What are your dark room "luxuries?"

[John Kasaian]

The kinds of things that, while aren't necessities are just so darned nice to have and you don't feel like you've wasted money on them? I try to keep my dark room spartan, but I do have a few very useful not exactly a necessity accessories.
I'll go first---

A Print Washer. Mine's a Versalab I got it years before we were put on water meters so I suppose for once I was ahead of the times.

A Contact Proofer. Mine's a Printfile. Easier to use than the contact frame, safer than a plain sheet of heavy glass and cleaner (no fingerprints) and far less expensive than one of those contact printers.

An exposure guide.The old Kodak circular step tablet. I think Delta makes the same thing now. Making a 1 minute exposure with one of these on the test print is simpler than blocking the light in intervals (or at least is seems that way for me)

A dry mount press. This one is an old bug eyed Seal Jumbo 150. It flattens fiber prints flat.

A light box. A See-Rite from a crafts store (Michael's?) is what I have. This is great for revealing defects in negatives before printing.

What not exactly a necessity accessories do you find useful in your dark room?

[Mark Sawyer]

A good stereo, and a bunch of vinyl and cd's to go with it! :)

A refrigerator full of beer, okay, it's in the kitchen, but I'll make the walk...

Bunny slippers! well, now it's just getting decadent...

[Tin Can]

A comfy high stool so I can sit while developing film.

The absence of phone and computer.

A locked door, with 'no entry' posted.

Private time, much like meditation.

[lenser]

I hoping to start building my next darkroom within a few months and it will definitely include the deeply padded floor matts you find in beauty salons.

[welly]

Luxuries? Bloody hell, if only. My darkroom luxuries amount to actually having a place to develop my negatives and, soon when my 35mm enlarger arrives, be able to do contact prints.

I have a po'boy darkroom, if you could even call it that. My Ilford programmable timer might be described as a luxury by some though.

[jp]

My darkroom has plenty of luxuries, because they are cheap these days.

Peak enlarger focuser. eyeballs or cheap focusers work, but these can cost hundreds. I got one with a c-list purchase once for $10 and took it because I knew it was a nice brand, but was surprised by it's following and value when I got
home.

Red LED tracklights for safelights. Re-aim safelight coverage anytime.

I do have a drymount press. I don't call it a luxury as I only paid $100 for it, but it's a huge step up from the metal-cloth print dryers or blotter books. Flattens alt process paper well too when it comes off a roll.

The homemade UV box is a luxury compared to the sun or metal halide floodlight because it's in the darkroom and quicker.

Upgrading from analog gralab 300's and the time-o-lites seems like a luxury too. Gralab 450/451 is the choice for me.

[neil poulsen]

Pleasant colors and decor. Ta heck with dark gray walls, etc. I did the latter with a previous darkroom, and it was horrible.

[bob carnie]

Four sinks, to handle any size trays... Stereo system to be installed ... HVac system to deliver constant temp and fresh air.. exhaust fan to take away the stinky stuff... industrial
shelving to hold all my chemicals.... Thomson safelights to brighten even the most stormy days... patient and loving wife who cleans all my stinky clothes.... good clients who
give me work...brand new Jobo processor and new Drytac hot vacumm hot press... very thick industrial matts to walk on... did I mention loving wife who allows me to work to my heart content.

[Dennis]

A dart board with red safe light on it. I can throw a round of darts while processing a print.

The dart board is on the door to the bathroom... There is a bathroom in my darkroom.. that is definitely a luxury.
Dennis

[Peter Lewin]

My ZoneVI Compensating Development and Enlarging timers. They are luxuries since "simple" timers would get the job done. But in my unfinished basement/darkroom, where, especially now in winter, temperatures change significantly during either a developing or printing session, the compensating temperature probe is a huge convenience. Similarly, when changing contrast settings while printing, it is very nice to let the timer keep exposures constant without my having to recalculate each time.

