Darkroom Layout/beseler 45 Mx Ii

[andy bessette]

YO,

can anyone recommend a good book that can be helpful with laying out a new darkroom?

I just bought a Beseler 45 MX II, with Dichro 45 color computer, and D.A.T.A. Module, so now have the inertia to steup my darkroom. I will be concentrating mostly on 4X5 B&W prints, from contact prints up to the maximum practical with this enlarger, but will be working with 35mm as well. Any tips for someone with no darkroom experience?

thanks, andy

THERE'S MORE TO OPTICS THAN MEETS THE EYE

[Vick Vickery]

Spend a little time in a bookstore with alot of photography books to thumb thru...you'll see alot of different layours; A.A. covered some in his series (don't remember if it was in "The Negative", or in "The Print", but its in the series somewhere. and the Time=Life series of photography books had some data as well...the basics are in alot of books!

The basic setup for most folks who have adequate space to work with is to have a dry side and a wet side. I liked having the dry side on my left as I entered my long darkroom of the past (don't have one now) that was about 8' x 15', and the wet side on the right. I started with a working area on the left of about three feet, then my enlarger with moveable 3' base from countertop to floor, then 9' of counter with cabinates below everything but the enlarger. The right (wet) side had a 10' sink comming from the far end back toward the door, followed by a 3' space that held plastic screened drying racks horozontally, followed by a cabinate and counter top. Shelves and/or cabinates were above everything on both sides, and a free standing film drying cabinate was tucked into the far end in front of a kick-out emergency exit. My floor was bare concrete, but rubber matting would have been nice during long sessions! You'll find that layout depends alot on preferences and working style and that what works for one person won't be right for someone else!

[Greg Lockrey]

Ansel Adam's "Camera and Lens The Creative Approach" Has a great diagram of a darkroom layout with photos.

[Claude Sapp]

Ed Buffaloe has a virtual tour of his darkroom:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/DTour/DR01/dr01.html

Not a book like you asked for, but a good tour of a working darkroom so you can get some ideas.

[Brian Ellis]

There used to be books on this subject, I remember one by Kodak. However, a lot depends on your space - size, shape, location of water sources and outlets, etc. In general it's nice to have a dry side where you have your enlarger, paper, etc. and a wet side where you have your sink, trays, print washer, etc. I was always concerned about my safelight fogging paper so I had only one safelight with a 15 watt bulb and it was located high on a wall and aimed up at the ceiling. You really need very little light in a darkroom, your eyes will adjust to almost anything. You don't need to have the whole room black or dark gray, in fact that's kind of depressing. Mine was white everywhere except the portion of the wall behind and to either side of the enlarger, which I painted black to eliminate any possible reflections from stray light coming from the enlarger (an excess of caution since I spent a good bit of time eliminating any stray light from the enlarger). I've never found a dark room sink that was too big, no matter how big you think you'll need you can always use a bigger one. Depending on the material for your floor you might want to invest in good rubber or similar soft mats for the areas where you stand a lot. If your darkroom is big enough to walk around in try to keep the enlarger reasonably near, but separate from, the sink to minimize walking distances. Have an area where you can view your prints with a good light. Mine was right next to my print washer so that I didn't carry dripping prints all around. I had a 60 watt bulb in a flood lamp aimed at the board that held the print. It's important to get this proofing light right because if it's a lot brighter or darker than your normal room lighting you'll have trouble getting your prints right.

Hope this helps, I'm sure others will have more and better suggestions plus a cite to a book.

[photographs42]

I don’t know of a book (actually, I have one somewhere but I doubt I can find it). Some things to consider are:

What kind of space do you have? You can make do with almost anything but some layouts are more convenient than others. As has been stated already, a dry side and a wet side is a good idea. Most darkrooms are used by one person, so maneuvering space can be pretty minimal. Actually three and one-half to four feet between wet and dry side is ideal. More room just makes for more steps. Eight to nine feet wide by ten to fourteen feet long is a good target. The door should be at one end but doesn’t have to be in the short wall. Mine is at the end of the dry side cabinets.

Dry Side: Counter top should be solid and flat (level is good but flat is more important) and at a convenient working height for you. I’ve seen darkrooms with sit down counters but I prefer a stand up operation. In addition to the enlarger you need room for a box of paper, a place for your timer (unless you hang it on the wall) and maybe a paper cutter. I recommend 30” counter tops. I don’t remember how large you can print on the baseboard of a 45M series but 30” gives you plenty of room. I mounted my 45M on the wall using a piece of 6x6 angle iron and could print up to 30”x40” from 4x5 negatives. Shelves or cabinets below will hold a lot of stuff. I use the easel area for film loading and unloading, so I have shelves for film and holders here also.

Wet Side: You can get by without a sink but will be much happier with one. Mine is 30” front to back and 10’ long x 7” deep. Mine is S.S. but you can make one from marine plywood that might actually be better. I work from left to right, so my timer is on the wall at the left end of the sink so I can see it easily from in front of the development tray. I have four faucets, one with a hose (rubber tube) and one that only feeds my print washer. At the back of the sink I have a piece of ¼” plate glass for a squeegee/ print review panel. When I remodel the darkroom I will move this to the end wall where I can reach it easier. You will eventually want a print washer. Mine is a 20x24 model that sits at the right end of the sink. You need to have storage space for an assortment of bottles and measuring containers as well as chemicals. I have a Jobo processor that is stored under the dry side counter and goes in the sink when in use but my remodel plan has a permanent space for it.

Everyone has different “stuff” so think about what you want or need before making a plan. If you need help with actual construction questions, I am an Architect so ask away.

Good luck.
Jerome

[John Cahill]

[. Any tips for someone with no darkroom experience?

thanks, andy

*****
An unheard of tip, I guess. Make your work surfaces high enough that you do not have to bend over to focus or use the trays. I learned that when I was a production printer for a lab that did convention photography--back in the 1960s.
My home darkrooms have always been similarly set up.

Now that age and arthritus are taking their tolls, I am in the process of lowering everything so I can print and soup sitting in a rolling chair.

[andy bessette]

Yo Vick, Greg, Claude, Brian, Jerome, John,

WOW! Thanks for the tips. The area I can use is about the size of a small single-car garage, although I will need share it with a lot of stuff, to provide storage and bookshelves in there as well. And there is already a half-bath in a corner, but no hot water yet, and no heat.

A friend had suggested, and I see the reasoning behind having separate wet and dry sides, especially to avoid contamination with chemicals. I have several of AA's books, but will double-check for a reference to darkroom layout. I am not surprised that "The Camera" did not mention it.

best, andy

THERE'S MORE TO OPTICS THAN MEETS THE EYE

[andy bessette]

YO,

just won an auction for "The New Darkroom Handbook".

best, andy

[Michael Gudzinowicz]

Try to take a workshop or darkroom course before making a commitment to any layout. If you do that, you'll have a better appreciation for the work flow, and you'll have an opportunity to discuss potential problems and features.