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