My senior project is to research and put together a working darkroom. I chose this project because of my love of photography and everything that has to do with it. So this darkroom was a natural step.
So the first thing that you need to think about buying is the enlarger. This will probably be you’re biggest purchase as it is most likely the most expensive item on you’re list. When you are looking for an enlarger you want to look for a middle of the line model, especially if you are a beginner. Enlargers come in very different models, from cheap starter’s models to “professional computer-controlled “dream machines” costing thousands of dollars.” (Grimm, 1999) Three of the most well known enlarger brands are Durst, Beseler and Omega. I have a Beseler. When you look at size you are looking at the size of the negative that it can enlarge. One of the most common sizes is made for 35mm film, which is regular, store bought film. Another thing to consider is if you want to do strictly black and white or if you want to do color as well. Modular enlargers are probably you’re best bet for color and black & white because you can change it to accommodate both types of printing.
The second thing that you need to look for is safelights. This is one of the most important things in you’re darkroom because you can’t develop you’re film in regular light. You must have special red light so that you don’t expose you’re paper. Safelights vary from seven and a half to fifteen watts and are covered with filters to protect you’re papers. There is no special brand of safelights, most stores sell red bulbs that can be covered with a Kodak filter and be put in a darkroom.
The third thing that you need is processing trays. “Trays are required for processing and the number and size vary according to your needs.” (Grimm, 1986) When you do black & white processing, you need 3 trays: one for the developer, one for the stop bath and one for the fixer. If you don’t have print washer, you can use another tray for water but usually it’s a better idea to run you’re prints under faucet. “Processing trays are usually plastic or hard rubber, or more expensive stainless steel. Porcelain-covered or enamelware metal trays are safe to use, unless the porcelain or enamel has been chipped and there is a danger of the metal contaminating the chemicals.” (Grimm, 1999) It is a very good idea to use the same trays for the same chemicals so that if you don’t clean the trays totally, you don’t run the risks of contaminating you’re chemicals.
The next thing that is important to a darkroom is photo paper. This is one of the most important as you can’t have pictures if you don’t have anything to print them on. Photo paper varies a lot. “For black & white prints, you need to consider brands, sizes, quantities, surfaces, speeds, contrast, grades, weights, image tones, tints, and paper bases (fiber-base or resin-coated).” (Grimm, 1999)
Another thing that you need for you’re darkroom are processing chemicals. You need different kinds for color and black & white “but the key steps are the same: developer, stop bath, fixer.” (Curtin, 1991) Developers come in either powdered or liquid form, and they have to be mixed by the instructions that come with the chemicals. Some stock solutions are used full strength, others have to be diluted.
The next thing that is absolutely necessary in a darkroom is paper safe or a light-tight paper drawer. This is something that you really need because you’re photo paper needs to be in the dark or in the red safelights of you’re darkroom. You can’t have the paper in the open when you turn on the regular lights in the room so you need a paper safe. It makes things a lot easier because you don’t have to keep opening and closing the black bag that you’re paper comes in. You can make your own by building it into the stand that you’re enlarger is on or you can buy one from a darkroom product supplier.
There are some things that don’t need to be included in you’re darkroom but are good to have anyway. One of those things is a print washer. There are many types of print washers. Some have a tube that is attached to the tray and pushes fresh water into the tray to agitate the water and remove the chemicals from the paper. Most photographers run the paper under the water from the faucet or agitate the water in a tray, as print washers can be expensive.
Another thing that can be helpful in the darkroom are print tongs. Photo chemicals can stain and irritate you’re hands and clothes so most people who use a darkroom use tongs meant to grab and transfer the prints from tray to tray. Tongs should be either color-coded or numbered according to you’re processing tray because if you use a set of tongs that have been used in another chemical you could contaminate the chemicals, making them less useful. “Tongs are made out of plastic, stainless steel, or bamboo and are usually sold in sets of three.” (Grimm, 1999)
Another thing that is very helpful in you’re darkroom is a paper cutter. Scissors are not very accurate when cutting the white edges off of you’re prints. A paper cutter can be bought to fit the biggest type of prints that you are going to be printing.
One of the first things that I bought for my personal darkroom was a countertop. It’s black and made out of Formica. We bought it through Loews from a company called Superior Countertops. We paid somewhere around $398.00 for these countertops.
For our cabinets we paid about $89 each for white pressboard. We bought two so that they will hold up the countertops but there is a space between them so I can store some of my extra things under the counters.
We bought a white stand-alone sink for $129, which includes the faucets and drain. The bid to put in the plumbing was somewhere around $300. That includes pulling the plumbing from the bathroom into the darkroom, adding new pipes, and connecting the sink to the faucets in the sink.
The electrician cost us about $100 for him to install the fan and the extra outlets. We bought a low noise fan at Loews for about $120. The electrician installed it through the under the house area that is behind the darkroom and to the outside on the side of the house. The is a switch on the extra outlet that turns the fan on and considering what I am used to at school, the fan is definitely low noise.
For paint we went to Miller Paint. For the floors we bought black porch paint that cost about $18. We also bought white paint for the walls but ended up needing more than we bought so we used what was left over from when we painted the ceilings in our house. The Miller white paint that we bought first was $24 and the paint that we used for the second coat was Divine white ceiling paint and it cost about $30. We spent somewhere around $32 on supplies to paint the room including, paint rollers, brushes, tarps, trays and paint tape.
For vents we turned to Porters, a photography equipment catalog that is based out of Cedar Falls, Iowa. We bought two light-proof vents that fit into a door. The vents cost $5 each plus shipping and handling.
Since a darkroom has to be light proof we bought weather stripping to make the door to the darkroom so that no light can leak through. The weather stripping cost about $10 to do the whole door.
We also bought a fire extinguisher because when you are working in a darkroom you are working with very dangerous and flammable chemicals. It is very and important and a law to have a fire extinguisher in a darkroom. The extinguisher cost us about $20.
As for the equipment that we bought on Ebay, all together it cost us about $550 for everything. Some of the basic things that it came with are: an enlarger (which would normally cost alone about $800), chemicals (including Dektol, D-76, film fix, stop bath, and photo-flo), 11 trays of different sizes, safelights, tongs, thermometers and a paper easel (used to hold paper in place when you are enlarging prints.
We also ordered a few other things from Porter’s. An electronic timer for the enlarger was $185. Two plastic storage tanks for film chemicals were $20 each and $40 for both together. A papersafe (that was probably more expensive and nicer than I needed) cost about $60. I also bought two boxes of Kodak Polycontrast RC print paper. That was $64.95 each and $129.90 for together.
These days, the majority of photographers use digital photography to take and print their pictures. While this a much more efficient way to have pictures, it is my opinion that it is impersonal and I believe that there is something awesome about seeing you’re picture develop before your own eyes. Call me a traditionalist or someone behind the times but I have no problem with this. This is why I chose to do this project; to prove that there is something other than the mainstream.

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