Beginning Enlarger & Starting Darkroom

[photoman]

Hello All,

I just took up the whole darkroom process and I am looking to make a temporary one in my bathroom. I have two concerns which enlarger and ventilation.

I will be shooting 35mm b&w and doing 8x10 prints. I may possibly do 4x5 in the future but not anytime soon. I also may want to do prints 11x14 or 12x16 prints. I have been looking on craigslist for enlargers but there are so many to choose from, many complete setups for less than $200. What is your guys take on the Beseler M45 for starting out? Is it worth getting for $45? What is the quality like? What about the Beseler 23c ii? Or the Dichro 67S2? What about other brands

Secondly, I would be setting up my darkroom in my bathroom. As far as ventilation goes, is the bathroom fan sufficient enough? If not, what do you guys suggest?

Thank you,
Winston

[natelfo]

I would start out with something like a Beseler 23C. Any version in good shape will last forever. They are very reliable, inexpensive on the used market, and extremely easy to get parts and accessories for. If you don't see yourself getting into 4x5 anytime soon, I would skip a 4x5 enlarger unless you come across a great deal... $45 sounds like a great deal, assuming the enlarger works well and is in great shape.
Short of power supplies going bad (which are usually cheap and easy to find), the motors that control elevation wearing out (which are also inexpensive and somewhat easy to find), or the bellows needing replacement (which if they are old, they may, you can tell by seeing if there are any tears or pinhole light leaks), most enlargers will last forever as long as they are not beaten with a sledgehammer.
The reason I would skip a 4x5 to start with (rediculous deal on 4x5 enlarger not withstanding), is mostly due to the overall size, ease of relocation, and availability of different types of lamphouses.

[Jim Jones]

Try to study up on any model of enlarger before buying so you know how to check it out and if it is complete for the size of film you will be using. Beseler and Omega are brands for which accessories are readily available. Other brands can work equally well, but parts and accessories may be rare. A color head is a convenience for printing both color and variable contrast black and white. It is also more complex than a simple bulb and thus has more potential for problems. Some enlargers, like the neat little Omega B22, use a bulb that may be more difficult to find than standard bulbs.

As inexpensive as quality lenses are now, there's little reason to settle for the cheap lenses that come on some enlargers. Nikkor, Schneider, and Rodenstock are major brands. These companies produce both premium and middle grade lenses. Some other companies produce equally good lenses.

Getting a complete darkroom outfit can save money, especially if it is really complete. The cost of trays, focusing aids, timers, thermometers, and safelights quickly adds up if you have to buy new ones. Several of my darkrooms over many years had a clock with a sweep second hand instead of a timer. Special bottles for chemicals are an unnecessary expense.

The bathroom fan should be fine for ventilation.

[Bruce Barlow]

I use a bathroom-type fan in my "big guy" darkroom. It's just fine.

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

Check the weight and the dimensions of the enlarger and consider how easy it will be to move it in and out of the bathroom, unless you happen to be built like a pro wrestler. Many 4x5 enlargers are so bulky and heavy you might end up dreading setting up your temporary darkroom, rather that enthusiastically dream of it.

I have used a DeVere 405 for years and I love it, but it stays in its place all the time.

As for the fan, it should be ok as long as it normally works well in quickly clearing the bathroom of steam etc. Make sure you have a good size air inlet, preferably on the opposite side of where the fan is.

Enjoy the adventure.
Rafal

[John Kasaian]

If you forsee 4x5 in your future then consider picking up a Beseler 45 or Omega D-2(or DII) and you'll be ready anything up to 4x5. If you get the Beseler, there is even a back for it that will accomodate 8x10 format(these backs are very expen$ive though! I was able to get a complete 8x10 Elwood for far less loot but the Beseler would have been more compact and so more convenient to deploy!)

I recommend the 4x5 because they are dirt cheap used right now,some time in the near future they might be considered rare and costly antiques (like much of LF gear!) And so you can expect the prices to go up quite a bit.