I have to admit that a number of other items folks list as luxuries seem to me to be necessities. Without a focus aid, I'm afraid my aging eyes would have trouble making sharp prints, and since I dry mount my "good" prints, the dry mount press seems a necessity. We could debate the VC head on my enlarger, since I could use gelatin filters and a simple cold light head, but that same debate could include the whole enlarger, since IIRC, Weston made contact prints using an overhead light bulb...

[Robert Bowring]

Kodak static eliminator. Bought mine for $15 when a local guy was closing his darkroom. Cleaning the negative is so much easier than spotting prints. There is one for sale on Madison, WI craigslist for $20.

[Bill_1856]

Thomas Safelight. Pivoting Ethan Allen barstool with back. Individual enlargers for Minox, Leica V35, Omega 6x7, 4x5 and 5x7. Other than that, pretty standard stuff. It's a long way from a Graflarger in a dorm room. (No, we didn't use candles in those days -- I ain't THAT old!)

[jnantz]

a bunch of 4x4x8's cut down as a step ( sink goes deep )
cheap radio with a cassette deck
and a sweatshirt ( it gets cold )

[Michael Graves]

My Reinholdt (did I spell his name right?) dodging tools. You can get much cheaper tools, or make them yourself. But after using his, I never want to go back.

[Peter De Smidt]

Hass Intellifaucet. RH Design Stop Clock Pro. Jobo CPP-2.

[Moopheus]

Having a darkroom. Actually, my darkroom is a corner of my home office, that I've set up so I can make dark enough to print.

[Old-N-Feeble]

The very "existence" of a darkroom. :(

[Greg Y]

My darkroom luxury is a Durst 138 for 5x7....otherwise i'd be contact printing larger sizes and enlarging 4x5. The Durst really brought 5x7 alive for me.

[mike rosenlof]

Magnetic stirer / hotplate. Bought from the want ads here a few years ago. I use it to mix PC-Glycol, the basis for my usual print developer. Occasionally used for film too. Makes the glycol part much easier than other heating methods.

My enlarger is an LPL 4x5 with colorhead. I think it's a luxury also. But since I only do B/W, maybe the VCCE head would be the true luxury.

[Jody_S]

Good stereo, plus now a TV with Netflix. I have a darkened corner where I can do full-dark tasks like loading and unloading film holders, and the enlarger is shielded from the TV by a separator, so I can just see it from the corner of my eye. I'm still looking for an amber or red cellophane sheet big enough to place in front of the screen to make it safe enough to bring closer.

[EdSawyer]

Great darkroom tools are mostly pretty cheap these days so it's easy to splurge:

Apo El Nikkor lens

Beseler 45VXL

Beseler/Minolta 45A color head/analyzer - back in the day these were about $2600. Now they are a pittance. I use one but have 5 or 6 full spare sets, all for under $150 ea.

Fujimoto CP-31 and CP-51 print processors. Also have a full spare CP-31 setup because for $100, why not?

Phototherm Super Sidekick SSK-4. Bought new on ebay for about 1/10 the original cost. A fantastic film processor.

[Fred L]

The Summitek print washer and Salthill print dryers would be my luxuries, especially considering neither are made anymore.

[Old-N-Feeble]

Great darkroom tools are mostly pretty cheap these days so it's easy to splurge:

Apo El Nikkor lens

Beseler 45VXL

Beseler/Minolta 45A color head/analyzer - back in the day these were about $2600. Now they are a pittance. I use one but have 5 or 6 full spare sets, all for under $150 ea.

Fujimoto CP-31 and CP-51 print processors. Also have a full spare CP-31 setup because for $100, why not?

Phototherm Super Sidekick SSK-4. Bought new on ebay for about 1/10 the original cost. A fantastic film processor.

An Apo EL Nikkor "cheap"? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!:D

[bill2424]

For me the best thing about my darkroom, since I live in Wisconsin is having a heated floor. I work barefoot most of the time. And also a good stereo is a must

[Robert Oliver]

Microwave oven!

