Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
just build a simple light trap entrance and put a black curtain over the inner or outer gap or both. The curtain can touch the floor. Paint it black. Totally light proof and no messing with getting seals to be exact. Cheap too.
Like an extractor fan light trap only for humans or photographers to fit through.
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
I weatherstripped my standard swinging door with Aluminum/Vinyl weatherstripping from Home Dumpo. For the bottom I placed a low and wide aluminum saddle and a door sweep which presses up against the saddle. All inner faces of the door and frame are painted flat black. The weatherstripping and door saddle are sealed with a bead of black silicone to prevent light from leaking around the fixed side. Not one stinkin' photon has gotten past my darkroom door yet.
Weather Stripping:
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
to start with in minty states the revolving door have been outlawed for safty other
states you can use then IF you have an other door!
the last College I worked at had desk to close & the chair was always giting pushed in to the opening STOPING anyone giting out !!
the first College I work at had the spring loaded light baffle dropped down from inside and cut out the light under the door "" they are realy nice BUT the kids would put thing on the floor books & other stuf that would get push into them and mess then up
I like light traps with NO DOORS for schools but for home that takes up a lot of room
never used a pocket door a school that I look at had some automatice opening pocket door from the inside as you got close to it ,steping in the right place it opened for you
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
I see they made a version of the revolving door with a "push-through in an emergency" feature.
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
I think you'll get tired of the revolving door after a while. It's not the easiest thing to negotiate - they are also shorter than normal doors so they will fit in a standard doorway. Cheap pocket doors (at least the cheap hardware) is not reliable; they come off-track very easily.
A good old fashioned swinging door with some added overlap from the door to the jamb (and maybe some foam) will work fine. And a towel under the door.
My opinion anyway.......
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
Down under they call the pocket door a cavity slider, very easy to dark proof using
stick on brush or rubber seals, externaly ( light side) at door base and the slider has 2 70x19 cover pieces so at the bottom of these you fit a stick on brush seal on the inside of the darkroom .( the seal just touch the door side and stop any light getting through the track and roller system) at the closing jamb 1/ 19x19 finished timbers nailed to the jamb light has to travel a u shape to allow any light leak i have used this system for quite a few years and use a parret beack lock which fastens to a cut out in the door so far no damaged film etc.:)
Some example shots
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
Down under they call the pocket door a cavity slider, very easy to dark proof using
stick on brush or rubber seals, externaly ( light side) at door base and the slider has 2 70x19 cover pieces so at the bottom of these you fit a stick on brush seal on the inside of the darkroom .( the seal just touch the door side and stop any light getting through the track and roller system) at the closing jamb 1/ 19x19 finished timbers nailed to the jamb light has to travel a u shape to allow any light leak i have used this system for quite a few years and use a parret beack lock which fastens to a cut out in the door so far no damaged film etc.
Some example shots
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
When I built my current darkroom, one of my "splurges" was to install an exterior door rather than an interior one. Besides being insulated (often overlooked) a good exterior door will already come pre-weather-stripped. Add a good sealing threshold and you're done. Cost a bit more, but it saves all the labor and experimentation of doing your own sealing around the door. And, it's insulated if that matters.
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door
I use the standard swinging door with a dark proof curtain, hung by normal curtain rings and a rod above the door. This particular door fits well in the jamb, and the carpet below is snug against the bottom. I got the curtain, rings and rod from Bed, Bath and Beyond. This works for me.
In Portland I was at Newspace, a public/community darkroom, and they have a small handicap-accessible darkroom on the ground floor. It has a standard swinging door with foam in all the door-to-jamb interfaces. A rubber sweep is installed on the door bottom.
Re: Second Best Darkroom Door