Height of Darkroom sink?

[Greg]

Plywood arrives tomorrow and I can start constructing my replacement darkroom sink finally. Height of the sink am trying to determine. Old sink was too low for me and back pain was guaranteed after a long session in the darkroom.

Remember reading somewhere long time ago that the correct height for the sink is determined by standing in front of the sink and resting your elbows atop the front lip and being able to easily agitate a print in a tray with your print tongs without having to bend your back.

Any other way to determine the height of the sink?

[Paul Metcalf]

Can you set up a mock setup and actually run through a few cases at different heights to see what you might prefer? Only constraint that I can think of is if you have some existing plumbing that forces you into a specific height, otherwise I think it's completely open. My darkroom counter height is set at typical kitchen countertop height, 36", but my "sink" that the trays sit in is about 8" deep (so bottom is about 26"), FWIW.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Six inches higher than needed to pee in the sink.
Make a six inch high step to put aside in case.
.

[Greg]

Six inches higher than needed to pee in the sink.
Make a six inch high step to put aside in case.
.

Long time female friend has just started to construct her darkroom... will pass on the above to her
:-)

[Tin Can]

Mine is 38" at top, 30.5 at tray level.

I like that height, the top edge is 5" below my elbow. I can stand and slosh comfortably, or sit on a 31" high stool. I have a 16x20 Print washer sitting in sink and I can easily handle prints in and out of the washer.

Take some time to decide. People that work long days at benches customize their bench height to them. This stand up computer station is 40" high.

My big iron vise is mounted 35" high.

You cannot use your height as torso length varies greatly.

Many here put floor cushions down which raises them an 1"...

I think kitchen counters are lower for the average size woman.

[John Olsen]

Mine are 44" at the front edge (exactly elbow resting height) and 8.5" deep. Of course, it would depend on height, so measure your elbow position (I'm 5'9"). I guess mine are higher than Randy's, but it keeps me standing straight and not drooping over the chemistry.

[Alan9940]

My Arkay stainless is 37" at the front edge and 7" deep. I'm 5'10" and would need to bend slightly to rest my elbows on the front edge (something I've never done, btw.) I've used this sink for 30+ years for tray developing sheet film, tank film development, printing (both silver and pt/pd), and I've never once been uncomfortable working at the sink for many hours.

[angusparker]

+1 on adding an inch for a rubber mat as used behind bars by bartenders and in commercial kitchens. Hard concrete is not pleasant to stand on for hours on end.

[MrFujicaman]

Hey Greg-

Just scanned the article from Gordon Hutchings on building the dream darkroom. The 4th page has his ideas on the proper height for a darkroom sink. If you PM with an email address, I'll send it to you

[Roger Thoms]

A mock up is a good idea, or in the case of my last darkroom I just matched the height of the sink in my friends darkroom, which I found very comfortable.

Roger

[Bill Burk]

I think it's very important what height you make the sink, I got mine right and every time I use the darkroom, I am reminded how comfortable it is.

Mine's 40 1/2 to 41 inches from ground to lip of sink. After carefully measuring, cutting and leveling, I found it wouldn't drain. So I had to put half-inch blocks of wood under the left side. I'm 5 foot 9 inches tall, with the sink at this height, my arms drop to a comfortable angle if I'm standing straight up. A slight slouch is all it takes to comfortably rest my forearms flat on the edge of the sink... for those contemplative moments when I examine prints. For comparison, the washing machine is 38 inches and when I bend to rest my arms the same way, I can see I'm bending too much and couldn't stand it for even a minute.

[Doremus Scudder]

I think it's very important what height you make the sink, I got mine right and every time I use the darkroom, I am reminded how comfortable it is. Mine's 40 1/2 to 41 inches from ground to lip of sink. ...

Mine is 41 inches at the lip as well.

The main thing you want is a comfortable stance with your hands at the level where you'll be doing all the work (shuffling film, transferring prints, etc.) and be able to rest your forearms comfortably on the edge of the sink. This will also determine sink depth at the front. Take into account any floor mats and any bottom inserts in the sink, etc. FWIW, I made an extra-wide rounded lip on my sink so I can rest my arms there without an edge digging in.

