What is Needed to Build My Own Darkroom?
Building a darkroom can be fun and a good family activity while at the same time give a real sense of creation because you will be making photographs the old fashion way. The darkroom may be old fashioned, but there's nothing like watching your own images slowly emerge in the developer bath. The basic darkroom is a darkened room with a sink, trays, enlarger and safe light. You can build one in a closet, in a basement or a spare room.
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Types
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To get started, pick a spot in the basement preferably where there is or can be a sink. An essential element of a darkroom is running water with temperature control.
Next you will need to build a light-tight room. If it has windows, you will need to cover them in the daylight so you can see where potential light holes appear. Film must be developed in total darkness and only specific "safe" light can be used during print making.
If you are building walls, the same is true. They must be light-tight to prevent clouding of photo paper and film.
Function
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You will need a table of some sort, at least 6 feet long and at a comfortable height. Most likely you will be standing during the print processing, so the table can't be too low or too high.
It must be long enough to hold the enlarger and four 11 by 14-inch trays. If you are right-handed, put the enlarger at the left with the trays for developer, stop-bath, fixer and hypo stretching out to the right. The sink should be at the far right. If you are left-handed, reverse this. The idea is to build a darkroom that makes it the easiest to develop prints in the right sequence. -
Features
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Shelves will be useful for storing paper and chemicals. These can be above the table or to the side. They need to be sturdy because you will keep chemicals---some as liquids---there.
Considerations
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Lighting should be subdued, no more than a couple of 60-watt bulbs. You can make a switch to turn off the white light and turn on the "safe" light, or just have two switches. For the safelight itself, you can buy one pre-made from Kodak and other companies, or build your own. If you build your own, you will need the specific light filters necessary for photographic work. The traditional "as-seen-in-movies" red light isn't just a red light. Red or amber, a safe light must filter out the light that will expose photo paper prematurely.
Even if you build the light, you still can buy the correct filter.
Identification
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Other items you will need include a darkroom timer and a light table or light box.
The timer can be a simple---but accurate---regular device available in hardware or department stores. If you want better accuracy, GraLab produces timers that switch on the enlarger, then switch it off and automatically turn on the safe light.
A light box can be purchased or built. It essentially is a box with fluorescent lights and a smooth, translucent glass or plastic surface. This is used with a small magnifier to look at negatives and slides before printing.
You also will need a film and print dryer. These are designed to blow hot air across the film or prints to dry them with minimal spotting.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Shawn M. Tomlinson