[Tin Can]

For me the best thing about my darkroom, since I live in Wisconsin is having a heated floor. I work barefoot most of the time. And also a good stereo is a must

BAREFOOT! Ye-Gad's this is not California!

Sounds great to me!

[Tin Can]

Microwave oven!

OMG Thank you!

My 11 year old microwave has inner paint falling, and I replaced it 2 days ago.

It was going to be recycled the Chicago way, meaning the alley, but nope it will live on as print dryer.

What was I NOT thinking!

Face-palm!

[Jac@stafford.net]

Not my darkroom but a friend, well published in books, has a TV covered with a safelight in his darkroom. Me, I am happy with no such, but being damned near deaf I need nothing other than the music of visual tonalities.

[Nathan Potter]

Custom wet hood with laminar flow hepa filters, deep sink and built in light table for examining and drying film.

Wild binocular microscope with calibrated eyepiece reticle for examining film or mounting film/chromes for scanning.

The wet hood was the best thing I ever did to improve print quality by eliminating dust.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Ian Gordon Bilson]

Microwave for checking dry-down, and warming chemistry quickly. And caster wheels on a high stool -luxury.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Not a luxury, but a requisite!
http://hepafilterairpurifier.com/honeywell-17000-hepa-quietcare-air-cleaner/

[ic-racer]

Luxury, to me is an enlarger head that goes up and down and focuses with an electronic console on a pedestal.

129052

[Luis-F-S]

Luxury, to me is an enlarger head that goes up and down and focuses with an electronic console on a pedestal.

129052

Nothing like motoring up and down the enlarger......................

[Luis-F-S]

For me it's my Elkay chiller and Intellifaucet K250 control valve!

[Bill_1856]

Thanks, Mike Rosenlof -- I had forgotten what a GREAT step forward that magnetic stirer was!

[Eric Woodbury]

Anything that makes darkroom work easier or more enjoyable is a necessity.

Cork floor with real linoleum over, heating, cooling, filtered water, TV, stereo, good lighting, a good set of enlarger lenses, two enlargers, a stool, comfortable shoes, NO PHONE, a light-tight door, photos and watercolors on the walls, film frig and toilet right handy, a wonderful view of the islands out my door (when open), about 15 years of negs to print.

[Tracy Storer]

I am looking forward to rediscovering soon, the luxury of actually having a darkroom after going without for 2.5+ years.......4x5 and 8x10 enlargers, UV exposure units with vacuum frame, magnetic stirrer, laser alignment tool, Cambridge Soundworks iPod speakers, an eclectic collection of timers and safelights, the 12' sink, and solitude to work.
Soon, soon, soon, my calming mantra.

[Leszek Vogt]

[QUOTE=Eric Woodbury;1216009]

a wonderful view of the islands out my door (when open), about 15 years of negs to print

Eric, that's a long time not to enjoy that view, eh ?

[MIke Sherck]

My first darkroom was a corner of the garage, draped with plastic from the home store and a prayer that no one would turn into the driveway while light sensitive stuff was out. The next darkroom was a loft over the same garage; I light-sealed it with aluminum foil, cardboard, and heavier dark plastic sheeting. In a strong breeze the foil flapped so hard you couldn't hear yourself think. Stripped naked in the summer from the heat, carried water upstairs in 5-gallon camping jugs and washed prints outside on the picnic table with a garden hose. (Film was babied - washed indoors in a bathroom sink!)

The current basement darkroom is the most magnificent 5 1/2' x 6' space in the world. Cold AND hot running water! A sink (laundry sink but still...) 11x14 print washer from Craigslist. Home-made UV box. Heat in the winter and A/C in the summer! THREE Gralab 300 timers for process timing ($5 each at auction.) The list goes on and on and sometimes I think I'm dreaming.

