From: jeffrey (alternativeprocesses@snarf.net)
Date: 09/07/02-10:58:20 AM Z
Ah, the building of the darkroom.
It took a couple of years, but I convinced my wife that sacrificing a
corner of the basement was for a good cause. Located next to the
'plumbing stack', it was easy to bring in water and drainage. Studs
and wallboard, fully wired, with a sliding door for entry.
I friend of ours is a cabinet maker, so he built the carcasses and I
stained and finished them. To protect the birch tabletops, I found
this stuff called KemVar, made by Sherwin-Williams. It's a
two-element catalyzed varnish, that goes on just like a regular
laquer/poly/whatever. The good thing is that it is highly-resistant
to acids and alkalies. I have spilled all kinds of stuff on it and
you just wipe it off with a damp cloth. And it looks very nice,
allowing the grain of the wood through. There is a downside - it's
expensive and it's thinned with Toluene or Xylene. Both of these
chemicals can cause brain damage with too much exposure. You MUST be
careful using these chemicals! But I love the results and am very
glad I used it.
Being in the basement keeps it quiet and cool in the summer.
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