# Darkroom Project



## John Mc (Sep 18, 2010)

Hi all,im new to the forum,so in advance,i'd like to appologise to the Moderators in advance if im posting in the wrong thread here.
I also appologise as its a long thread,but theres a few questions i need help with.

Ive recently started a Photography course in which we have to start from the begining,Black and white film.at first,i wasnt best pleased,i was more of a Digital person to begin with. but after developing and producing a few rather good prints,i found i really enjoyed it.it got me thinking about creating a Darkroom in my own house,well,parents house.i gave myself a budget of around £600 and a 4 month window to complete it,around christmas i expect to be finished.

I know the first majour thing i'd need,was going to be an elnarger,and i thought,stick to what im used to.Lpl C7700,which is what i used in college.
On ebay on day last week i came across one,


 LPL C7700 Colour Enlarger with transformer​
 Adjustable negative holder - 35mm up to 6x7cm​
 Timer (not connected to power)​
 Nikon El Nikkor 50mm f4 lens​
 Paterson Focus Finder​
 3 Easels ​
 Contact frame​
 Red safe light (not in photo)​
 2 Print Glazers (1 boxed) not shown in photo.​
All this came too £100 buy it now,so,i bought it.a gift from my girlfriend.im a lucky man.my budget and time to get this built has droped from £600,to around £150-200,and 4 months,to 2 weeks.

Its all going to go in a 6'x8' foot room,its where the boiler is,which im not sure if thats going to effect the prints due to the fact its warm.the room has no windows,just a door,so once in im able to lock myself there,and have hours of fun 

I need other equipment,not alot,and i know my parents are planing on getting a new kitchen and bathroom put in and to get the plumbing redone,so nothing in the room is going to be perminant until they have completed this.so i can get taps and a small sink fitted.

The questions i have are,would i need to paint the room a Matt Black?or leave it whitish/yellow?
will the temp make a difference in my prints?its not too warm,but its deffinently above room temp.
Thats it for about now,i'll have more as im building.

John


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## ann (Sep 18, 2010)

There is  no need to paint the room black. yellow or even white would be nice.

You may consider painting the ceiling black with a 12inch border down the sides to reduce any enlarger flare.  If you have some type of "walls" around the enlarger that could be black, but walls can be what ever, even light gray, which is what we used the last time we painted the lab. It makes the whole room lighter and easier to get around as it is a gang darkroom with 12 stations. It had been black and was just too glooming.

Temperature can effect the print, you can also use a water bath of some type if it gets too warm.  I beleive the lab is about 72


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## white (Sep 19, 2010)

Hopefully the room has some sort of ventilation.

The walls in my school's lab are cream-colored. Don't worry about it messing up your paper. Paper has a low iso.


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## John Mc (Sep 19, 2010)

Cheers for the advice,one of the reasons i wanted to paint the room,was because its an unpleasent colour,But Grey Might be a nice compromise to black,ive got a big tub of white paint and a small tube of black siting here. The enlarger was going to get its own little alcove,as the space is small,im going to have to have a light box next to it.ive already thought about having a paper safe as to keep undeveloped prints safe.

Regards to ventilation,i am looking into that,but because the room is litrally in the middle of the house,its tricky,i need to wait for refurbishment of the kitchen or bathroom to sort this,but for now,im using a Air cooler to keep air cool,and circulated,which will hopefully drop the room temp down so im not sweating whilst working


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## UUilliam (Sep 19, 2010)

I think the Ventilation is for the fact there is chemicals that will release gas, therefore, I doubt you want to be stuck in a confined space with gasses.


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## John Mc (Sep 19, 2010)

I thought this too,what i might do is get a filtration system,or some flexable vent tubing so i can hang it out a window close by


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## ann (Sep 19, 2010)

that make all sorts of vents for windows, check a good photo shop. calumet should be one


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## John Mc (Sep 19, 2010)

I'll take a trip to my local Calumet store next week,my main thing this coming week/end is to get the worktops up and painted


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## John Mc (Sep 21, 2010)

Bit of a daft question,but Darkroom equipment isnt my strongest point,and ive struggled to find the info im after. But are Enlarger timers universal?or do i need a specific one that links with my Enlarger?

