New Enlarger

Just bought a Beseler 23CII from a local thrift store.  It's missing a film holder, filters, a manual, and will need a new set of lenses, but should do well in my darkroom.  I haven't touched the darkroom since I was sick last spring, but I think I'll will give it a try again soon. 

Installing a light-proof air vent

Latest RC print washing in darkroom sink. 

After using the darkroom a couple of times now, I've discovered the need for an air intake vent to replenish the air being removed by the exhaust fan.  Without an intake vent, the air in the darkroom stagnates and the temperature begins to rise to uncomfortable levels.  I have researched my options quite thoroughly and eventually settled on using the space between the two-by-fours in my wall as a baffle to keep the light from entering the darkroom.  Basically, for this method, all I need to do is: 1) find a gap between two studs in my darkroom wall, 2) install a register in the bottom end of the external side of the wall, and 3) install a register in the top end of the wall on the interior side of the wall (see photos below).  The distance between the two registers blocks out light from the outside, but still allows the air to flow into the darkroom.  After installing it last night I tested it briefly and found it to be very effective for keeping artificial light out of the darkroom, but I still need to test it against sunlight from the nearby window.  

External intake vent at base of external wall.

Internal intake vent at top the inside of same wall. 

Minor Adjustments

After having used the darkroom a couple of times now for both developing film and printing enlargements, I ended up making a few minor adjustments to the original design to improve the work-flow.  The first thing I decided to do (which is viewable in the photos of my first post) was to increase the height of the splash board dividing the wet side of the darkroom from the dry side.  I felt that there was too great a possibility of chemicals from the sink areas splashing over to the enlarger area and causing all kinds of problems.  The divider now runs nearly up to the ceiling. 

Once I had increased the size of the divider, I decided that I was now ready to make my first contact prints.  Right away, when I was attempting adjust the enlarger with only the safety light on, I realized that the new barrier that I had erected between the sink and the enlargers was blocking the light from the safety light and casting most of the enlarger into complete darkness.  This prevented me from doing anything involving the enlarger until I moved the safety light several feet to the right so that it straddled the new barrier and shed light on both the enlarger and the sink. 

Currently, with these two changes, the darkroom is fairly functional.  At some point down the line I will want to make a few more minor adjustments, but, for now, I plan to just enjoy using it. 

My New Darkroom

Several months ago I decided to undergo the long laborious process of building my own custom darkroom for developing negatives and printing photographs.  I decided that I've had enough of the improvised bathroom darkroom that is such a hassle to operate.  No more breathing in noxious chemical fumes or having to cram a towel under the door to block out light.  While it was quite a job to build it, I just finished printing my first prints in it and I'll have to say that ease of working in the new darkroom was well worth the effort.  Here is a basic overview of the darkroom:

This is the full darkroom as I modeled it in Google SketchUp.  The skp file can be downloaded here. 

The door of my darkroom is equipped with light baffles that effectively eliminate any outside light.  On the upper left side of this photo you can see some of my neolithic pottery reproductions. 

My sink/vent combo.  The original sink that I bought was too shallow, so I added several splash boards to the back and sides.  The splash boards were salvaged from an older darkroom sink that I had made from plywood and coal tar epoxy.  The vent is make from a large PVC pipe with holes drilled into its side. 

My Omega enlarger next to the wall mounted timer.  Note the very tall splash guard on the left. 

The PVC pipe vent is attached to a flexible tube that connects to a blower in the attic that vents outside.