Best,

Doremus

[lab black]

Doremus makes an excellent point regarding an extra wide, rounded lip, sink edge. I have done the same, which minimizes discomfort in the forearms, especially when tray developing for long periods of time. Prior to determining the height of both the sink and the lip, I did a mock up, testing various heights, while including trays and the floor mat to ensure an optimum comfort level. My sink measurements closely correspond to both Doremus and Bill's measurements.
With a personal height of 6" 1, the height of the bottom of my sink is 38 in. and the height of the sink lip is 45 in.

[Willie]

If you like to lean on something you might put a padded arm rest on the front of the sink. A friend made a 12 foot sink and put one on part of the processing area so he can rest his forearms on it while sitting on a rolling barstool as he processes sheet film in the dark. Says it works for him. He did not do the whole length, just where he spends more time developing film and paper. Says sitting with the rolling stool has saved his back a lot of stress compared to the standing he used to do.

Whatever height, if you can make legs or bracing under the sink adjustable you can fine tune it to your liking as you get used to it.

[Greg]

If you like to lean on something you might put a padded arm rest on the front of the sink.

Will be using this on the front lip of the sink
http://www.amazon.com/Mombella-Protectors-Proofing-Furniture-Available/dp/B00QT8CG86

[Jim Noel]

Plywood arrives tomorrow and I can start constructing my replacement darkroom sink finally. Height of the sink am trying to determine. Old sink was too low for me and back pain was guaranteed after a long session in the darkroom.

Remember reading somewhere long time ago that the correct height for the sink is determined by standing in front of the sink and resting your elbows atop the front lip and being able to easily agitate a print in a tray with your print tongs without having to bend your back.

Any other way to determine the height of the sink?

That is the method I used and it has served me well since 1989. Split pipe insulation is slipped over the edge to provide a soft edge on which to rest my forearms.

[bob carnie]

Greg

I went out and bought racking systems heavy weight so that the wood sink sits on top.

What I like is the racking system is adjustable so as I age I can lower the sink. My first sink was made by my ex partner who was quite tall, and for years I cursed the high sink.

I like a low sink so one can really lean over and see the work in process. I do not mind bending, the problem with high sinks is the dumping of large trays with chemicals , actually much harder to control than a low sink.

I also use the same principle for enlarger easel so I like it low so I can lean over..

btw I am not very tall and still shrinking.

Plywood arrives tomorrow and I can start constructing my replacement darkroom sink finally. Height of the sink am trying to determine. Old sink was too low for me and back pain was guaranteed after a long session in the darkroom.

Remember reading somewhere long time ago that the correct height for the sink is determined by standing in front of the sink and resting your elbows atop the front lip and being able to easily agitate a print in a tray with your print tongs without having to bend your back.

Any other way to determine the height of the sink?

[Greg]

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. All got me in the ballpark to set up a mock-up. For me front lip is 40 inches high and sink bottom 34 3/4 inches high. Previous sink's front lip was around 35 inches high which now explains back ache from having to bend over.

[OKAROB]

My darkroom sink lip is 40" high and the sink is 6" deep. For me I determined the height of the lip of the sink using the distance of my elbows to the ground. That makes it easy to lean on the lip of my sink without having to bend over. Quite comfortable during a long day of darkroom work. My sink has an 22" high backsplash when measured from the bottom of the sink. The backsplash for me was a must have when cleaning trays, tanks, mixing vessels, and other darkroom equipment.

[Doremus Scudder]

One more thing to keep in mind. Do allow for a toe-kick area (relieved area) like kitchen cabinets have so you aren't tripping over the sink legs, etc. in the dark. I built my sink with a large center cabinet/support on a 2x4 base. There are 3/4" plywood dividers that serve as supports as well. Here's a picture to illustrate what I mean.

Best,

Doremus146730

[Rolfe Tessem]

Why not just check and see what commercial darkroom sinks use? Yes, they are still being built and sold, mainly to educational institutions, etc.

Rolfe