easy to maintain. Plastic, on the other hand, looks cheap, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets dirty over time to the point where I can’t clean it anymore, like what happened with my plastic trays after using developer and other chemicals.
Haha, true. I’ve already measured all the doors and entrances because I’m making some other furniture for the house besides the darkroom sinks. It’s so easy to overlook something like that.
Great point about the removable rack. I'll add that to my design notes. Not sure what plastic shelving you're referring to though. Something inside the sink or above/below it?
And yeah, the height won’t be standard for this sink. I’m 6'5", and standard heights are always too low for me, so I need to future-proof my back with a slightly raised sink.
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