Re: Dream Darkroom!! (Questions)

Message Hi Calamity,
     I would get a good dehumidifier as well as a "good" humidity meter...... I would shoot for 40 to 50 % Relative humidity during the peak summer months.... If you don't you would probably have mold issues....... You may also want to bring in a little fresh air..... A small window air conditioner makes a great dehumidifier and gives a little cooling as well....... A small AC unit may even have a fresh air vent on it as well......
      With the furnace in the darkroom does your return air have duct work to it? OR is it just a filter cage on the side of the furnace?..... If it does not have duct work and you block this area off to the rest of the house, you would be blocking off the return air path to the furnace( called a "common return" when the basement acts as the air path..... If this is the case you may have dust issues .....
Jealous,
John Cremati
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Best, Dianne
  To: alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca
  Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 2:21 PM
  Subject: Dream Darkroom!! (Questions)

  My present darkroom is a small bedroom on the main floor http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/calamityjanecanary/Darkroom2.jpg It has served me well but I need the space so I am planning to move my darkroom to the basement within the next year so

  The basement will provide ALOT more room and also accommodate a light-trap entrance so my assistant (a Bloodhound) can come and go without letting in the light. The easiest way to light-proof the basement is to do the entire space (1 door and 2 windows), so I'll have lots of room, about 18x35 feet, (shared with the furnace, water pump, laundry, etc.)

  One end of the basement has a "cold room", about 6x10 feet with shelves on two walls where preserves were stored - that will become a storage room for chemicals and such.

  I have space along one wall that is about 16 feet long and I was planning to use a 2x8' space for a dry side and the other 2x8 for wet side (one LONG sink with removable covers).

  I also have a room about 10 by 14 feet (no door) next to the cold room that I am thinking of using for an "exposure room" so I can do exposures without having stray light in the darkroom.

  I think I have all the bases covered as far as the conventional darkroom but since I have drifted into Tintypes and POP prints, I can foresee getting into more "alternative" photography and I am wondering what additional features I should plan into my darkroom design for the alternate processes. Since I am fairly new to the alternatives, I thought the people on the List might have more ideas.

  This will be my "dream darkroom", probably the last one I will have before "the old fart's home" so I want to do it right! What should be in an alternative darkroom that gets forgotten?

  Calamity Jane
  (aka Dianne Best)

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Received on Fri Apr 22 13:53:11 2005