darkroom

Where I live it's hard to come by decent enlarger timers, and when you do find one they're often really pricy. Being cheap, I experimented with using my phone to control the enlarger by plugging it into a wifi plug and writing an app that turns the plug on and off with a timer and since then...

Hey all, I am not into photography AT ALL - most I've ever done is take very casual pics on my iPhone. My wife is really into film photography (mostly black and white, but dabbles in color here and there) and has been wanting a dark room at home for quite some time. We just moved into a new...

Are these middle plates necessary to the function of the Durst Laborator 1200? I have two models of Durst L1200, one has the middle plates and the other recently bought, does not Does this affect anything with the enlarger?

Hey all! Over lockdown, unable to access my community darkroom, I built out my own in my bathroom. Super happy with how it’s worked out for me, and so glad to have the resources on this site to aid the process! I decided recently to foray into color printing for the first time (RA-4) and it’s...

wondering if anyone else has used this combo yet and if they have any tips. developed my first roll today and it seemed ok, (could see images on the negatives) but once I scanned and attempted to invert the images the photos were mainly blue and white. I followed the cs41 kit's temps and times...

How does one maintain the temperature of paper developer and fixer in a barebones home darkroom? And can one bring a print after being in the fix out into the light to get it washed in another room or will they have to stay in safelight conditions until after it's washed?

Hi all, I have recently got a 'kit' made which was made by a local chemical manufacturer as ready made kits for colour film developing are hard to come by where I live. All the videos I have seen online and discussions make mention of using blix which is the bleach and fixer combined, the kit...

Hi all, I recently got some photo paper which seems quite old however some of it has been opened and some of it hasn't. It is a mixed variety but I have googled and not got many answers. I will list the papers and i know someone in another thread said they had the 'manuals' for old papers but I...

okay y'all. I just received my newest batch of developing chemicals in the mail. I was so excited that I immediately went to mix- and forgot to heat my mixing water to 120° for the developer. Is there any way I can save it?? Total bone-head move for me. Don't worry, I'm pissed at myself too. :angry:

Hello. Although this is my first post on this forum, it's not quite as shameless as it might seem. I have an enlarger and associated darkroom equipment that I would like to see go to a good home. The enlarger is a Vivitar 356 colour enlarger that I bought nearly new a long time ago. I used it at...

I’m selling my JOBO CPP2 film and print processor. It’s about as clean as it gets! I’m looking to get as close to $850 as I can for it. I’m also including a brand new box of tetenal Colortec chemicals for developing E6. I’m willing to bundle this with my CPA 2, a JOBO drum expert for...

So there's no guarantee that I'll do this, but figured I'd look into it before making decisions that specifically rule-out the possibility. I have a detached 24'8" by 38'8" workshop that was built with the house that includes plumbing in the ground for a bathroom in one corner. At the moment...

Hi all, Apologies for the newbie question, but I'm curious as to what is the correct sequence for chemistry in the darkroom? I'm looking to do selective bleaching on a few prints. Is it: -develop -stop -fix (x2) -wash/hold -selective bleaching -fix (x2) -selenium tone -final wash Thanks for...

Hi everyone I am looking to buy my first enlarger. I live in South Africa, and the options on second-hand websites seem limited (and expensive compared to what I can find on forums), so I need advice. There are three that I am quite interested in. My first choice is a Meopta Opemus III (almost...

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I recently have been trying to develop my own b&w film. However, I’m having issues. My first roll came out blank but not transparent like it had developed? The numbers are show on my roll but other than that nothing. I have attached photos to...

Hi. I have a Durst 707 colour enlarger that I need to connect to a timer. The cable coming from the enlarger has two wires inside it. One black one white. I've never seen this before. Not the standard blue/brown. The cable that connects to the timer has a two prong socket. This cable is...

Hello. I am building my own lab at home again, after 20 years away from film. A good friend gave me a Meopta 6a head without the column, and now I need to buy it separately, something that seems quite difficult. Found online a Meopta 5 enlarger very cheap (15€) one hour by car from home. The...

Hi! I'm a commercial photographer and have been out of the darkroom for 8 years but I have inherited a Beseler 45mxII enlarger and I am very excited to finally get back to the analog world. But my darkroom knowledge is a bit rusty. The enlarger did not come with an enlarger lens, lensboard...

Been getting a weird haze destroying my images took to the repair place in london which supposedly knew how to fix saying was light leak but appears not to be and now they say the camera is perfectly fine. EVen the people at the printing place had no clue cant find anything similar online. Is it...

Never developed my own film. Sure I've shot it and got it processed etc etc. Anyway. Just bought a new house and there's an ideal "darkroom" included. Totally dark! What do I need to develop my own Black and White images? I shoot B&W film from time to time. Is anybody able to list for me the...

Today I tried to develop a roll of film in Ilfosol 3. I've developed film before with D-76 but this is my first time using Ilfosol 3. My steps were as follows: Gentle agitation for first 30 seconds, then every 15 seconds at the end of each minute. I shot HP5 at iso400 and followed the times...

Hi guys, Looking to build my own sink for the darkroom for both B&W and colour developing. It will need to be made out of plywood then painted with marine paint and then covered with a waterproofing coating. I've drawn up a rough design to scale of 1:100 but I'm a little stuck with the size...

Hi guys, I'm hoping you can all help me out with a few questions I have about starting my own darkroom. I've read up on all the basics in regards to chemicals, equipment etc. and just need a few things cleared up. I've attached a layout I'm thinking will most likely resemble the one I will...