home darkroom 101

artyeva

in a few weeks [assuming the house move goes to plan] i'll finally be in a position to set up my home darkroom. really really looking forward to this as it's been literally YEARS since i did this sorta stuff in college.

so - i have most of the hardware amassed at this stage [thanks to adverts:p] but i do have a few questions - i was hoping the film gurus on here might help me out with some advice and others new to the home darkroom might find some useful tips and tricks.

so, um... first up, where's the best/easiest/cheapest place to buy chemicals? i've been looking on e-bay and a few other sites but as i don't know how much i should be paying, i don't know if i'm getting a good deal :rolleyes: plus a lot of overseas sites won't ship chemicals internationally.

also - is there anywhere in ireland that still sells hardware like reels and tongs?

i am a COMPLETE nooob to all this btw - ye'll have to speak s-l-o-w-l-y

rameire

would like to know also.
im trying to setup a darkroom for the mrs.
but as she is being busy with college and taking vast amounts of photos,
she needs to get off her fat arse and tell me what i need to do, as i havent a clue.
all help is welcome.

Captain Flaps

There is indeed a place that sell reels, tongs, chemicals, the lot! You want Gunne's on Camden Street, they have all that jazz and it's a family shop, they all know their stuff and will happily spend as long as it takes to make sure you're totally satisfied. You can get all that stuff online and it might be a wee bit cheaper, but going into that shop is a pleasure and honestly worth paying a few euro more for.

Oops, didn't notice the OP is in Mayo. Well, if you're ever in Dublin you know where to go

DaireQuinlan

I've only done a small bit of printing so I'm not really qualified to talk about it. Film development wise, I think artyeva mentioned in the other thread that he has the dev chems but nothing else.
So what you need on top of that is a development tank, fix, optionally stop, and a wash aid. You can get those cheap paterson clone tanks that take 35mm or 120 pretty cheaply in the camera exchange or gunnes I'd say. I don't know if anyone here stocks Jobo stuff but those tanks are grand, their only drawback is that they're quite heavy on chems if you're just developing one roll of 35mm at a time.

I get all my chemicals in the camera exchange or gunnes. I mainly stick with ilford stuff. DD-X for dev and ilford quick fix and ilfotol for fix and wash. I never bother with stop. I also have rodinal and have just started messing around with diafine but I had to get that shipped, nowhere here to find it.

Once you develop you need somewhere dust free to hang the negs to dry (I use the bathroom) and you should probably get some negative sleeves to put the things once you cut them into strips. I use those acid free glasseen jobs. I normally get them online aswell but I've bought them in the camera exchange before.

uprising

artyeva wrote: »

in a few weeks [assuming the house move goes to plan] i'll finally be in a position to set up my home darkroom. really really looking forward to this as it's been literally YEARS since i did this sorta stuff in college.

so - i have most of the hardware amassed at this stage [thanks to adverts:p] but i do have a few questions - i was hoping the film gurus on here might help me out with some advice and others new to the home darkroom might find some useful tips and tricks.

so, um... first up, where's the best/easiest/cheapest place to buy chemicals? i've been looking on e-bay and a few other sites but as i don't know how much i should be paying, i don't know if i'm getting a good deal :rolleyes: plus a lot of overseas sites won't ship chemicals internationally.

also - is there anywhere in ireland that still sells hardware like reels and tongs?

i am a COMPLETE nooob to all this btw - ye'll have to speak s-l-o-w-l-y

I'd buy the chemicals locally and the tongs, film clips, focus magnifier, daylight changing bag, etc online.
Also shoot a few rolls and process them together to save a few bob. You'll need to practice loading the film onto the reel, but you'll learn as you go along and produce better and better prints in no time.
A little book would be handy but everything you need to know is available online.
But really just jump in and do it, it's easy and rewarding.

artyeva

Captain Flaps wrote: »

You want Gunne's on Camden Street

Thanks Captain Flaps - i might make a trip in next time i make a trip up there. at least then i have something to compare online prices with.

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

So what you need on top of that is a development tank, fix, optionally stop, and a wash aid. You can get those cheap paterson clone tanks that take 35mm or 120 pretty cheaply in the camera exchange or gunnes I'd say. I don't know if anyone here stocks Jobo stuff but those tanks are grand, their only drawback is that they're quite heavy on chems if you're just developing one roll of 35mm at a time.

ok, so i have a patterson tank, just need some reels. it's a 4 x 35mm reel tank so i was planning to do everything in lots of 4. any idea how much a reel is in gunnes or camera exchange??!

