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Darkroom Accessories: Equipment
In addition to the things I've made, there are several things which I believe to be essential to my
comfort in the darkroom, they are, in no particular order:
Stool
Standing Pad
Wall Clock
Wall Calendar
Fire Extinguisher
Radio / CD / Tape deck
Inspirational Photos
Towels
Trash Can
Process Timer
Exposure timer
Film Clips
Telephone
Water filter
Temperature Control
Print Trays
Sponges
Film Squeegee
Print Tongs
Stir Sticks
Measuring Beakers
Enlarger Focus Tool
Lint Free Cloth
Anti-static brushes
Data Sheets
Low Wattage Room Lights
Vacuum / compressed air
Overhead Pull Cords for Lights
A Room Heater in the Darkroom
A color head enlarger
Film hangers for sheet film
Kodak Tray siphon
Stool
After standing for a long time, your legs get tired, and you begin to not enjoy the process. I have two stools (one for a guest), which have the seat height set so that I can 'lean' against the stool and take most of the weight off, or I can sit on the stool and still have my head at about the same height as when I'm standing. By staying at the same height, sink work is always about the same. I don't have wheels on my stools, I don't want wheels either. I got mine at a garage sale.Standing Pad
I have a 3/4" rubber pad on the floor, it makes standing much more comfortable. The rubber is easily hosed off if there are spills (what, me, spill?), I can pick it up and wash it in the sink, or take it outside to brush off any dust or dirt. I got my first one from Porters, the ones in the new darkroom came from Costco.Wall Clock
I have a wall clock that does not have glow in the dark numbers or
hands. I don't need to see the time when I'm in total darkness, but if
I told my wife I'd be out by 6 for dinner, or I have to go to work
in the morning, I like to know what time it is. I don't have a clue
where the one I have now came from. If you can't find one of these,
please call me, at 800-555-lost.
Wall Calendar
During long printing sessions, I keep track of time this way. Not really. I use the calendar to make notes sometimes, and the pictures can be an inspiration (unless you get a Dilbert calendar, of course)Fire Extinguisher
Please put a fire extinguisher in your darkroom. Many of the chemicals you'll be using are flammable, most of what you have in the room will burn! I got mine from Costco or Home Depot or Home Base or something, I don't remember for certain. If you can't find one at a building supply store, call your local fire department, they'll be happy to give you information and help you make the right purchase. (Many firemen act as building inspectors in their spare time, so you can also use this resource to help in understanding local building codes)Radio / CD / Tape deck
I have a radio in my darkroom, wouldn't want to be in there without it. It used to be
a tape player too, but that part broke, so now I've got a bunch of tapes I can't use.
Inspirational Photos
I have photos of Yosemite National park, photos by Ansel Adams and Fred Picker in my darkroom. Some for inspiration, some for instruction. It's fun to compare my pictures to theirs, for technique, not for content, I don't want to copy anybody, but they made some fabulous prints showing the extremes of paper contrast.Towels
It's wet in here! It seems I'm always drying my hands, so I have a couple of coat hooks that hold towels, and a paper towel rack (purchased - cheap) for paper towels. I don't use the cloth towels to wipe up spills, because then I couldn't use them to dry my hands (chemical contamination).Trash Can
I can't believe how much trash I have! There are prints that didn't turn out the way I wanted (only 1 or 2 per year, ha ha ha ha), there are film ends, chemical packets, paper towels (I never spill, it is only when my son is helping!), and who knows what else. The point is, there are a lot of things you want to throw away, some of which can be recycled. But you can't open the door to throw them away, or empty the trash, at just any time. So get a good sized trash can.Process Timer
I have a 10" square process timer that I use on the wet side, it hangs on two screws in the
wall, and is plugged into an outlet that as a GFI outlet at the start of the circuit.
The second hand, minute hand, and numbers glow in the dark. I cut
a cardboard box to fit over the timer, to cover the glow in the dark numbers. I don't know
if this is necessary, but I don't like having any light at all if I'm loading negatives or
processing color. I got mine from a local photo store, but for mail order, I'd recommend
B&H Photo or Porters
Exposure timer
I have a Zone VI studios print exposure timer that has a dry down adjustment. The features that I find very useful in this timer areFilm Clips
For the longest time I used clothes pins to hang film up to dry, and every once in a while the film would slip out, or the bottom clothes-pin would come off and the film would curl. One day, while reading a Porters Catalog I saw their film clips, and ordered some. Man, what a difference. They have small pins which actually puncture the film (at the ends that you are going to cut off anyhow), so they never fall off. They are weighted, so the film stays taught and straight, and they have hooks built in to loop over wire for hanging. I can not say enough about these film clips.Telephone
One of the most frustrating things for me in my first darkroom, was not having a phone in the room,
so I ran the wires through the wall and mounted a phone on the wall. I was very happy with this. In
my second darkroom however, I did not have easy access to a phone jack, so it was not feasible to
do a wall mount. Then I discovered (OK, you're way ahead of me I know) cordless phones. That is
what I use now.