Thanks john


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## ann (Sep 21, 2010)

they are pretty universal. there are analog timers and digital ones. Unless you have a high end larger a universal is fine. You can check around for an old fashion time-o-lite timer which is a classic.

i may have one around the lab that i can sell you fairly cheaply. let me know.


with timers, one plug into the electrical outlet. the power cable from the enlarger into the timer. pretty straight forward


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## John Mc (Sep 21, 2010)

No worrys ann,thanks for the advice


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## John Mc (Sep 23, 2010)

My enlarger came today,and ive set it all up,not worries.my teacher in college gave me a Paterson 2000d timer,which has a 3 pin "kettle" type cable input.but the Enlarger to the transformer is a 2 pin cable,the question i have is how do i set up the enlarger,transformer and timer. does it go in the way i said,or another?im all confused


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## ann (Sep 23, 2010)

which enlarger, and when you say 2 pin, do you mean a standard two prong plug. oops, i just noticed your in the uk. i don't know what your plugs look like across the pond i would check with your instructor.


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## John Mc (Sep 23, 2010)

Haha,its okay,i think ive got it,but i do mean the Standard 2 pin prong that go's into the Transformer,im then presuming the Transformer go's into the timer.
The 3 pin Socket i refer to is called an IEC socket,theres a female one in the back of the Timer for transformers,but the conection on mines is for a mains supply,so im going to have to change it.


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## John Mc (Sep 28, 2010)

So here are some poor quality photos,Alot of camera shake as i hand held but you'll get the idea.


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## ann (Sep 28, 2010)

looks like your up and ready to go,

have fun


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## John Mc (Sep 28, 2010)

Close,unfortuantly,my bursary never came through on time,so im still to purchase my dishes,tongs and chemical bottles,i'll stick a couple of my first prints up from my darkroom towards the end of next week,and you's can judge my home-work then


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## ann (Sep 28, 2010)

there are all sorts of options for trays, and bottles, and at the risk of starting a real war tongs may or may not be critical. I have been doing darkroom work for over 60 years, no tongs, no issues, other than i have hard to finger print.
However, there are those who use them so just be sure if you do to mark them so they don't get placed in the wrong chemisty.


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## John Mc (Sep 28, 2010)

Im just going to get a cheap set of bambo ones,i was considering just going without as the ones i use in college have scratched the image a few times,however there steel ones. so i shall see how they respond to me


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## maris (Sep 28, 2010)

John Mc said:


> Im just going to get a cheap set of bambo ones,i was considering just going without as the ones i use in college have scratched the image a few times,however there steel ones. so i shall see how they respond to me


Bamboo tongs with rubber tips are very effective. I use two with different colours for every darkroom session. One goes only into the developer, the other only touches stop-bath and fixer and I never interchange the two. That way there is no adverse contamination of the processing solutions or tong-marks or stains on the photographs.

Nearly fifty years ago I decided to become a "tong expert" and avoid all skin contact with processing solutions; this mainly to avoid causing finger marks on expensive gelatin-silver paper. Remember, even the faintest trace of fixer on a finger tip will cause permanent white marks on the photograph and it will go in the trash. And having to wash your hands a hundred times during a darkroom session sure slows you down.

Practice makes perfect (or near to it) and these days I reckon I could do a day in the darkroom while wearing a white dinner suit and not get a spot. It is a clean and pleasant way to work. Sure, I've watched people make photographs while elbow-deep in processing solutions and they get by but I'm not that tough.


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## John Mc (Sep 29, 2010)

the main reason i was looking at the bambo tongs is because the steel ones are too expensive per pair.granted,there steel,but i found that when i use them in college,they can often scratch my print,which has frustrated me to picking up the print with finger tips around the boarder.plus,ive noticed the bambo versions have a wider gripping point,so wont be a pain when gripping prints,well,i think


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