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

I get all my chemicals in the camera exchange or gunnes. I mainly stick with ilford stuff. DD-X for dev and ilford quick fix and ilfotol for fix and wash. I never bother with stop.

no stop? :eek: it was drummed into us in college that the stop had to be poured in within seconds of draining out the developer - so much so the technician used to let a roar out of him if you didn't have it ready before you started the agitatin' :rolleyes: do you just bung in the fix straight away instead?

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

I also have rodinal and have just started messing around with diafine but I had to get that shipped, nowhere here to find it.

ok - here's a complete nooob question - can i develop with rodinal and fix with ilford chems?

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Once you develop you need somewhere dust free to hang the negs to dry (I use the bathroom) and you should probably get some negative sleeves to put the things once you cut them into strips. I use those acid free glasseen jobs. I normally get them online aswell but I've bought them in the camera exchange before.

check. this whole kit and kaboodle will be in the attic and i was planning to just hang a line and clip them from that. it'll be as dust free as i can get it with a hoover

uprising wrote: »

You'll need to practice loading the film onto the reel, but you'll learn as you go along and produce better and better prints in no time.
A little book would be handy but everything you need to know is available online.
But really just jump in and do it, it's easy and rewarding.

thanks uprising, it'll keep me off the streets anyway it's been so many years since i used to do it practically every day that i'm bound to be rusty for a while, but that's part of the fun really.

does anyone have any reccomendations for a good book on the subject? something like a darkroom recipe book i've done hours and hours of googling but i'd rather go on the reccomendation of someone that actually does this stuff. all this advice is much appreciated by the way.

Ghost Train

Don't forget the thermometer

uprising

Ghost Train wrote: »

Don't forget the thermometer

Good point, although I must admit I never used it when developing B+W, I simply mixed my chemicals, put them into 3 bottles and left them at room temperature for a couple of hours and they were always about 20 degrees.

EDIT: FOR OP
B+W film development

Also remember to set your camera so it leaves the leader (start of film) sticking out, cut it straight, then curve the pointy edges so they dont jam while loading onto the reel, also a bit of washing up liquid will help it along.

Slav

artyeva wrote: »

so, um... first up, where's the best/easiest/cheapest place to buy chemicals? i've been looking on e-bay and a few other sites but as i don't know how much i should be paying, i don't know if i'm getting a good deal :rolleyes: plus a lot of overseas sites won't ship chemicals internationally.

I get raw chemicals from either www.silverprint.co.uk or www.retrophotographic.com. They also sell ready made chemistry and darkroom hardware.

artyeva wrote: »

does anyone have any reccomendations for a good book on the subject? something like a darkroom recipe book i've done hours and hours of googling but i'd rather go on the reccomendation of someone that actually does this stuff. all this advice is much appreciated by the way.

Still have a copy of Ansel Adams' The Negative and The Print from the college years?
Classic and IMO the best book on the subject.

uprising

Yes Ansel Adams, the zone system, B+W Masterclass.

DaireQuinlan

Oh yeah, the thermometer ! Gunnes have gigantic foot long glass ones that I got, I needed one that went at least up to 40c for C-41.
Also a leader extracter. This is a little plastic widget that lets you get the leader out of a roll if it's been pulled in. When you need it, you need it !

Slav wrote: »

I get raw chemicals from either www.silverprint.co.uk or www.retrophotographic.com.

I've heard ... Less than positive things ... about retro. Do a search on apug for it.

john12

I am a newbie in the world of photography and had printed a few photos.Been really enjoying it so would be glad to learn a lot here with regards setting up a darkroom.By the way got limited budget so please consider this in your reco.

DaireQuinlan

Slav wrote: »

I get raw chemicals from either www.silverprint.co.uk or www.retrophotographic.com. They also sell ready made chemistry and darkroom hardware.

Actually Slav, forgot this in the previous post. Silverprint declare on their website that they don't ship any chemicals (either raw or made up) outside the UK. I never bothered checking with them. Did they ship to you here in Ireland ? Also the £100 minimum order is a bit off-putting

No-one has mentioned this yet, but the ilfordphoto site has a wealth of information available. Specific to its stuff is all the data sheets for their various products, but they also have a lot of beginner info...

