Looking for hints for "Darkroom à la cheap" for beginners

[Ulophot]

I'm planning a post or few for my blog, on the thrift store / yard sale approach to darkroom equipment for beginners who -- how well many of us remember it! -- are hard pressed for cash after buying film and can't pay lab processing fees. Since my work is B&W only, that will be my focus. I have more than 50 years' darkroom experience, so I what I'm looking for is perhaps less obvious solutions that some of you have used successfully. For instance, some have mentioned soda bottles for chemical storage, but I don't know if they are all the same kind of plastic that has been mentioned -- several initials -- or not.

Beginners will often have to adapt small space, developing and maybe printing -- probably contact for LF, enlarging smaller formats when they can find an affordable enlarger -- in a bathroom. (My darkroom was half a small bedroom for many decades, waterless, with lots of tray hauling and washing in the tub.)

Thrift stores / yard sales are good places for Pyrex measuring cups, glass 13x9 and 8x8 baking pans or similar chem-proof trays. Other ideas?

I don't necessarily have a good idea for unscratched 1/4-inch plate glass for contacts, or a DIY easel for 5x7 and or 8x10.

If you have a useful suggestion or two to offer regarding equipment or tools that would otherwise tend to be pricey, I will be grateful.

I'll have to look up developers like caffenol; there's Gainer's Vitamin C, which is cheap and easy, though it was too active for my needs.

Thanks in advance.

[Tim Meisburger]

I use plain hypo, and mix d-23 and d-76 as needed. My darkroom is essentially a closet, and I use an Intrepid 4x5 light source on a old Crown Graphic mounted on a copy stand because I couldn't fit a regular enlarger in the space. Got used to making do when I was overseas--where LF film, chemicals, and LF equipment was almost impossible to find, and haven't changed much since. I have used regular plastic trays for developing 11x14 and 16x20 prints, and when travelling have used a white christmas tree bulb for contact prints, a red bulb for a safe light, and food trays to develop (but I worry sometimes about traveling with a plastic bag full of hypo crystals.) There is a lot you can do with basic equipment. I always recall WeeGee developing film in his car... Luckily, in America, if you are patient, you can usually find all you need on facebook marketplace for cheap.

[tomwilliams]

One of the glass shops in my area has given me small pieces of glass gratis, from which I cut 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 plates for contact prints. They've also cut and seamed small pieces for a very nominal fee. Sort of depends on the mindset of the company.

Second hand building supply businesses are also rewarding sources. Habitat for Humanity ReStore is the source I most commonly tap: I recently purchased a largeish tupperware for a chemical bath, and a couple of black leather ladies purses for keeping 4x5 film holders in the car or backpack, and an amber 1/2 gallon bottle (sans cap).

There are deals to be had on craigslist: I picked up a pristine Besseler 23C free; a free slide duplicator in perfect condition; and a large 4-blade easel and a set of Speed-EZ easels for next to nothing. A person can place a parts-wanted ad on craigslist also.

For me, the payoff in the second-hand brick-and-mortar market comes from making regular visits over an significant interval. More often than not, if I need an item right now, I'd consider myself pretty lucky to find it in one outing at Goodwill, ReStore etc. But persistence often pays off - and then there are the serendipitous finds: that 1957 art nouveau lava lamp!

[Corran]

Here's an idea - look up the local art nonprofits or community groups and strike up a conversation with photographers. I've given away a lot of DR stuff to local folks met through groups like that. Also whatever film photography groups are around if in a bigger locale. I participate in film walks with the Atlanta Film group occasionally. Often info is available through social media. May even stumble on someone ditching old film or paper out of the freezer.

[Graham Patterson]

I found my big drying screens and a lot of blackout fabric via Craigslist. Around here you can find bug screens to insert in sash windows in hardware stores. The nylon mesh ones will do as drying screens for smaller prints - just split the sliding pair into two.

I've used drawing pins and some blue painter's tape sticky-side up on a piece of board to make a border-less easel. You don't get borders but it does stay flat. Magnets on a steel sheet also work, but the best steel sheet is usually the base of a proper masking easel...

One of the most useful things I had in my early days was a 1 liter stainless steel jug. It was great for tempering developer in hot or cold water baths.


I suggest making a list of items and dimensions and checking it when you are out and see something possible. A pocket tape measure is handy for those moments.

[RichardM]

From my experience of looking - Facebook Marketplace is a good source of enlarger + all the bits that go with it. The challenge of course is that once you have your enlarger, your really don't want another one even if it is cheap. If however it's some crusty really basic thing it might be just cheap enough - if all the extras make it worth your while , or indeed if they get thrown in for free. Many of the ads I saw were obviously people clearing the loft/shed or in some cases parent's sheds. When I bought my 35/120 enlarger I got a bunch of stuff thrown in because they were selling dad's gear. Sadly it did not include the mythical fridge full of paper and film but if you don't ask....

[jnantz]

I'll have to look up developers like caffenol; there's Gainer's Vitamin C, which is cheap and easy, though it was too active for my needs.

Thanks in advance.

the caffenol cookbook's website isn't up anymore but you can find it here > https://www.nanianphoto.com/blog/caffenol-cookbook/
not written about in there but one can just use straight coffee and no additives, it takes longer to develop the film it's just 1 ingredient (coffee) instead of ... the fancy stuff. when I say fancy I am talking teaspoon recipe with just carbonate and vit c, works well and low tech. you just need baking soda, cheep coffee and vit c powder. baking soda can be dried out to make the carbonate ( sometimes easier to find than carbonate ), sky's the limit . don't bother with salt fixer people will try to get you to use as a fixer "hack" it doesn't work very well. lots of ways to make a photographic print, cyanotypes are probably the easiest, most versatile and nicest to the environment. paper can be made from scratch ( 2 ingredients ) or premade paper from the cyanotypestore .. no dev, stop fixx or darkroom needed for the prints, just sunlight and water.
dollar store, big lots or similar has Tupperware type containers that work great as trays or deep tanks for developing

[Tin Can]

Keep it very simple

this is not

[Tin Can]

X-Ray film

Contact print


Rodinol

Vit C Food Grade STOP

TF5 Fixer

Hang to try in shower

[MrFujicaman]

I use glass shelves salvaged from a junked fridge for squeege boards. My print dryer is made out of scrap plywood and chipboard and a blow dryer for heat and cake cooling racks from Dollar Tree.

Watch for yard sales and flea markets and the rare good stuff on trash day.

Get a copy of Peterse's Photographic's "Photo equipment you can build" and both books of their "Blueprint" set.

To quote Thomas Edison: "To invent stuff, you need a big pile of junk."