Finally...a darkroom

[kthompson]

Yeah, go the surplus route first...when we moved into our new darkroom we surplused our old sinks & water chillers...it was all Kreonite lab equipment, but it was pretty worn out. I outfitted my own darkroom largely out of stuff I bought from the university system surplus lot. Maple cabinets from chemistry labs etc.

Leedal sells off factory seconds of stainless steel sinks & tank lines every couple of months. You can check out the ads in Photo Techniques for these. I have a Leedal fiberglass sink at home, as well as a delta 1. Both are good bargains, the Leedal is stiffer than the Delta 1 though. I got around this by reinforcing my homemade stands. If you're doing this from scratch, make sure to put in some hot & cold water filters. Maybe a water panel if you can afford one, I bought a Leedal out of surplus again for this & rebuilt the valve.

Uhm, a Thomas Duplex is a great safelight, but you need a big darkroom for them....for example, we use 2 here in our lab....

If you want ideas on lab equipment, check out the products/cabinetry made by Kreonite. We have built-in stations in our darkroom that are like freestanding cubicles for the enlargers, complete with built in paper safes, and small light tables with OC filters for viewing negs. Everything is wired as well....

Other lab manufacturers (who may crop up in surplus lots) are: Regal/Arkay, California Stainless, and for processing gear: Eseco, Colex, Hope, Kreonite etc. Alot of these companies offer turnkey lab design/construction and their product catalogs are chock full of good ideas & solutions. you usually need to have an ID card to shop at federal surplus, but you should be okay at a state surplus lot. Now's a good time to check them out because alot of places are converting to digital, but that doesn't mean it's all going to be great bargains either. I work in a system, and when something goes to surplus, it usually means everyone has picked over it, or it has just slipped by. Sometimes, you may have to buy a whole lot of junk just for one good item....I see kreonite stuff alot though, so happy hunting if you go this route.

[kthompson]

One other thing, the kreonite sinks are great...they're usually made of fiberglass (although they also do s.s.) and built into their own cabinets. The usual color is a bright green, with a woodgrain cabinet. they have ribs down the middle...we had 2 nine footers in our old darkroom, with built in water chillers/mixing valves and filters. The sinks also had standpipes and water jet nozzles (2) in the corners, so you can convert them into big water jackets or print washers. They come with sprayers, and sometimes even eye wash stations...I saw a kreonite film sink last year in a surplus lot for about $50 that was a smaller version of these, complete with a chiller....they probably list for a couple of thousand dollars new.

[Jeff Buckels]

I tried to find a used SS sink, but could not. It's easier said than done. Anyhow, I built my own sink w/ the plywood and epoxy resin. It works great. It's some work, for sure. A day to put it together, then a coat of epoxy a day (I did three). Anyhow, about a zillion photographers over the years have made do just fine w/ the plywood sink. If you decide to go that route, I have a set of plans from Louis Feininger's old darkroom book and will send you a xerox. -jeff buckels (albuquerque)

[J. Wolfe]

I've seen stainless sinks on Ebay fairly frequently. The problem will probably be in shipping, both logistics and cost. Depending on where you live, however, you could get lucky and find one within driving distance at a bargain. Many seemed to be well equipped.

I use two Delta ABS sinks side by side. One is six feet, the other four feet, giving me ten feet of sink. It works pretty well. I use the six foot one for processing andd the other for print holding tray and print washer. I built the stands from a sheet of plywood. They're very sturdy, not very pretty, but much less expensive than commercial versions.

My other suggestion is to build in lots of counter space. In my current darkroom, I only have counter space for my enlarger. Anything I need to do, I do in that space or in the sink. Makes it inconvenient and I can't leave anything else set up if I want to print.

I'd also second the suggestions to look at old photo magazines for ideas, make lists and work on your plan and then rework it a couple of times. My last two darkrooms have worked out well (except for size of my current one) because of good planning and the list making.

Good luck.