Mike

[ShannonG]

-old school paper cutter,guillotine style
_big squishy floor mats
-peak grain focus er
-film drying cabinet
-lots of diffrent sizes of graduated cylinders
-omega digital enlarger timers
-seal press
-stainless steel sinks and counter top
-triple beam scale
-a tall chair
-lots of shelves
-lots of room,its a big darkroom
- 2 enlargers
-paper safe
-nice safe lights
-its attached to the back of my studio
-nice squeegee station
-and the all important piss bucket

[Michael Clark]

2 4x5 enlargers, a toilet and exhaust fan, the exhaust fan does double duty.

[John Kasaian]

2 4x5 enlargers, a toilet and exhaust fan, the exhaust fan does double duty.
Did you know some enlargers do a good job at warming tortillas? If you wanted something to go with your frijoles....

[Ben Calwell]

My basement darkroom luxury is a "sticky trap" that catches the grotesque cave crickets that infest my basement. They sometimes ping around in my darkroom, providing extra thrills when the lights go out. Another luxury is an exhaust fan that, unfortunately, is so loud that it drowns out any attempt to listen to the portable stereo I have in the darkroom.

[Vaughn]

A Jobo TBE 2 water tempering unit. What a wonderful devise! I need to keep gelatin at 105F for a few hours and it is perfect! I have two of them (one as a back-up or workshops!)

Like this one; http://auctions.natcam.com/ebay/bw/bwjobotbe21.jpg

But the magnetic stirrer sure comes in as a very close second!

[Drew Wiley]

Apo El Nikkor? Cheap these days? Just try to find one at any price. Think you are confusing this with ordinary El Nikkor, Ed. But what do I consider to be a dkrum
luxury? : No phone. No TV. No music. No computer. No noise (I have R23 insultaion). No chores for a few more hours. Reality can wait.

[Kirk Gittings]

Nothing luxurious in my darkroom except the years I have enjoyed with this journey and the knowledge I have gained which leads to confidence with specific MOs.

129106

[Nodda Duma]

The beer fridge is in the darkroom.

[John Bowen]

Ah, Darkroom luxuries....
A Tray Rocker http://www.eepjon.com/Rocker.htm
Thomas Safelight
Zone VI Compensating Darkroom timer
Haas Temp Control Unit
After years of working without one: - A sink with running water
Combined heating plate and magnetic stirrer
Foot switches for enlarger and process timers
Alistair Inglis 8x20 Contact Printer: http://www.alistairinglis.com/contact-printer/
Alistair Inglis 8x20 Print Washer
Peak Grain Focuser
Fatigue Mats
and most important, tables and sinks tall enough for a 6'6" photographer

[Michael Clark]

Did you know some enlargers do a good job at warming tortillas? If you wanted something to go with your frijoles....
Guess

I could put a hot plate in there , after eating the tortillas and beans the fan might come in handy also.

[Vaughn]

Looks sweet: Alistair Inglis 8x20 Contact Printer

Do they give you some extra space around the negative? For printing 11x14 negs, for example, I need at least 12x15 for the print material.

I have two NuArc plate burners -- both the old grey enclosed models (a 1000W and a 750W). I'll leave them be for now, but we'll see how my workflow develops in the new space. For the way I make carbon prints, my exposure times are too long in these enclosed units -- the heat builds up too high. It is tempting to strip one for its vacuum easel for use under different lights (see below)...or perhaps modify and/or remove the enclosure to allow extra ventilation. A modified (as in UV leaking) plate burner would be used in a dedicated room for exposures, as I also use bare-bulb 750W self-ballasted mercury vapor lamps. The room will double as a print-finishing room (matting, etc) -- when the UV lamps are off. Platinum prints are fine in the unmodified plate burner and I can use that in the darkroom itself.

[Tin Can]

The beer fridge is in the darkroom.

That's really for film, but...

[John Bowen]

Looks sweet: Alistair Inglis 8x20 Contact Printer

Do they give you some extra space around the negative? For printing 11x14 negs, for example, I need at least 12x15 for the print material.

Vaughn, I'll measure mine this evening and get back to you. I shoot 7x17, but purchased the 8x20 contact printer because I have a stash of 8x20 Lodima and cut my 20x24 Azo down to 8x20.