If you're set on small & medium format, Durst makes excellent machines(I gave mine away stupid! Stupid! Stupid!) , Meopta, Omega B-8, and occasionally you can get a deal on old Lietz Valoy(I did---the whole she-bang, lietz enlarging lens and all for about $30 or 40 IIRC)

[Brian Ellis]

Normally I'd suggest getting a 4x5 enlarger regardless of the fact that you won't be printing 4x5 right away. I suggest that partly because you won't have to buy another enlarger when you do start with 4x5 and partly because the 4x5 enlargers tended to be better than the smaller ones. The manufacturing companies seemed to consider the 4x5s to be their "pro" models and the smaller ones for amateurs. But considering the fact that you aren't printing 4x5 now and your space is presumably very limited, plus the fact that used enlargers cost next to nothing, I'd suggest a 35mm or 6x7 enlarger now, then when you start with 4x5 just junk it and pick up a 4x5. If space isn't a problem then get a 4x5.

With respect to Beseler 45M, IIRC there were three or four different models of Beseler enlargers that had "M" in the model name. The latest was MXT. But all the Beseler 45Ms are adequate enlargers if they're in good shape. Omega and Beseler were the two biggest selling brands in the U.S. so if you're in the U.S. you'll probably see more of them than any others. Both brands were fine for almost all purposes. The main things in buying a used enlarger are to make sure you have all the parts, that it's aligned correctly, that there's no rust or other obvious deterioration, and that everything works smoothly and tightens down as it should.

[banjo]

hey photoman

I have one ?? is it going to be used as a bathroom too !!!!
why I say this if your having to take enlarger out all the time
SO you can still use it as your bathroom!!! then get a small
enlarger!! so moving it all the time is not so hard ! As the best
enlargers like Beseler 45 or Omega D's are to big to be
moving around all of the time!!! even the Beseler 23C's are
a lot to be moving all the time But Omega C700 or B66
are not that big to move!

and yes to the bathroom fan good for most darkroom work.

AND YES to buying a Beseler 45M for any thing under say $200.
even if you can't use it in your small bathroom for now !
AND I said small bathroom as to use a Beseler 45M you need a
big space for it AS its about 26" W 32" D & need about 48" tall

banjo

[photoman]

Thanks for the input everyone. Size was one of my main concerns. I've been thinking of going with something like the the Beseler 23c ii (how much do they normally run these days, I found one for $150?) or the Omega B22 (complete set up for $150?) Also since I'm new to this stuff what main areas would you check when looking at enlargers? I've worked with a Beseler 23cIII and a 45s at school and I know how to operate them but not much on the technical side.

What is your guys take on having the enlarger in one room and wet area in bathroom? or both in the room with no running water? I've read some people using two different areas room/bathroom with a paper safe but has anyone had experience with that?

[Brian C. Miller]

My bathroom is my darkroom, and I use an Omega D3 on a cart. I have a small bathroom with a sloped roof, so I have to be careful to not bang the ceiling when I extend the enlarger all the way up. Other than that, it's fine.

There is no problem carting paper between rooms, but you have to get both rooms light-tight, and it's a hassle. When the enlarger is in the same space as the developing trays, the workflow is far nicer. Of course you can use the trays in a room without a sink, you'll just have to wash the prints elsewhere, and keep a wet towel handy to wipe chemicals off of your hands.

[Heroique]

I've read some people using two different areas room/bathroom with a paper safe but has anyone had experience with that?

Was that me you read about? ;)

If not, I just recently shared my experience here (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=72090&page=2) (post #11).

Good luck with your enlarger search. An Omega D2/D2v would be another option that can do 35mm work now, MF and LF later. With a D-II or D2 (non-v), you’d need different condenser sets for different formats, though some people use the larger sets for smaller formats w/ good results. Also, an Omegalite head can do all formats.

