# Darkroom setup



## kmv2 (Mar 14, 2006)

So I want to set up my darkroom, and it is my first time. All I want to do is print, not develop film (yet).

I have no running water in the room though. Will this be a problem? Or can I just agitate the print in a tub of water to rinse?

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.


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## kmv2 (Mar 14, 2006)

I just read in http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2384&highlight=running+water that you don't need water.

So that means it's ok to do an hour or so of printing and then go wash/rinse them in the light?


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## ksmattfish (Mar 15, 2006)

Yes.  Once they have been fixed it's okay to turn on the lights.  I hold my prints in a tub of water that I change periodically, until I'm ready to wash the whole batch.  Washing fix from a print is more about leeching than running water, so repeated soaks in clean water can be an effective washing method.

There are possible issues with the emulsion peeling away from the plastic backing of RC paper if you leave them to soak too long, but you'd have to soak them for several hours.


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## terri (Mar 15, 2006)

My darkroom is an unused upstairs bedroom in my house - never had any running water. I do exactly what Matt described: after fixing, I slip the print into a holding bath (an oversized plastic storage bin). I can print for a few hours this way before I carry them downstairs to the kitchen, where I can put them through a tray of hypoclear, then use my print washer at the kitchen sink. It's workable!


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## kmv2 (Mar 15, 2006)

Thanks for the tips. Hopefully I'll be in there soon doing some prints!


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## terri (Mar 15, 2006)

Absolutely! Come back with any questions, there are lots of darkroom geeks here.  

And post your stuff so we can admire them!


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## ThomThomsk (Mar 15, 2006)

terri said:
			
		

> My darkroom is an unused upstairs bedroom in my house - never had any running water. I do exactly what Matt described: after fixing, I slip the print into a holding bath (an oversized plastic storage bin). I can print for a few hours this way before I carry them downstairs to the kitchen, where I can put them through a tray of hypoclear, then use my print washer at the kitchen sink. It's workable!



Is this OK for fibre based paper as well as RC? I read somewhere that FB absorbs water, and that too much washing isn't a great idea.

As soon as I work out how to black out the window I'm ready to go in our spare bedroom, which unsurprisingly has no running water. I was planning on using the holiding bath method, and I'll be starting with RC paper, but I really want to move on to fibre at some stage.

Thomsk (who is dreaming about darkrooms at the moment...)


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## terri (Mar 15, 2006)

ThomThomsk said:
			
		

> Is this OK for fibre based paper as well as RC? I read somewhere that FB absorbs water, and that too much washing isn't a great idea.
> 
> As soon as I work out how to black out the window I'm ready to go in our spare bedroom, which unsurprisingly has no running water. I was planning on using the holiding bath method, and I'll be starting with RC paper, but I really want to move on to fibre at some stage.
> 
> Thomsk (who is dreaming about darkrooms at the moment...)


Can't see why not. They stay in the holding water for a few hours, tops. As with any print they need to be handled with care while wet. I give them a couple minutes in the hypo clear to reduce the final wash time. Squeegee them off and they dry down fine, curls and all.


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## ksmattfish (Mar 15, 2006)

I'm sure that any paper can be left soaking in water too long.  I've heard of people leaving FB prints soaking overnight with no apparent problems.  My FB prints sit in a holding bath (water changed regularly) for an hour or two before they even go into the official wash, which will be another 30 to 60 min.  

I've been using TF-4 fixer.  It's fast like a rapid fixer, and the wash times are only 20 to 35 min for FB.

I don't have the links, but if you google terms such as "archival print washing" you'll run across plenty of articles by folks doing some pretty serious testing of washing techniques.


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## ThomThomsk (Mar 16, 2006)

Thanks guys. Those kinds of times look fine - I can't see that I'll need to hold any prints for more than a few hours.

Thomsk


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