[John Bowen]

Oh yeah, for those of you using alt processes, my latest luxury is one of these: http://www.lightmeasure.com/
It arrived yesterday...

[Jim Galli]

I bought one of those cheap wireless Xmitter Receiver thingy's so I can listen to You-Tube music of choice, or even the occasional speaker I'm interested in. Anything the computer can stream, I can listen to in the dark. I consider that a nice modern luxury I didn't have in the past.

[alavergh]

Luxuries? uh...

I appreciate having an enlarger that goes up and down without having to turn a crank. That's what my Beseler 45MCRX has. I appreciate having a 4 bladed easel. Instead of hanging my prints on clips, I've actually made racks to hold my prints while they dry. I have the luxury of having a lot of paper that will take me quite a while to go through, as well as a lot of Arista EDU 4x5 film. I started around a year and a half ago and the darkroom can't really be permanent in this rental apartment.

[Vaughn]

Oh yeah, for those of you using alt processes, my latest luxury is one of these: http://www.lightmeasure.com/
It arrived yesterday...

Dang...something I'll probably spend money on! let us know how it works for you! Might be great for bouncing between light sources!

[Gord Robinson]

These are some of the items in my darkroom that I consider luxuries:

Condit registration system for my Durst 138S
Air actuated on/off foot switches for lights on the wet side of the darkroom
Magnetic Stirring plate
iPod connected to the stereo system
Night vision goggles for emergencies
and a well stocked fridge with film and other essentials for a long evening in the darkroom

[Jody_S]

I need a bigger darkroom fridge....

[John Bowen]

Vaughn,
The largest paper I could use in my 8x20 contact printer is 8.75x21. However, note Alistair indicates he can custom make you any size so perhaps a 14x17 or 16x20 will work for you if the 11x14 is a tad too small. I found Alistair very easy to deal with. He gave me realistic time frames on when to expect delivery. Both my contact print frame and print washer are VERY well made.

[IanG]

Heating, my new darkroom is at the bottom of my garden.

WiFi access (and a PC) for the Internet and my 2tb WD My Book Live to access data, scans, digital prints (rare0, scanned technical books, my music.

Bluetooth & HiFi, I'm not that technically savvy but have a spare HiFi amp and speakers so can stream music from Mobile phone, Ipad, My Book Live etc to it. I like my music - the wife prefers TV but she won't be in the darkroom :D

That's the unnecessary luxuries.

My new darkroom has 3 enlargers & room for 2 more possibly 3 (I have them under the benches), Jobo & Nova processors, a dry mounting press, and digital facilities (computer, scanner & printer), only thing missing is a UV light setup for Alternative processes).

It'll be in use not quite fully finished by Friday

Ian

[mdarnton]

When I had a darkroom, which I don't anymore, the only absolute necessity was a tall stool. I had a very nice one for a while. The funny thing was that while I really liked it, I spent hardly any time at all sitting on it, which I guess put it in the luxury category. :-)

Thinking about it now, I have the sudden urge to search Amazon for something like the one I left behind at one job in 1973. . .

[Drew Wiley]

Well, I'm moving in a nice black leather chair beside the retouching station tonight, which someone in the office no longer wanted. Just installed my articulating overhead lamp with CRI 98 German color matching tubes, have my adjustable tilting black formica retouch table done, which instantly removes to give me a very solid flat surface for rolling dye transfer prints under the same lighting. Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to make a cute little swing arm system to hold my tray of retouching dyes etc. After this, the ultimate copystand will be my next project.

[DG 3313]

Minolta auto-meter IV F (to keep exposures consistent when I change filtration on the color head or the elevation of the head), privacy, central heat and AC, equity in my house that contains the room.....

[neil poulsen]

I can add a few to my list. In this post film, digital era, I've been able to cherry pick a few luxuries off EBay for relatively little money.

> All Apo Rodagon lenses, from 50mm up to 240mm. (I could never have afforded this back in the days . . . )

> I consider my Zone VI enlarging and developing compensating timers essential to my workflow. (Still a luxury, considering the alternatives.)