Water filter
Some say you do, some say you don't, need a water filter. For mixing chemicals I will only use water that has been filtered. In my first darkroom, I didn't have a filter, so I purchased filtered water. I came to this after a couple of years of differences in processing results. I did some research and found that there are numerous chemicals, minerals, and organisms are allowed in varying levels in municipal water. During different times of the year, the levels will fluctuate. Some of these chemicals or minerals will affect the way darkroom processing chemicals react. Also the number of particle in water affects how well it cleanses, and how well it absorbs chemicals. When I designed my second darkroom, I wanted filtered water, so I wouldn't have the hassle of heating bottled water for mixing chemicals, and so I could rinse prints and films in filtered water. The only hot water filters I could find were extremely expensive, so I chose to filter only that water that was temperature controlled. My Plumbing supply board has a faucet with unfiltered water, and two taps with temperature controlled filtered water.Temperature Control
I have an Econo-temp thermometer in the line after I mix hot and cold in my plumbing supply board. I'd rather have a (much) more expensive thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature, but haven't had the money for that yet. There's always Christmas I guess.Print Trays
A darkroom has to have print trays! Actually you can process color and black and white in drums, so this isn't really true, but for black and white, and some color manipulations, trays are much easier. Most of my printing is 8x10, some 11x14 and an occasional 16x20. I have 7 8x10 trays, labeled developer, stop, 1st fix, 2nd fix, pre-wash, hypo-clear, and toners. I use a print washer for 8x10's. I have 8 11x14 trays, labeled developer, stop, 1st fix, 2nd fix, wash, hypo-clear, wash, and toners. I have 4 16x20 trays, labeled developer, stop, fix, wash. I only have 4 because I don't do 16x20 very often. I wash the prints using a Kodak water siphon in a tray. They are all stored under the sink, standing on their sides, stacked together, the developer tray is always on the top of the stack, so no other tray touches its inside. The 8x10s are separated from the 11x14's and the 11x14's are separated from the 16x20's. I got mine from many different places, garage sales, relatives who quit their darkrooms, local photo supply stores, and Porters.Sponges
I have a couple of sponges, I used to use them for wiping water off the negatives when I hung them up to dry. I've switched to a film squeegee, but might switch back. There are many debates about scratches. I never let the sponges touch any chemicals, they are only for soaking up water from fully washed prints or negatives. You want the kind with the very small holes, I got mine from Porters.Film Squeegee
I have a film squeegee, which I bought at a photo store, with very soft rubber ridges.
I use it to wipe the water off of negatives when I hang them up to dry. I'm not convinced
this is better than sponges, but I have not got any scratches with these, yet.
Porters carries these.
Print Tongs
I have a half-dozen print tongs, some are plastic, some are metal. I prefer the metal, because they slide under paper easier. I have a dot of white paint on the tongs that are to be used in only developer, the other tongs I use in any tray (except developer). You can make them fairly easy, from 1/16" metal, 1/2" wide about 18" long, bend them in half around a broom stick. Or you can get them from photo supply stores, or Porters.Stir Sticks
I have stir sticks that have a small paddle with a hole in it, in the end. After many years
of use, the developer stir stick is a lighter color than the rest. I recommend getting some
that are made specifically for mixing chemicals, you could go to a local photo store, or a
chemical supply store or a mail order photo store like Porters.
