Bathroom and other Temporary/Makeshift Darkrooms

[Xia_Ke]

It ain't pretty and I really can't offer much insight as I'm about as newbie as they come but, here's some pics of my bathroom. Doesn't get much more basic than this. One of my big things was it needed to be quick and easy to set-up and breakdown as this is the only bathroom in our apartment. The sink and toilet is my, ahhh, "dry side"...LOL The window is covered with 2 thick contractor trash bags to block out the light. The kitchen sink is right outside the bathroom door and that's where I do my print washing. I've been keeping my prints in a sink full of water until I'm done printing. Then I put them in the washer while I clean up. Once it's broken down, I hang my prints to dry from hangers and binder clips around the halo over the tub.

BTW - Are you going to be covering any dodging and burning techniques in that DVD? I could use the help

[Andy K]

Here's my converted kitchen darkroom. Poor images, but you get the idea. I work from left to right along the counter. The fourth tray this side of the sink is my print washer. I put prints in it and run the tap into the tray until the end of the printing session.

[JBrunner]

Wow. Thanks guys. This is a great thread!

[JBrunner]

BTW - Are you going to be covering any dodging and burning techniques in that DVD? I could use the help

It's a basics DVD, so there is a simple example of dodge and burn on the print that is made, but nothing more complicated. 80 minutes hasn't turned out to be as much time as I thought!

Might be in the "advanced" DVD, or perhaps it would make a good youtube segment.

[Trey]

I'll be printing tomorrow, so I'll try to remember to get a couple of shots for you.

As for washing, I use a tray which I've punched holes in (and which is also cracked) and simply run water into it from the bathtub.

[Don Wallace]

As with most folks here, I never photographed the bathroom setup (I now have a permanent darkroom). With only one bathroom and a wife who thinks she has to bathe EVERY day, the emphasis was on speed of setup and takedown. Among the many things I found very handy was a plastic bin (like the Tupperware kind everyone fills with kids toys). At the end of a session, I simply through all the wet equipment in there to get it out of the bathroom quickly. I rinsed it first, of course, and then just let nature dry everything until the next session. One more tip: after a session during which I accidentally pulled my plywood bathtub cover and dumped everything all over the place, I nailed some 1x2's on the bottom to act as guides so it would never slip again. The main advantage of the bathroom setup is that you don't have to walk to far to pee.

[arigram]

No wonder I have the feeling that something's missing every time I use the bathroom...

[Xia_Ke]

...Among the many things I found very handy was a plastic bin...

Couldn't agree more. I have one of those big Rubbermaid bins that I use for storing all my mixed chemicals, open bottles, and other wet supplies. Keeps everything nice and safe when not in use. I usually rinse my trays, tanks, etc and leave them to dry over night in the sink though before putting them in the bin.

[Trey]

Here are some pics of my basic setup. It's not the most beautiful, but it works quite well.

[Trey]

The main advantage of the bathroom setup is that you don't have to walk to far to pee.

Amen.