[banjo]

one thing with my darkroom about me having my Beseler 45mx just outside
of my door . Is my door is to small to get the big Beseler in But the 23CII will
just go in As its 18" W 24" D & 36" T or for the XL 44" And the Omega B's
& C's are about 18"W x 20" D by 24"T. Now as to light mine is in my bacement
so not that hard to get light tight as I only have one window .

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks for the input everyone. Size was one of my main concerns. I've been thinking of going with something like the the Beseler 23c ii (how much do they normally run these days, I found one for $150?) or the Omega B22 (complete set up for $150?) Also since I'm new to this stuff what main areas would you check when looking at enlargers? I've worked with a Beseler 23cIII and a 45s at school and I know how to operate them but not much on the technical side.

What is your guys take on having the enlarger in one room and wet area in bathroom? or both in the room with no running water? I've read some people using two different areas room/bathroom with a paper safe but has anyone had experience with that?

I had an outdoor pantry with no running water that I used as a darkroom and used the kitchen to wash prints. It worked o.k., it's just kind of a pain to be carrying wet prints from one room to another periodically.

If I had a choice between using just one room (e.g. a bathroom) but having to move the enlarger and other stuff in and out all the time vs. using two rooms, one without running water but with everything permanently set up and the other with running water, I'd take the latter. But a lot depends on the location of the rooms. In my case the pantry was adjacent to the kitchen so I didn't have far to walk.

[photoman]

Was that me you read about? ;)

If not, I just recently shared my experience here (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=72090&page=2) (post #11).

Good luck with your enlarger search. An Omega D2/D2v would be another option that can do 35mm work now, MF and LF later. With a D-II or D2 (non-v), you’d need different condenser sets for different formats, though some people use the larger sets for smaller formats w/ good results. Also, an Omegalite head can do all formats.


I did read this, haha. I read a couple other posts like yours on other forums. So do you expose one print at a time and then go to the bathroom to develop or do you expose a couple prints and then go to the bathroom to develop all at once?

[Heroique]

Usually, it’s multiple prints per trip.

The principal exception is when I start w/ a test strip. I’ll walk that down the hall by itself, develop it by itself, examine it by itself – then based on what it tells me, I’ll return to the enlarger for multiple full-sized prints, sometimes even final ones.

But there are, of course, variations to this theme. For example, I might make several test strips from several negatives and develop them all at once. Or I might make several final exposures for one negative, then do a test strip for the next negative, and carry them all down the hall together. Just depends on the job and my mood. Most often, my concentration is best when I work on one negative for one type of print at a time, from start to finish.

[John Kasaian]

You don't need running water for enlarging. The drain that accompanies running water is what comes in handy for emptying trays of spent chemicals but in many places you aren't permitted to dump chemicals down the drain. What is also handy is a counter space for your trays---bathrooms generally have both these features plus an electrical outlet for your enlarger & safelight as well as a ventilation fan of some type---that, and the fact that most bathrooms have only one smallish window to block out and a door which enters onto a hall or another room which acts kind of like an additional light trap is, for me the attraction of using bathrooms for a dark room.
That and the vengance of a high fiber diet :rolleyes:
I suppose you could use the shower for washing prints & negs as well (I don't)

[natelfo]

When I first started printing at home, in my 1 bedroom apartment, I had it set up like this: My enlarger (Beseler 23C) was in my bedroom on a stand. My bedroom had 2 doors, one going out to the livingroom, the other going to my bathroom. I used black-out cloth over my bedroom window, used weather stripping on my doors with a rolled up towel laid across the bottom of the doors so light could not come in from below. One safelight in the bedroom, one in the bathroom.
I exposed in the bedroom, walked into the bathroom and developed in trays which were on boards laid across my tub. Added a second shower curtain rod and hung prints to dry from it. Worked quite well and was not a pain in the least. Since both my bedroom and bathroom were light tight, I could go from one to the other with no hassle.
If you are not able to use two adjoining rooms, a paper safe for transport is certainly your best option.