Measuring Beakers
I have both glass and plastic measuring beakers, in sizes ranging from 1 ounce to 64 ounces. They have both metric and English measurements on them. I prefer the ones with markings on both sides of the beaker, and that are clear enough to see plain water in. You can get some from department stores or home supply stores, although they are not as accurate as what you sometimes need. If you can find a chemical supply store, they would be great, otherwise try Porters.Enlarger Focus Tool
I have two focusing tools. A mistake I used to make, until I read about it in a hints column in some darkroom magazine, was to not put paper under the focus aid. So I've taped a piece of paper unto the bottom of them now. (Hopefully I remember to change the paper when I change paper weights). I got mine, both of them, from my father-in-law, he used to have a darkroom and gave me a lot of stuff when he found out I was into darkrooms. Porters has them.Lint Free Cloth
This 'static free', 'dust attracting' cloth has been great. I can run it over the counter, the easel, the enlarger, everything, and remove dust. It just takes washing in plain water to get the dust off and re-charge the attractant. I got mine from a local photo store, but I've seen them in the Porters catalog.Anti-static brushes
I have a couple of these fine brushes with some kind of plutonium or something in them. When you have a speck of dust on a negative, sometimes this is the only thing that works. I'm not sure how I feel about using them though. I got one from my father-in-law, one from a local photo store, and I've seen them in the Porters catalog.Data Sheets
On the dry side, put the data sheets into a binder, for easy access, always put the binder in the same place - so you know by habit where it is in case you need it quick in an emergency. On the wet side, laminate them first, hole punch one corner, then use a key ring or some other ring to hold them together. You can then flip to the one you want, and don't have to worry about getting them wet. Many shipping / post office box type places have laminators. If you have children, be sure others in your household know where the data sheets are kept. It might even be a good idea to keep copies in the house medicine cabinet.Low Wattage Room Lights
I use a low wattage room light (40 watts max), because my eyes don't adjust very fast to drastic changes in light. I paint the entire room white and make sure there are no light leaks. 40 watts has been more than adequate for me. I use an overhead pull cord to activate the room lights, so I can do so easy from anywhere in the room.Vacuum / compressed air
I use a mini-vac to remove dust. I don't recommend compressed air, since all that does is scatter the dust and you'll have to deal with it again later. If you get a mini-vac, or modify a vacuum cleaner, make sure there is a 'finger hole' near the end so you can remove your finger and reduce the suction, otherwise you might get film stuck to the end of the hose! (trust me on this one)Overhead Pull Cords for Lights
I'm a big believer in this, and you will be too once you try them. I mount a pull cord type light socket on one wall, run a cord from the pull chain across the room to a hook on the other side. When you want to turn a light on or off, you raise your hand and move it toward or away from the wall until you find the cord, and pull. You can do this standing anywhere in the room, you don't have to hunt for a light switch on the wall. You don't have to put a light bulb in the socket either, there are adapters you can find at most hardware stores, that screw into a light socket and turn it into an electrical cord socket. I had three of these cords running about 1 foot from the ceiling (7' high) in my first darkroom, in my new darkroom I have one at that height in the center of the room and the other two are run along the bottom of the wall cabinets. The one in the center of the room is for the low wattage room lights and the ones on each side are for the safe lights. (I ran the safe light cords differently only because the location of the wall cupboards was such that when I opened a door, it turned the light on or off - oops - design error)A Room Heater in the Darkroom
I have a small electric heater in my darkroom. It has a rudimentary thermostat, which will keep the temperature in the room between 65 and 75 degrees. In the winter I'm very glad to have it. Do not get a gas, propane, or any kind of flame heater, it is possible that you could be using chemicals that could ignite. You can get them fairly cheaply at many different stores, Costco, Home Depot, Home Base, and many department stores. On the box it usually indicates the size of room that it will heat comfortably, and safely. Be sure to follow the instructions with your heater. Make sure there is enough room around it, and it has enough ventilation so that it does not over-heat. Also be sure to get one that is adequate for your room, so it doesn't over-work itself.A color head enlarger
I don't have one of these, but the next time I get a bunch of money together I will probably buy one. To do color now, I have to put a filter holder under the lens and put gel filters in the holder. With a color (dicroic) head you can change the filtration through a set of nobs on the enlarger. I've used one once and it was much easier. I would not give up my cold light head for black and white work though.Film hangers for sheet film
I shoot both 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 and 4 by 5 sheet film. I have a large steel daylight can type developing tank for the 2x3 sheets, but prefer to develop them like the 4x5, in film hangers. The hangers hang in a black daylight tank (like a box with a lid) and are easier to handle. I actually use several tanks, one for developer, one for stop, one for fix, and one for wash, so I pick up all the hangers and transfer them from tank to tank.Kodak Tray siphon
This is used to wash prints in a tray. I use it for prints that won't fit in my print washer. This is used to wash prints in a tray. I use it for prints that won't fit in my print washer. From the Eastman Kodak catalog (this link no longer works, and I have not been able to find the item in online at Kodak any longer)6740-00-224-9612 147-7231 KODAK AUTOMATIC TRAY SIPHONI've seen them in the Porters catalog, and on ebay.
Visitor Comments
The comments stated below are not necessarily the opinions of Andy Hughes or DarkroomSourceI\'m doing a school project on photography and I just wanted to say thanks for all the information. :)Contributed by on 2007-05-17 11:13:26
