Geezer installing a darkroom ...

September 1, 2009, from Lloyd Erlick,

Rec.Photo.Darkroom has been pretty slow most
of the summer. So I'm going to use it to
celebrate my Geezerhood (turned sixty this
summer ...) by recounting the thrilling
installation of my darkroom in my latest new
home.

Unlike any darkroom I've ever had in the
past, this one has windows. No more basement
holes for me, eh? Instead of the
seventy-three inch headroom I used to have,
now it's almost twelve feet! (The room comes
with a ceiling fan - should I use it? Or is
it too efficient at dust redistribution?)

Yesterday I put the step ladder under the
window and climbed up expecting to be able to
tape aluminum foil across the panes to
achieve the requisite dark for darkroom. I
actually spent some time up there earlier in
the summer, when I was first experimenting
with windows to keep open for ventilation. It
wasn't much of a thrill that time, but this
time I realized I had to have a lot more
stability if I intended to do any actual
work, like tearing tape or holding a
scissors. Standing on the ladder's top step
and all that.

So the next step is to empty the stored stuff
out of my processing sink and roll it under
the window (sink on wheels, every boy's
dream). Then the ladder goes in the sink, and
I get three feet more reach. Immobilize the
wheels, of course. Is this just plain stupid?
Anybody who's actually read this far may feel
free to advise...

Of course, future ventilation is a concern.
Just closing and covering the windows would
be the easy way, but it will be hot in
summer. It's a north facing window, and the
air outside tends to be cool most of the time
(or at least cooler than the rest of the
hellish place when the sun and humidity
combine). So I've been thinking of a method
of blowing in fresh air through a light-proof
vent that cost nothing (unless there is one
that would leak cash). An air conditioner
would be a possibility, but light could still
get in.

There are thrilling tales to come -
connecting to the drain line and the hot and
cold water. (Convenient bathroom adjacent to
the darkroom.)

Unanswered question: why do I have so many
trays? I switched to single-tray processing
years ago. So where did all these filthy
trays come from? Or did moving just cause
them all to band together, perhaps for
survival? Well, they do not get to squat on
my bed until I'm finished the darkroom. Maybe
they can be a temporary filling for the space
between a filing cabinet and the ceiling.


regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
website: www.heylloyd.com
telephone: 416-686-0326
email:
________________________________
--

September 4, 2009, from Lloyd Erlick,


My landlord would love me if he only knew
what I've done for him. He rented me a
kitchen sink drain that contained two plastic
straws, a plastic chopstick, and two
stainless steel dinner forks. Quite a feat to
get them all down there. So, while warming up
for the main act of putting in the darkroom,
I made the kitchen work. Next was the toilet,
which had some broken pieces of plastic
obstructing the drain. Then came the bathtub
which must have had lots of hair and soapy
gunk down there, because a sodium hydroxide
type drain clearer worked in a couple of
minutes. Whatever was in there got eaten up
and suddenly the drain drained.

So all that remained was the bathroom sink
drain. This was the one I planned for a
connection that would drain my darkroom,
which is just on the other side of the wall.
It was made of that overpriced chrome plated
brass pipe that is supposed to look good
under a sink. Unfortunately it had been
sitting there since 1977. By the time I pried
the screw connections loose I could see the
edges inside the pipe were bent and frayed.
Anyway, no cheapskate move like finding a
matching Tee fitting and getting it in there
like it matched. Nice new ABS pipe all the
way from the sink drain to the pipe
disappearing down the wall. Holes cut through
the wall and nice fresh ABS DWV pipe down
along the wall to my sinks. Hooray. Flexible
bilge hose from the sinks to the drain pipe
so the sinks can be moved if necessary.

I haven't done any plumbing in twenty five
years. I had almost forgotten the fragrance
of ABS plastic cement. And the thrill of
getting it off skin! Once upon a time I could
cut up the requisite hunks of pipe, open the
glue can, smear it all over in just the right
places, and carefully assemble the plastic
trombone without getting a spot on my hands.
But no more. My father always used to
complain that his hands became more and more
"un-nimble" as he got older. Damned if my
hands aren't un-nimble compared to days gone
by!

I also haven't soldered any copper pipe in
many years. Two short pieces of garden
variety half inch copper pipe with little
fittings on the ends. They didn't even come
up to being called a trombone. All morning
poking over them. I'm just glad I'm not going
to be getting enough practice to become
speedy. I just love those nice stainless
steel braid covered flexible hoses made for
connecting the hot and cold lines. They go
through a hole in the wall so effortlessly.

Pretty soon I'll have the pleasure of lifting
my enlarger up off the floor onto a nice dry
side I have yet to create. But I have the
right stuff for it - a stainless steel table
top forty one inches by nine feet. The most
ridiculous things come for free. I had to
scrub bakery evidence off it, but that was a
small price to pay.

So, lifting heavy objects in my near future.
And a trapeze act to darken the windows.
Meanwhile there is exposed film waiting and
waiting.

(I could have teenager assistance lifting the
enlarger - but would that be wise? Or should
I get help from my overweight geezer buddy
that I at least trust??)

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
website: www.heylloyd.com
telephone: 416-686-0326
email:
________________________________
--

wrote:

September 1, 2009, from Lloyd Erlick,

Rec.Photo.Darkroom has been pretty slow most
of the summer. So I'm going to use it to
celebrate my Geezerhood (turned sixty this
summer ...) by recounting the thrilling
installation of my darkroom in my latest new
home.

---snip---

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
website: www.heylloyd.com
telephone: 416-686-0326
email:
________________________________
--

It's a lot of work, but worth it. I "built a house around a darkroom" (as
my wife says) about 15 years ago. Been using it steadily since.

One of the things I did that really paid off was to clean the room (of
construction dust) and paint it (to freeze the rest of the dust). Then I
installed a floor-standing air filter, with a HEPA filter element. It's
been running ever since. My spotting needs are minimal.

Second greatest non-photo accessory was the floor mats. Costco had them.
The mats are about 1/4 inch thick, interlock at the edges. I tiled the
floor with them. They are waterproof and great for the feet.

For drying negs and prints my system is two wires strung across the room,
anchored in 2x4 studs so they are 16" apart. Before anchoring the second
end of each wire, I strung them with alternating spring-type clothes pins
and 2" lengths of tubing. NOTE: the pins were strung through holes drilled
in both handles, not through the spring. This way they hold material at
right angles to the wire. RC papers and films hang from one clip. Fiber
papers you can stretch between clips on the two wires. An 1x14 or 16x20
fit easily. If you do smaller, you might want to add a third wire. No
rack to clean, no floor space taken. Use plastic clips--my wooden ones are
starting to stick to prints.

Enjoy.

Bill