# Building my own darkroom?



## OGDaniel

OK I looked around for a bit on here but couldn't really find what I'm looking for. I was wondering if someone could tell me how easy it would be to set up my own darkroom and about how much it costs, and please don't tell me to go look it up on Google.

Last year I took 1st Year Photo at school which is analog only, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I felt like each photo I made was special in a way. I had a limited number of exposures, I developed the film, and then I took it to the enlarger and made a print with my hands, and there's a real sense of accomplishment there. I wish there was an option to take like Advanced Analog for the 2nd year or something, instead of being forced to go digital. 

Yeah digital is great and all, but anyone can just go out, snap 100s of pictures, then mess with them in Photoshop and it's just not really the same. If it's a relatively easy thing to do, and not incredibly costly, I think I'd really enjoy building my own darkroom. Some help would be awesome.

And please don't tell me to go Google it, this is a discussion forum, and I'm here to discuss.


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## djacobox372

Watch craigslist; if your area is anything like mine there are usually a half dozen or so people selling their entire darkroom setup.  That is definitely the cheapest way to go. 

Everything else varies, you could setup a temporary darkroom in a bathroom, or you could spend tens of thousands turning your entire basement/attic into the darkroom of your dreams.


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## terri

> Last year I took 1st Year Photo at school which is analog only, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I felt like each photo I made was special in a way.


Good for you - you have developed an appreciation for the tactile process of working with film and making your own enlargements. :thumbup: 

Creating a home darkroom is a fun project in its own right. Start with either craigslist or ebay and search for darkroom equipment. There is great equipment available out there, most of it deeply discounted - so take advantage of it!  It helps to know what you are after before you start randomly searching and then become overwhelmed with choices. If you plan to stick with 35mm and maybe eventually shoot medium format and use 120 film, then you'll only need an enlarger that handles these formats. Look at the enlargers you used in class; if you found them easy to work with, try searching for that brand (ie Besseler). 

You'll need space for setting up developing trays, hanging a safelight and eventually a sink to wash prints in. You don't have to have running water IN the darkroom, though it sure is nice. My own darkroom is just a back bedroom in my house; emptied of furniture so I could set up a table for the enlarger, another cheap fold-out table to hold developing trays and a larger tray of clean water. I hung safelights from small towel racks and it worked like a charm. I covered the windows with black garbage bags - not pretty, but effective and cheap.  

Ask around at your school and come up with a list of what you need, then search for "lots" containing darkrooom equipment on ebay - you'll probably end up with more than you need for less than you expected to pay. 

It's great to be working in film during the digital rush! Take your time and enjoy the journey!


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## OGDaniel

I didn't even look at craigslist at all before, but after about half an hour I found a couple pretty okay-looking partial setups that could contribute to the cause. My goal is to have my whole setup complete and functional by this time next year, but I a lot stuff has to get rearranged and money is a bit tight lol. Thanks for the help all!

I'll be sure and stay vigilant and optimistic in my darkroom quest


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## djacobox372

The first question I'd resolve is the size of negatives you will want to enlarge. Are you going to be sticking with 35mm? or perhaps you will want to go all the way up to 4x5.  This will determine which enlarger you buy.

I personally recommend 6x6 or larger, 35mm is great for journalistic photos, but photographic art really benefits from larger formats.


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## John Mc

I set a Darkroom up in a utility room thats used once a week,cost me around £200/250.
That was for paint/worktops aswell as enlarger ect. i'd suggest finding something that will alow you to print as large as possible,and depending how much space you have,get big developing dishes,so you can print big.

As for ease,its quiet simple.and alot of fun.mine took me 5 days,and i loved building it,so i work harder in it


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## christopher walrath

I'm kind of inline with djacob here in that you should be mindful of the print size you wish to print.  Decide the largest print you anticpate making anytime soon and then build your darkroom to accomodate one size larger.

Probably the two most important pieces you will have in your darkroom will be the enlarger and the sink.  The enlarger must be able to handle the largest negative you will shoot.  And there's nothing wrong with scoring a cheap old enlarger that will do 4x5.  You can get shorter lenses and 35mm/MF carriers but it will give you the option to mess around with large format if you choose to in the future.  The sink should hold your largest trays with the longest dimension fitting front to back in the sink.  Have enough room for for trays on the counter and about twice the size of those trays in the sink proper for lots of room.

Basically, if you are building a dedicated darkrom, make one you can grow into if the desire arises.


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## orlovphoto

I'll admit I didn't read all the replies in detail but here are ny thoughts after having worked in over a dozen darkrooms over the years:
Hold out for as long as possible and get your hands on a Saunders LPL - either the 4x5 or 6x7 model but WITH A BLACK AND WHITE HEAD. Those things will make your life 10x easier and your prints will be better with less effort. Another important thing about enlargers - whichever one you do get make SURE to get a good lens (like Rodagon), your prints (just like your negatives) are only as good as your lens.
Get a good film drying system: there are old-school sleeves with a heater that gan hang from a hook. A sink is important as someone mentioned (that might be the hardest to find and definitely transport).
Ventilation is key to staying healthy and not developing an allergy to the chemistry.