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/page.asp?n=16

ok, so i have a patterson tank, just need some reels. it's a 4 x 35mm reel tank so i was planning to do everything in lots of 4. any idea how much a reel is in gunnes or camera exchange??!

Is that some gigantic patterson tank ? You might be better off getting a smaller single reel tank if you can. The reels should be the same anyway. Developing four reels at once will probably need over a litre and a half of chemicals. Doing one at a time you'll need anything from 350->450ml or so, and you can re-use them.

do you just bung in the fix straight away instead?

I drain out the developer and do a quick few washes and then add the fix.

- can i develop with rodinal and fix with ilford chems?

Yes. Fix is fix is fix.

Slav

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

I've heard ... Less than positive things ... about retro. Do a search on apug for it.

Will do, cheers! Have never had a problem with them though (apart from their shipping rates to Ireland were too high few years ago so it was cheaper to order some Adox/Efke stuff from FotoImpex in Berlin)...

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Actually Slav, forgot this in the previous post. Silverprint declare on their website that they don't ship any chemicals (either raw or made up) outside the UK. I never bothered checking with them. Did they ship to you here in Ireland ? Also the £100 minimum order is a bit off-putting

Last time I ordered chemicals from them was about 1.5 years ago and it was OK. Maybe they have changed their policy or maybe Ireland does not count. A hundred pound min order is not nice, I agree.

gerk86

and a kettle nearby to bring your dev temp up!

thefizz

For a good online supplier, check out www.macodirect.de

They will ship chemicals and their film and paper prices are very good.

Gunns will also dispatch anything you need by courier, up to 25kg for €12.

Ghost Train

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Is that some gigantic patterson tank ? You might be better off getting a smaller single reel tank if you can. The reels should be the same anyway. Developing four reels at once will probably need over a litre and a half of chemicals. Doing one at a time you'll need anything from 350->450ml or so, and you can re-use them.

Have been using a pretty small patterson system 4 tank, 290cc capacity and use 250ml of chemicals without any problems. Only holds 1 35mm reel or 45mm if there's such a format. If I was back again maybe should have got one that can hold 2 reels which would also give the option of doing medium format I I want to try it.

Then again it is nice to be able to do one roll of film at a time.

rameire

have a few bottles that i got when buying enlarger second hand.
developer is ilfords ilfosol if it brown is it gone off as i have never used this brand.

DaireQuinlan

rameire wrote: »

have a few bottles that i got when buying enlarger second hand.
developer is ilfords ilfosol if it brown is it gone off as i have never used this brand.

I'd toss it regardless. Ilfosol doesn't have much of a shelf life once opened (which is why it's sold in those little bottles). And as far as I remember there's no way of telling it's gone off, until you take your now blank film out of the tank and curse your cheapness in trying to squeeze a few more rolls out of it .

rameire

thanks, i thought someone might say that!

Thoie

artyeva wrote: »

check. this whole kit and kaboodle will be in the attic and i was planning to just hang a line and clip them from that. it'll be as dust free as i can get it with a hoover

Attics may have changed since my day, but I've never seen a reasonably dust free attic - regardless of effort spent in hoovering/dusting

You used to be able to buy a kind of a big bag thing with clips in it, and you hung that from a line/ceiling, and hung the negatives inside it. I've seen someone use a transparent wedding dress bag with a jerry rigged circle at the top, though I never saw the end results from that.

rameire

just a bit of info for the op.
ive now converted the downstairs bathroom ( you could fit a bed in there ) into a darkroom.
bought blackout material from shaws ( almost nationwide ) about 7.50 per yard.
blacked out the window, and have also made a curtain that is screwed to the wall that will cover all light that would get through the door.
have the durst enlarger.
also have shelves that got from homebase. ( plastic shelves )
all need now is chemicals and the wife to lock herself away.

Fajitas!

rameire wrote: »

just a bit of info for the op.
ive now converted the downstairs bathroom ( you could fit a bed in there ) into a darkroom.

Bonus points for being able to rest on the throne while your negs are washing.

DaireQuinlan

Fajitas! wrote: »

Bonus points for being able to rest on the throne while your negs are washing.

Also, other ... uhhh ... interesting development possibilitys spring to mind

http://photondetector.com/blog/2006/06/13/alkaptonuria-urine-dev/