Looking for hints for "Darkroom à la cheap" for beginners

[monochromeFan]

so much un needed stuff

[John Kasaian]

OK, I'll play
Storage bottles: go to a compounding pharmacy during flu season and they'll usually give you their empty Robitussin syrup bottles if you ask pretty please. They used to be amber glass, but the last time I checked they were plastic.
Safelights: GE Guide Lamps were the bomb----amber plug in Nite Lites two on a card for a buck, but these are long gone, replaced with a short string of red, LED Christmas lights you find dirt cheap on clearance after Christmas.
Stirring wand: Go find a Tiki Bar and order a Mai Tai. Take the swizzle stick home with you.
Graduates: Plastic measuring cups (mine are Betty Crockers) from Walmart. I'm sure Dollar Tree offerings are no longer a buck.
Drying screen: Build them yourself out of molding, screen bead and window screen.
Print flattening weight: Scrap from a slab of polished marble countertop. Mine was free on Craig's List.
To dry negatives: clothes line and some clothes pins, but of course you already knew that, didn't you?
Developing trays: These are pretty cheap if you don't mind used ones from a camera fair. Alternatively there are kitty litter trays---generous for 4x5 or if you need larger trays, check out mixing/mud trays from a building supply----they aren't cheap but they're likely cheaper than online camera stores.

[Graham Patterson]

Aside: In the US there are 16 (fluid) ounces in a pint. In the UK there are 20. I brought my Pyrex measuring jug with me when I moved to California/got married. Guess why it is no longer in the kitchen?

Actually, do check kitchen utensil scales - some can be inaccurate.

[Kino]

Depending upon in which part of the World you reside, a trip to the local cheap goods store (dollar store, etc.) will provide a bonanza of utensils, graduates and trays that can be repurposed for darkroom work. Same can be said of flea market and thrift store finds.

A cheap Sous Vide machine makes a wonderful tempering bath with a suitable container.

Large nylon cutting boards are great to squeegee prints.

Sink squeegees can be used for prints.

Cheap graduates abound, but be sure to have at least one accurate one to calibrate liquid volumes of the cheap versions.

Contact printing glass can be had in inexpensive picture frames; you can even press these into service as a contact printing frame if you make a few simple modifications to make the back press more evenly.

Many, many things jump in price when someone places the word "photographic" in front of a common item. The trick is to identify those similar items used in other hobbies/professions and save yourself some money!

[Joel Kitchens]

A very timely exercise these days! Maybe some of these fit the bill?

My first darkroom "sink" was a clear tub for bussing tables we got from a local restaurant supply house. It also doubled as a print washer so long as I was washing no more than 2 prints, no larger than 11x14. It was mounted in a scrap laminate countertop from a building surplus store. My father-in-law plumbed it with a drain. I had a simple outside faucet run from a T off the hot-water heater feedline. I have also used a plastic tub for mixing concrete as a print washer ($8 from The Home Depot, 6" deep, 20" wide, and 28" long; used for washing before and after toning, but again, I never washed more than 2 prints at a time).

Building your own drying screens is a good suggestion (I used plastic saw horses to suspend them). My current drying rack was purchased on amazon as a school art rack for drying kid's finger-painting ($200, but that may be cheap for some).

I found a light pad for evaluating negatives and making masks for a lot less money at Michael's craft supply (Cricut Brite-pad) than any photo store wanted for something similar.

Our local fabric store has marine vinyl (backsplash for sink) and very, very affordable cloth for backdrops.

Shelving units are Walmart plastic units. I have also re-used gallon water jugs for slightly-used chemistry.

Pardon the "stream-of-consciousness" ramble, but I hope someone finds this helpful!

Joel

[Joel Kitchens]

Oh, and I use an inexpensive shower squeegee or a 12" windshield wiper to squeegee prints.

Cheers!
Joel

[ethics_gradient]

As others have said, scouring Marketplace and Craigslist (or its local equivalent) is going to be the best way to get started with an enlarger, etc. At least around me, you can find 2x3 enlargers all day for next to nothing, but 4x5 is quite rare. It can also be worth putting out to ones friends, family, and co-workers you're looking for a darkroom, you never know who's inhereted one and has it sitting in the garage or attic gathering dust.

If you lack a suitable space (or permission) in your apartment/house to set up a darkroom, you can set up Ilford's Pop Up Darkroom with a 4' folding table wherever, and take it down when you're done.

Something that I found in YT video a few years ago that works great for small spaces is to use a set of plastic filing drawers (A4 size will accommodate 8x10) for your trays. Put an actual tray on top for the developing so you can see it easily, then just move it down through stop, rinse, fix, etc.

For contact printing glass, just buy a cheap frame at the thrift store.

If you have (or know somebody who has) a 3D printer, this can be good way to make things like negative carriers, lens boards, etc for cheap. Be aware that PLA, the most commonly used filament, has a pretty low deformation point, so get them printed in ABS, ASA, or a similar material with better heat resistance.

[monochromeFan]

As others have said, scouring Marketplace and Craigslist (or its local equivalent) is going to be the best way to get started with an enlarger, etc. At least around me, you can find 2x3 enlargers all day for next to nothing, but 4x5 is quite rare. It can also be worth putting out to ones friends, family, and co-workers you're looking for a darkroom, you never know who's inhereted one and has it sitting in the garage or attic gathering dust.

If you lack a suitable space (or permission) in your apartment/house to set up a darkroom, you can set up Ilford's Pop Up Darkroom with a 4' folding table wherever, and take it down when you're done.

Something that I found in YT video a few years ago that works great for small spaces is to use a set of plastic filing drawers (A4 size will accommodate 8x10) for your trays. Put an actual tray on top for the developing so you can see it easily, then just move it down through stop, rinse, fix, etc.

For contact printing glass, just buy a cheap frame at the thrift store.

If you have (or know somebody who has) a 3D printer, this can be good way to make things like negative carriers, lens boards, etc for cheap. Be aware that PLA, the most commonly used filament, has a pretty low deformation point, so get them printed in ABS, ASA, or a similar material with better heat resistance.

The plastic drawer tower for the processing sequence is not a good idea. Have you ever actually FOUND a set of those towers that functioned correctly when EMPTY, let alone when they had chemical in them? Pulling the drawers out and laying them on a table is a really good idea,, adn then when dried out back into tower they go and become storage for the working containers of chemical...

[jnantz]

The plastic drawer tower for the processing sequence is not a good idea. Have you ever actually FOUND a set of those towers that functioned correctly when EMPTY, let alone when they had chemical in them? Pulling the drawers out and laying them on a table is a really good idea,, adn then when dried out back into tower they go and become storage for the working containers of chemical...

you put the chemistry right in the drawer no need for any trays, the drawer is the receptacle .. one really only needs 1 tray/drawer. almost as easy as using wallpaper troughs .

[Tin Can]

I tried baggies, put the film in with exact chem

Zip It shut

mix by fingers

I disliked