Hi AG,
> 35 for a few more days yet.
Then you're a little more twan two year ahead of me...
Let me share some details of my own darkroom with you:
> The darkroom space is a cove in the basement that has a 2-meter
> workbench.
I have about 3 meters which is nive to separate the wet from the dry area.
If I need to Dremel something I've got to set all
> the chemical trays on a card table behind me. The two windows
> in the basement are covered with sleeping bags to block out the
> light (usually).
I use a kind of cloth made for that. The company where my father works produces
this stuff, which is rubber covered. It is so lightproof that I can develop
films at noon on a bright summer day.
There is a decent utility sink in the basement
> about twenty paces away.
Same here. First I was a little concerned about not having a sink and
freshwater in the darkroom, but a square 10 litre bucket filled with water is
fine for storing the prints.
Fortunately Ilford RC paper and
> chemistry doesn't require much water. Washing the fixer off
> takes about a minute under flowing water while brushing the
> print with your hand. Soak it too long and the paper starts
> seperating at the corners.
I have never observed this, but Ilfords product specifications tell so.
> Right now, I'm using two enlargers, an Omega B66 and my Dad's
> Federal 4x5. The Federal is a beast and the diffusion head is
> about as bright as night during a new moon. Besides that, the
> lens starts at F6.3. Of course, that lens is for 4x5 prints, so
> it's worthless for 35mm. The enlarger is so old that I have to
> almost ducttape the 50mm enlarger lens in place. But THAT lens
> is a F2.8.
Wow. But do you actually work with the aperture wide open? Usually I step down
my Rodenstock 3.5/50 to f11 or f16 in order to achieve good DOF and better
consistency of exposure time.
> I just picked up a set of 8x10 trays as the big trays are a bit
> much if I'm not working on 11x14s. Takes two liters of
> chemicals to use each of the larger trays. Mixed chemical
> storage is in 2-liter Coke Cola bottles hiding in a darkened
> room. Burp the air out and they are perfect, stable storage.
> Cost: 5 cents each (Iowa bottle deposit). Basement temperature
> stays a constant 72 degrees (F) nearly the entire year.
Thats a good hint. I have radiators with thermostatic valves in my darkroom.
Every time I want to develop something I turn of the heating a few hours before
and set it to 20 C (Don't ask me how much F that is - I know the formula but am
definitely too lazy right now).
> I did "enhance" the darkroom experience lately when I installed
> a stereo system down there. MUCH better.
Mee too! Nothing is more relaxing than a good piece of music in the dim
yellow-green light of a darkroom!
[snip]
> Yes, I love the darkroom. My introduction with it was when I
> was barely a toddler and I have never "moved beyond" it. I can
> understand why Ansel Adams settled in on B&W fine art
> photography and never really took an interest in anything else.
> B&W isn't a pathway to Color, it's a photographic category all
> in itself. There is a romance to B&W photography and B&W is a
> very jealous lover.
You're absolutely right. I spend almost all my time at work in front of the
computer, and although I do a lot of scanning (no printing though) on colour
negs, I enjoy the time in my opto-chemical darkroom.
Best regards
Bernd Moeller
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|