Photo Dark Room equipment.

[bertvorgon]

Would any like, or, have kids that are taking photography, like a complete dark room setup? I have trays up to 16" x 20".

As I go through my basement, this is taking up some space and I will never use it. I cannot bring myself to just throw it out, but, if no takers it's gone.

There are a ton for sale on the Net and price is all over the map depending on the enlarger and lens supplied.

This is FREE!!!!!!

[datzenmike]

Vinyl vs. CD vs, MP3 vs.... There will always be someone willing to do it 'the hard way'. I mean owning and driving a Datsun could be considered doing it the hard way by 2019 standards. Surely there is more zen in the doing than pushing a START button?

[bertvorgon]

Who today would take at least an hour to mix chemicals, then, spend half an hour getting the FILM out of a FILM camera, in TOTAL DARKNESS, develop, dry, then go to your TOTALLY DARK room, all kept at the critical temperature of 20C, to put said film in the enlarger, to expose paper, which then goes into those chemicals, with who knows what results, and have the ability to wash said paper and then dry......

With only one hand as the other has that light emitting device called a "smart" phone...which would ruin said photo experience...

When you can walk into London Drugs as you say...download and hit the START button.

I know one thing, judging by the overwhelming response, I know where this is heading.....

[Three B's Racing]

Who today would take at least an hour to mix chemicals, then, spend half an hour getting the FILM out of a FILM camera, in TOTAL DARKNESS, develop, dry, then go to your TOTALLY DARK room, all kept at the critical temperature of 20C, to put said film in the enlarger, to expose paper, which then goes into those chemicals, with who knows what results, and have the ability to wash said paper and then dry......

With only one hand as the other has that light emitting device called a "smart" phone...which would ruin said photo experience...

When you can walk into London Drugs as you say...download and hit the START button.

I know one thing, judging by the overwhelming response, I know where this is heading.....

1/2 hour to remove film from camera? I used a changing bag for putting the film on developing rolls then into the developing tank, easy. Unless you were developing color then ok, temps are critical but if B&W not so much. Development time would be more or less depending on temperature of the chemicals, I typically developed at 72 degs. Best part of the wet room was the shear enjoyment of development and seeing the image come to life. If your taking your phone into the dark room shame on you 8>) I still have my dark room in my cellar a 9'x9' but it now stores my old and new camera equipment and gun cabinet. I miss the smell of beer and stop bath 8>o

[bertvorgon]

I was being funny. I used 20 C ( 68F) as that was so close to the temperature of both my basement and when I had the room set up at my work, many years ago.

I could not agree more about beer and stop bath, that's funny. I was lucky at one point, back in the 70's, where I was able to design my "office" at work, as a functional dark room also. Once people left for the day, away I went.

My kids benefited from the equipment in later years, as they both took photography in school and we set up in my basement here now. It did lead my son to take photo journalism and he now runs the media branch of Kwantlen College here in Surrey.

I still have many of the pictures I did, stuck in a box in my basement.

That is another thing down there...camera equipment.......so sad.....

[BrandonS]

If you’re serious, I actually have a Rangefinder that I’d like to use more than I do and one thing that has stopped me is how scratched up and horribly developed the film always ends up when I get it back.

[Three B's Racing]

If you’re serious, I actually have a Rangefinder that I’d like to use more than I do and one thing that has stopped me is how scratched up and horribly developed the film always ends up when I get it back.

Sounds like something in the films slide within the Rangefinder is scratching the negative. Tell me, are the scratches dark? (scratched negative) or white/grey (crap on negative)?

[BrandonS]

White. They look like the negatives were wiped with a dirty cloth or something.

[Three B's Racing]

White. They look like the negatives were wiped with a dirty cloth or something.

Damn why would they wipe them? You need to let the film dry completely as the emultion is pretty tender until completely dry. This is why you hang negatives to dry, bummer. There is a chemical you paint on the negative and it fills scratches enabling a clean print. I think it was called emultion filler or something like that, it's been a good 40 years since I've used that stuff and was because I didn't quite know what I was doing when I first started film development and it's been about 10 year since I last developed film and made prints. Now it's all done with the lights on guitar on one side beer on the other tunes blasting and grand kids watching pictures print

[bertvorgon]

I used to use a wetting agent if I remember correctly, you NEVER wipe a negative, air brush only. Kinda like painting a car at night, when dust is minimal, I made sure my darkroom was as dust free as possible.

The wetting agent would help with no spotting on the negatives as they dried.

In going through my stuff....I found the box with every negative I ever shot, both BW and colour.

[bertvorgon]

At least this thread brought back memories.,

[gooned]

Nostalgia is powerful stuff...hopes & dreams!