Good luck.


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## loopy

My set up probably cost about $300 when it was all said and done. I got my enlarger from my local photo shop and my film tanks off e-bay (local). I scored some large trays for free but purchased my small ones new. 

I don't have a sink in mine, but I wish I did.


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## jho

I'm glad I came across this post. I'm thinking about setting something up in my basement too. The only space I can think of is under my stairs, which height poses as a problem but there should be enough room to move around, for the chemical trays, enlarger and I have access to water there as well.


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## trojancast

Bravo to you for embracing film. You have joined a special community who welcome you.  I agree with all of the above posts, but would also steer you to freestylephoto.biz a company dedicated to students of film photography.  Their new gear is quite reasonably priced, as it is geared to students.  The site also contains a wealth of information.  Very best of luck!


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## Professional

It is a long story but i started to shoot film or analog last year and i felt the same way, i felt that i make the photo from a to Z, printing it by darkroom or my printer doesn't matter but i can see that all the process i did by myself, so fun.
I started with MF film and end up with large format, but still i didn't shoot one sheet yet, so i hope by this month i can shoot some and see.
I have just half darkroom for processing/developing my B&W film in my bathroom, there is a space for printing but i don't want to start to print now until i understand film and developing things, i bought the three trilogy books of Ansel Adams, and i was planning to make this year [2011] as a year of printing and last year of negative, but i think i will keep last year and this year for camera and negative and next year for printing.


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## SlickSalmon

The stuff is the easy part.  eBay or Craigslist will probably render someone who wants to get rid of their whole rig.  The hard part is the space.  It's got to be dark, ventilated, and have access to running water.  Since photographic processing is temperature sensitive, and you'll be storing chemicals, the space also has to be temperature controlled.  Finally, it needs to be a space where you can leave everything set up.  It's a pain to set up and put things away every time you want to do something, so you'll find you'll never do it.


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## iduv

If you are wanting a easy setup and just develop 35mm negatives - you can snap up a Rondinax daylight developing tank (or similar) for pretty cheap. You won't need a darkroom at all. I've developed negatives for colour and b&w and its easy. This with a combination of a good negative scanner (I use a canon 8800) makes for a good hybrid way of working with digital and analogue.

They do have them for 120 film, but i've munted 2 rolls of film with it - I don't know if its my fumbling hands or its b**ch to work it, but I would recommend the 35mm tank over the 120. If you are interested in buying it...

Also having a changebag (you make your own out heavy black canvas) is really handy well, especially for situations when I have to crack open the 35mm canister.


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## Professional

iduv said:


> If you are wanting a easy setup and just develop 35mm negatives - you can snap up a Rondinax daylight developing tank (or similar) for pretty cheap. You won't need a darkroom at all. I've developed negatives for colour and b&w and its easy. This with a combination of a good negative scanner (I use a canon 8800) makes for a good hybrid way of working with digital and analogue.
> 
> They do have them for 120 film, but i've munted 2 rolls of film with it - I don't know if its my fumbling hands or its b**ch to work it, but I would recommend the 35mm tank over the 120. If you are interested in buying it...
> 
> Also having a changebag (you make your own out heavy black canvas) is really handy well, especially for situations when I have to crack open the 35mm canister.



Where i can get that Rondinax daylight tank for 120? I live in UAE, i use small tanks to develop B&W, but i want something different to develop color as well if possible, also i want to develop large format 4x5 sheets.


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## CCericola

While you are building up your darkroom you can see if anyone is renting darkroom time. We have a community art center here that lets you pay for darkroom time.


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## iduv

Hi Professional,

Ebay.com/.co.uk/.de is probably, your best bet - its where I bought my rondinax. I've used it to developed both black and white and colours films no problems (just a matter of monitoring temperature correctly - especially for colour film. Aside from that, developing negatives is a breeze. You can only develop one roll at time though, which will make big jobs take longer.

They've only made rondinax tanks for 35mm and 120 film as far as I can tell. 

ebay example:
cgi.ebay.com/Agfa-Rondinax-35U-daylight-developing-tank-/140511633046?pt=UK_Photography_VintagePhotography_VintagePhotoAccessories&hash=item20b7255e96#ht_1296wt_1140


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## Gene Gustafson

Kudos for your choice to stay with film! Hopefully, film will stay with us!
On your search for d'room equipment, don't ignore local camera shops. Many deal with used equipment, and at great values, minus shipping. 
It's important to oversize when choosing an enlarger(you may go to a larger film format later, and it's one less obstacle at that time, so plan ahead). Tray sizes are easy and inexpensive to adjust, the enlarger is the most important choice in the beginning. Recommendations as to the best choice are endless, and will be jaded by those who recommend any particular brand. Opinions are based on experience, so go with what you're comfortable with, and meets your standards.
Where to put a darkroom? I have an Omega D2 4x5 enlarger with a Zone VI cold light head, an Omega C70 35mm enlarger, printing 16x20's and 11x14's, processed in trays, I process my film in trays, mix my own developers, fixers, hypos and tone all prints. I wash my prints in an archival print washer. This all happens in a half bathroom. Be creative my friend.


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