Tell me about your "wet side"

That Guy · 02-08-2005

I'm working on putting together a traditional dark room. The dry side is pretty straight forward. And I've picked up most of that stuff already. The wet side has me guessing a little. I'll probably end up building a sink, duckboard, and shelving. And I have a floor drain and hot and cold water where I want to put the room. But I'm not sure exactly what I need for plumbing. That is to say, how "advanced" do I need to get with it?

I've been looking at various methods for mixing hot and cold water. Temperature regulators are a little pricey. Faucets aren't too bad. And pipes are cheap. But do I really need an automatic temperature regulator? Do I need filters on the hot and cold lines? I'm thinking not, but I'm starting to second guess myself.

So what do you use?

aizan · 02-08-2005

i use a liter graduate and a thermometer. get filters if your water is speckly.

FrankS · 02-08-2005

Tell you about my wet side? Well that's getting a little personal, but since we're all friends here, I built my darkroom in a spare bedroom next to my bathroom. I plumbed into the bathtub plumbing and brought pipes through the common wall. I just use a faucet with hot/cold taps. No filters, no temp regulator. Easy. Luckily I did find a used darkroom sink for sale. It's 2 1/2 by 4 ft big, so that's nice.

That Guy · 02-08-2005

Thanks guys. I'm trying not to flake out here and get all GASsy with my darkroom setup. I suppose I just need to KISS.

jlw · 02-08-2005

You don't necessarily need running water IN the darkroom at all. I use a Nova "slot processor" which stands vertically on the counter next to my enlarger. The Nova's slots hold developer, stop, fix, and a still-water rinse. Once I have cycled a print through the slots, I hold it over a tray to catch drips and carry it out to the print washer in the kitchen.

I also do film processing in the kitchen (after loading the tank in the darkroom); the timer setting on the microwave works great for timing the processing steps!

So, no running water and no temp controls for me. Obviously, if you want to do color work, a temp regulator and filter would be much more necessary.

ddutchison · 02-09-2005

If you have a place close enough to the sink to hold your print washer, then all you really need, for B&W, is a table big enough to hold your trays. Colour is a different story, but most people don't use a tray line for that.

Mr. Adams recommends developing a print for 6X the time it takes for the first traces of a image to appear on the paper (10 sec for something to show up, develop for 1 min., and chuck the developer when the initial time doubles), so using that method, your dev. times will auto-adjust for whatever temperature your darkroom happens to be. As long as you're comfortable with the temperature, your prints will be too.

For film, I just use a big tray filled with 20d water, and hot or cold running water to bring the chemicals to the right temperature. If I was doing 20 rolls a day, I'd find full temp. controls useful (20 a month is a lot for me). You can get attachments that fit on your tap, and hold a dial thermometer to measure the temp. of the water. They're about $40, and quite handy.

So far as filters are concerned, I use distilled water to mix film developers and foto-flo, and thats all. According to Ilford, tap water is supposed to be more effective than purified water for washing film and prints, so I've never felt much need for filtration either.

Ventilation is more of a worry than temperature control IMHO, that and a qood print washer.

That Guy · 02-10-2005

Thanks for the points, David. They all make good sense. I hadn't considered distilled water for mixing chemistry. I haven't read Mr. Adams's The Print yet. I've just started The Negative.

jlw, I've heard of the slot processors before, but where do you find them? Sounds like a great idea for minimum darkroom space. But do you get to watch the prints "develop?" That's the best part!

FrankS · 02-10-2005

"But do you get to watch the prints "develop?" That's the best part!"

Not unless you're REALLY thin.

jlw · 02-10-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by That Guy

jlw, I've heard of the slot processors before, but where do you find them? Sounds like a great idea for minimum darkroom space. But do you get to watch the prints "develop?" That's the best part!

The Nova processors are distributed by Jobo in the US. You can find them on the B&H Photo website (for example) by searching for keyword "Nova" within manufacturer "Jobo."

I don't have the latest version, but the newest Nova b&w models have a transparent sidewall on the developer tank, so you CAN watch the image appear!