> One of the first luxuries, an automated stirrer.

> About a 3x5 sheet of plywood (painted), on which I've mounted all my plumbing and electrical fixtures. It hangs on two vertical 2x2's and connects via a plug and two flexible pipes onto hot and cold water. When I move, it moves with me.

> An 8' table designed and optimized for cutting mattes using a Logan 450 Artist Elite cutter. I mounted the Logan onto the table, and raised the remainder of the table so that the entire surface is at the same height as the matte board.

[cyrus]

The one item I am really glad I got and am using far more than I thought I would, is a Fuji dark box which allows me to load and unload film in the dark, but without turning off any lights.

[Regular Rod]

A cheap quartz wall clock with a loud one second tick...

RR

[EdSawyer]

re: Apo El Nikkor not being cheap: Well, the one I have (105mm -N) was *relatively* cheap. As in half of what it was new, and/or about half what they usually sell for these days. That's cheap to me, all things considered. Granted the 210mm and longer ones are harder to find and more expensive.

[John Layton]

For large prints, I mounted two long ball-bearing drawer slides under the top of my lab bench, then attached a wood frame to this - to fit a 30x40 paper safe. I attached small wheels to the bottom of the paper safe (drilled small holes in bottom edge to accept axles) to allow for a certain amount of "double extension." I then added stops underneath the paper safe to limit total travel so that when extended (conveniently just beside my "big print" enlarger) it stops exactly where it need to for easy unloading. Best thing is that when rolled back to its stored position, this otherwise very large paper safe is completely out of the way - part of my overall goal (admittedly still quite unrealized!) to have my lab bench as "uncluttered" as possible.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I like John Layton's idea very much.

My recent darkroom luxury is Dr. Scholl's shoe gel inserts. I kid you not.

[John Layton]

+1 on the Dr. Scholl's! What works for me is to wear my squishy Teva sandals over stocking feet. (hey, it all starts with the feet - right?)

[bigdog]

I have anti-fatigue floor mats in front of the enlarger and the sinks. Never considered them "luxury", but necessity.

[Drew Wiley]

I'm still shuffling around gear in two of my darkrooms. A lot of this is heavy stuff, even big fixtures. The area will still be packed, but easier to get around in and
reconfigure for different specific usages. I want things safer and more ergonomic for the long haul, namely, inevitable geezer issues like advancing arthritis. Just
got a winch for positioning my enormous colorhead way up there (that enlarger is 14 ft tall), have my cold roller press on a nice fold-up cart, neatly dust-wrapped next to the dry mount press, so I can use its fold-up wings to receive large drymount boards. Then my new retouch station is next to that. But everything is now geared to either rolling out of the way or down the aisle without heavy lifting (still have some of that to do now, however, as a piece or two of heavy new equip arrives). My sink and film room are already set up in permanent form, and just do for seasonal maintenance. My little studio area, however, is on the backburner for awhile. Think I want to get a wall-mounted Speedmat machine in the not-too-distant future. It's likely to be much kinder on finger arthritis
than my old linear cutter.

[Michael Cienfuegos]

I'm just happy to have a walk-in closet with a tiny table at one end that I can use to load my film holders and film drums for developing my film. If I ever get some of my crap out of the garage I might be able to commandeer a corner for a small darkroom, but I have to be able to keep my car in the garage.

m

[Drew Wiley]

What is a garage ???

[Tin Can]

Car?

Garage?

I hang my bicycle and wheelchair from the ceiling of my darkroom. Way overhead.

I use the bike, but the wheelchair is a reminder of worse times and for future times. Nice ones are expensive.

ZipCar once a month.

[Chuck Pere]

My dauxLite II. Just the thing for toning down those annoying hot spots.

[bob carnie]

Under the bed plastic containers to scroll long rolls of paper

[Andrew O'Neill]

I'm just happy I have a darkroom.

