Getting started with a <I>basic</I> darkroom

Darkroom Basics – What do I need to get started without buying a lot of extra stuff?

I've seen a lot of people get a huge list of gear that they 'need' in order to get started developing film, and I have to say that while much of this gear is nice to have, it is not needed to get up and running, especially if you are on a budget. This list of basic equipment should give you an idea about what you need as a minimum in order to get started developing your own film. Later on I will post another article about getting started printing, and perhaps one about some things that are nice to have, and why, once you get a feel for the darkroom.

For now, here is a list of things that I feel are the basic necessities for getting started developing your own black and white film at home.

Equipment

A Large changing bag

A changing bag will allow you to load a daylight developing tank in any room in the house – no dark required, it comes with it's own. The emphasis on large is because the smaller it is, the more it gets in the way. Plus, these can get kind of hot fairly quickly so you want the most room you can get in order to keep the heat down as long as possible. Warm hands = sticky film and uncomfortable experiences. The darkroom is fun, so don't cut corners here or you will lost some of that enjoyment.

Another thing that is nice about a large changing bag is that you have more room to spread out. I find that when loading reels it really helps a lot to have some room to keep your hands apart. When your hands are close together the film seems, to me anyway, to be more difficult to load on the reel, while having more room between your hands allows the film to slip into the coils of the reel smoother. Your mileage may vary on this point, but I've never heard anyone dispute the warm hands syndrome.

A 2-reel daylight film tank and reels

Why a 2-reel tank? I find that a 2-reel tank gives more room for chemistry to flow, plus the larger volume seems to keep the temperature more stable during development. Do I have scientific proof of this? No. But I can say that in my own experience, and that of working with photography students, most of the time this appears to be the case.

When using a 2-reel tank with one loaded reel, always put an unloaded reel on top to keep the loaded reel from creeping up during agitation. I prefer to develop only one roll at a time in a two reel tank using this method, but as with anything, your preference may be different. Try it before you discount it though, just to be sure that you have all the information before making a decision.

In case you were not aware, a '2-reel' tank refers to two 35mm reels, but will hold only one 120 reel, so keep that in mind when choosing equipment. This is another reason why I think that a 2-reel tank is best for starting out with, because many people seem to move up to medium format at some point, even if it is just to experiment, and then you already have the tank on hand.

Clothes pins

?? Clothes pins you say? For hanging film of course! I find that the plastic variety work best because they do not absorb chemistry like the wooden ones do, and they are less likely to damage the emulsion, which will roll film is no big deal because there is always plenty of space the the ends of the roll to clip, but with sheet film (large format) they do matter.

Measuring cup, or two

This is for measuring out chemistry, because you do not want to use anything that will be used for food, or that could be mistaken for something that you use for food. I like the plastic variety because they are inexpensive and nest easily inside other measuring cups, but glass works just as well.

Thermometer

Just about any thermometer will do for starters, but if you can find one that is of decent quality it can help. If you have 15 thermometers, you may very well find that they tell you 15 slightly different temperatures – don't worry overly about it at this point as long as you use the same thermometer each time you will develop your routine around it, and small variances in temperature are not a concern in most cases.

Chemisty

Developer (required)

There are far too many good books out there for learning about developers. My suggestions reside at the bottom of this document in the sections titled “Further Reading”, so check there to see what books I've found to be good references. The main thing to remember no matter what developer you choose to start with is Stick with that developer!, at least until you get a real understanding of what it can do. What do I mean by that? I mean try different dilutions with it and compare the results. Use that developer for a while until you know what you will get each time you use it and then you can try another developer of a different kind (see “Further Reading”) and compare those results.

Many people, although not all by any means, use a few select developers for all their work. I use three, Rodinal, Perceptol, and Diafine. They are three very different developers with very different uses. I choose the developer, film, exposure, and development methods to suit the results that I want, but before you can do this, you have to spend a short amount of time learning what you can do with your materials. It won't take long if you work thoughtfuly and change only one thing at a time. Before you know it, you'll have a solid understanding of what you can do with one film and one developer, and then you can add to that with other films and other developers.

Stop Bath (optional)

A stop bath does just that, it stops development. How fast you stop development is a matter of personal choice, but in my honest opinion, water works just fine as a stop bath. Unless your development time is under 5 minutes (which has it's own problems) there is really little need to completely stop development instantly. Just my opinion, take it for what you will, but I've never had any problems with water as a stop bath.

Fixer (required)

This one is just as required as developer, but there are many choices. Again, there are many good books that discuss the different types of fixers, and there are a number of different types out there, but for starters you should not have any problems using a 'Rapid Fixer' without hardener. First, the 'Rapid' part of that mean that it is very active in the chemical conversion of unused silver, which is what fixer does – it removes the unused silver from the emulsion so that you get only the silver converted during exposure. If left in place, your negatives (and prints) would discolor rapidly and become useless very quickly. The process involves two conversions, the first is unused silver to an intermediate compound, and the second in further chemical conversion of that compound to a final compound, also by fixer. Rapid fixers do this, well, rapidly – that is to say without the use of HCA, which stands for Hypo-Clearing-Agent.

HCA will be covered next, but suffice it to say that non-rapid fixers typically require the use of HCA while 'Rapid' fixers do not. Hardener is also optional, and many films neither require it or are helped by it's use. Exceptions are films that many find 'soft', which mean they can be more easily damaged when wet. Hardener only does good when the emulsion is wet, and has no real effect once the emulsion is dry. Again, for much more detail, please see the “Further Reading” section below.

HCA – “Hypo Clear” (optional)

HCA speeds the washing process after film has been fixed. It reacts with the intermediate compound created by fixing and converts it to the final compound rapidly. Some people swear by it, I never use it because I use a rapid fixer. Once again, for all the gory details, please refer to the “Further Reading” section below.

Wash Aid (optional, but recommended)

Wash Aid is a surficant, which mean that it allows the water to 'sheet' off the film when drying. This helps prevent water spots and allows for somewhat faster drying times. I use this will all films, and have never had water spots, but as always, your mileage may vary. Some people find that using distilled water also aids in preventing water spots when used to mix the wash aid, so if you have problems you might consider giving it a shot. Conventional wisdom is that the manufacturers dilutions of this product are geared more toward selling more wash aid than helping to sheet water, and I have found that using wash aid at half the dilution recommended works fine. Using too much will almost certainly leave a residue on the film, which is bad. Try it with just a small splash in a 2-reel tank and see what you think.

That will get you going on a minimal setup, but you get rolling, and it won't take long!, you will find other things that will make certain aspects of the process easier. Try to wait until you find thing that you need before going out and getting things that look interesting. In many cases, you will find that you don't really use them, and in some cases you may find that they are a hinderance.