Darkroom photography will enjoy a massive expansion after the big solar flare/magnetic pulse, wipes out all the computers.
So be prepared!
Darkroom photography will enjoy a massive expansion after the big solar flare/magnetic pulse, wipes out all the computers.
So be prepared!
Heck, you are old already. Our parents tend to be pretty active. My mother started walking ten years ago. We don't where the hell she is today.Originally Posted by danno@cnwl.igs
Consider going to a local Big Box home supply/building store. Go to the water heater section where the have large spill trays - cheap and sturdy. I got my print washing tray that way.
No. We'll be too busy trying to figure out how the cavemen survived without their i-everything.
On a more serious note, when the tooling disappears much of what we rely on disappears (at least as new). Sure consumables can still be manufactured (especially in far east and eastern europe). And simple items like tanks and trays are easy to produce. But I question whether demand will support new tooling for enlargers. So keep a spare enlarger head around. Of course a talented machinist can do almost anything with relatively basic tools, but it will cost you.
The enlargers we already have can last another hundred years with a bit of maintenance. In fact, the mechanical quality has been going downhill since the 70's
anyway. Anyone with reasonable shop skills can keep this kind of gear going. No different than working on a vintage car or boat or motorcycle. I made all my own
fancy "archival" slot washers. Anyone with basic plastic fabrication skills can make one in an afternoon.
On her way to Omaha, Nebraska to cash in her Publisher's Clearing House winnings, like in the movie "Nebraska". ;-)
For 30x40 most likely yes, but the 20x24's I already have and want two more so....
It is always a good time to buy analog stuff, but I had the same feeling in 2000 you have now. I bought a bunch of new stuff no longer available today (like a new Jobo etc.) and unwisely prolonged the purchase of other things only to have them go out of production while I contemplated the purchase. Like Fuji 6x9, Horseman FA, power supply for D5500.
BTW I think it is great you are obtaining all this stuff and sharing your experience, I suspect it will be in inspiration to others.
You can only spend so much at a time, despite the deals. There's a glut of nice LF camera and darkroom gear at low prices at the moment. Even as an equipment dealer, I have to pass up 95% of super buys in terms of personal use, because something else takes priority. And just how much stuff does someone need anyway. For instance, there are all kinds of Horseman FA's out there cheap at the moment. Don't know if I can bag a D5500 power supply or not trying to get away with one truck's worth of gear and the limited loan of its manpower and schedule. I get only one crack at that ex-lab. That's an Omega item, right? I wonder if mine would work. I'm about to throw out some Omega stuff to make room for more Durst. There are still plenty of Fuji 6x9's in Japan, "Texas Leicas". Jobo is largely available again, though at steeper new pricing.
Much of this supply of used gear comes from photographers dying. That's still going to be happening. That's going to keep price down for bulky items. High cost of shipping to China is going to keep the price down because shipping has to be added. If another part of the world takes all the lenses, that's OK; most of us have lenses to spare more than lenses we need.
As far as new gear, if it's affordable and you want it, don't hold off. I bought an extra HP combiplan tank/kit and am glad I did as it's not made anymore and they are disappearing from retail. If mine break, there are still plenty of ways to process 4x5 film, so it's not the end of the world. Complicated stuff like cibachrome, dye transfer I bet people are glad they stocked up but I don't use it. Simple stuff like B&W chemicals will always be around even if DIY.
I think LED enlarger heads are going to be easily produced and transported for a worldwide market if it doesn't end up being an easy DIY thing. Shipping enlarger chassis' around the world could be a problem which will temper demand. Space could be a problem for buyers, but considering the high cost of digital hardware, I don't think money is the issue.
I think any new hardware is probably going to be small scale manufacture which will be known to those in the know via the Internet, perhaps crowdsourced funding or design, not heavily advertised except for Internet forums and product placement at workshops and getting Ken Rockwell horny about it, and limited production. The days of building something for wet photography and advertising it in pop photo or putting it in stores nationwide are quaint history.
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