[Drew Wiley]

Long rolls, real big trays.... That's my next challenge. Make something better to store those things rather than just stacked here and there.

[GPX]

My luxury is a Jobo CPE-2 processor. I only process a few 120 films or 4x5 sheets, so the Jobo is overkill really. But it is a wonderful luxury to have. It is small enough to be easy to set up temporarily in the kitchen. It is the old "weak" version of the CPE-2 which nobody wants, so it was quite cheap. But it has been perfect for me (I don't load so much into it that I risk burning it out). I realise everyone says the bigger processor with the 'expert' drum is the way to go, but have you seen the size of those things? For my use, the CPE-2 is perfect - and it produces perfect results every time.

[evan clarke]

Kodak static eliminator. Bought mine for $15 when a local guy was closing his darkroom. Cleaning the negative is so much easier than spotting prints. There is one for sale on Madison, WI craigslist for $20.

Three antistatic clean room blowguns.😀

[Luis-F-S]

The wet hood was the best thing I ever did to improve print quality by eliminating dust. Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Nate, can you post a photo?

[walbergb]

The darkroom itself is a luxury. I use the local, fully-equipped art gallery darkroom: 11 enlarging stations around the outside, two temperature controlled 8' sinks with 360 degree access and overhead exhaust canopy. Separate drying room and separate chemical storage/prep room with its own sink, water supply, shelving, and exhaust fan. There are only a handful of us doing analog photography, so we pretty much have our run of the place. I store a lot of my own equipment and supplies there including a Beseler 23C II & a 45S. I can use the place for $6.50/day (includes $0.50 for parking)��

Aside from the facilities, a real luxury is the test strip jig I made based on Ralph Lambrecht's design (see his book "Way Beyond Monochrome"). It allows me to make 7 test strips of the same part of a negative for comparing different exposures, different contrast grades, and dodging & burning times. It works seemlessly with f-stop timing and my Gralab 900 9 memory timer.

[David Lobato]

I have a small hair dryer to dry down prints for tonal evaluation. It avoids trips to the kitchen microwave like Ansel used to do.

[mihag]

I got myself a dish warmer some time ago. Print developers are temperature sensitive too yet the the correct temperature is often neglected during the long darkroom sessions.
http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/produkte/2_1_produktanzeige.asp?nr=4141

[Tin Can]

Three antistatic clean room blowguns.😀

Where do we buy affordable ones?

Like this? http://meech.com/en/products/static-control/ionising-air-guns-and-nozzles//954v2-ionising-gun#.VPDcuvnF9HY

[Bill Burk]

No connection to seller... but this is one of my favorite luxuries... Just used it today.

A water-powered (no shock risk) magnetic-stirrer. Such a treat to pour powder into a pot of water and walk away...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Water-Driven-Turbine-Magnetic-Stirrer-Selection-of-Followers-/391067260127?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0d6cd4df

[sanking]

No connection to seller... but this is one of my favorite luxuries... Just used it today.

A water-powered (no shock risk) magnetic-stirrer. Such a treat to pour powder into a pot of water and walk away...



A hot plate magnetic stirrer is also high on my list of darkroom luxuries. If you spend any time souping your special formulas, this item will add value to your darkroom experience.

Others luxuries at my place.
1) Gretag D200-II densitometer, with apertures for reading Blue, Green and UV.
2) iOne spectrophotmeter, for creating ICC and QTR profiles
3) Three UV light sources for alternative printing, NuArc 26-1k, Amergraph ULF-28, and a souped up (+ tubes) Ryonnet screen BL X-Vactor.
4) Several Epson photo printers, for prints and digital negatives.
5) Howtek 7500 drum scanner
6) Cheap Windows laptop for use with WinPlotter.
7) Mark VII sensitometer for testing film.

To make room for all this stuff I got rid of the enlargers so now I only contact print the wet stuff. I also had to finish a space above the garage to house some of the equipment so slots of out with the old and in with the new. But if we are not changing we are dying, and life (for me) is about being, growing, and changing.

Sandy