[Paul Mongillo]

Hi Chad. I gave up on trying to find a used stainless steel sink. Its dificult when you only have "X" amount of space to find one that will fit. I made a sink out of wood and marine epoxy. I used 3/4 inch alder for the sides and 3/4 in plywood for the bottom. I even added color to the epoxy. The sink is great ! and is exactly the size I needed. Good luck.

[Jim Chinn]

Chad,

Making your own sink out of plywood and fiberglass is fairly easy but time consuming. i have seen plans in a couple of DIY darkroom books and someone else may be able to direct you to plans on the web. I don't know where you are moving to but check sheetmetal fabricators in your area. They probably have experience working with SS and could fabricate your sink for less then retailers previously discussed. At the very least you would probably save on shipping costs and have exactly the dimensions you need. I saved about $200 on an 8'x3' sink and had the drains, backsplash height and cutouts for faucets exactly where i wanted them.

Enjoy the new facilities! James Chinn

[Douglas P. Theall]

Chad, Congrats on getting your darkroom setup. I am going in th opposite direction. I just took a new job and had to move out of a house where I had built a darkroom and now am at the stage of setting up one in a apartment using the bathtub as my rinse area. It is tough. I would suggest you buy kodak's building a darkroom book for ideas as well as visit any local labs and the college or university locally for ideas. For a sink I got a ss sink at a garage sale for $5 with all the hardware. That doesn't happen every day but if you have the time you may find a deal also. Next best is to visit a used resturant equipment dealer. Even small towns have them and are a great source for deals. For counter tops I visited the local Lowes and Home Depot and got chipped counter tops for about $10 a section. Putting a 2x4 nailer on the wall and 2x4 leg on the front of the top made some very nice looking and cleanable work spaces. I had a big fan in one corner and a small but efficient bathroom exhaust fan in the ceiling at the opposite end of the room that worked fine. As long as your are working with just b&w you shouldn't have a problem. I didn't have any lower cabinets by the way. It was all open for storage so I could see everything. I cut up some used 1x12's into shelving for the overhead storage. Again, all open so I could see and get to everything. Hope this helps out some. Let us know how you are doing.

[Alec Jones]

Be careful about going the ex-restaurant route. They use a different SS than photo users. Their's will rapidly stain with some of our chemicals. They LOOK good, but they just aren't the right thing for photo use. I've had a Delta 1 for many years. I especially like the dropped portion on the end of mine for the paper washer. Highly recommend. Also, get some plastic grid from a lighting dealer to level the bottom. Most plastic sinks come with "ribs" which make it difficult to keep things level inside. The grids come with 1" squares and can easily be cut to size. The water flow goes right out underneath them.

[kthompson]

Here's a thought if you're going to make a sink, try using Sintra. It's compressed PVC sold in a 4x8 sheet. We use it as an exhibit construction material, but have used scraps as duckboards in our sinks. It's expensive, about $80 a sheet, but unlike wood materials, you will not have to fiberglass, or use marine paint etc. on it. You can do anything to Sintra that you would do wood, you can drill it, route it, cut it on a tablesaw, use screws on it, epoxy etc. Even our Wing-lynch cabinet is made out of the stuff. It comes in different thicknesses and colors as well, you can paint it too...we silkscreen onto it as well. look for it at plastics suppliers.

[Rob Tucher]

Actually, I've had tremendous success with the cheap Delta plastic sinks. I have three (one for ATL2 processor and two for trays end to end). They are flimsy and cheap feeling but simple ply and 2x4 bracing underneath makes them as sturdy (for banging around in) as any ss sink and alot quieter. They are 2.5'x7' each and I have drilled tap holes where I want them and drained them from the supplied central hole. They have a tall back-splash and just work perfectly.

By the way, I would paint the walls Kodak yellow. It avoids the gloom of black or dark but yellow absorbs blue/white light scatter that can fog paper. White does not so it is more possible to fog. Filter your water, ground-fault all electricity, vent with a baffled fan. And enjoy.