harald
Hi everyone!
The conversion of my basement into a darkroom is now almost complete, and the main pieces of equipment are already in place.
In the newly tiled 10m² boiler room, with a sturdy 2.40m worktop, shelving, separate light-proof ventilation, and everything nice and dust-free.
I’d say I’ve taken your advice to heart and put most of it into practice. Thanks again for that.
Now that the lab kit from an old school chemistry cupboard (bottles, measuring flasks, pipettes, etc.) has been scrubbed clean, all that’s left is to give the enlarger – an old Opemus 6 – a clean and service, and the room still needs to be blacked out.
Today I’ve been going through all the lab equipment I’ve collected and bought at auction, checking what’s still usable. There’s quite a bit of old ORWO stuff and other bits and bobs where I’m not sure whether to use them or just bin them.
1,500 sheets of ORWO photographic paper in various types and sizes up to 13x18
ORWO chemicals:
A49 from 07/89
A03 from 07/89
A300 /1 large + 1 small pack, each consisting of parts 1+2 – no date
A901 Limescale protection?
2x C7362 from 11/89
1x A300 from the post-reunification Calbe (GmbH), also undated
several vials of Neofin Rot, no date, but priced in DM
I also have various developing tanks:
- Triplex, Plastimat, and a fairly new Jobo 1520 (I’ve even bought a rinsing aid for it)
- Film clips, used trays in various formats, image tweezers and also a film scraper
- 1 thermometer is also included
- For the enlarger, I have 2 lenses: an Anaret 4.5/80 and a Rogonar 2.8/50; the latter felt very light and appears to be made largely of plastic.
- Kaiser Automatic CPS timer
- Meopta 24x18 frame
Otherwise, I’d already bought the following new chemicals as a precaution:
- A49
- N113
- Stop Bath Classic STP
+ Red light
+ Gradation filters 1–5 and matching paper
So much for the rather long preamble, I’m afraid.
Now my question: Which of these should I still use, in whatever combination, and which should I steer clear of?
I’m hoping for lots of good tips and thank you in advance.
Regards, Harald. :unsure:
uworischki
You can use the A49, the A03 and the A300 from the ‘pre-reunification era’ with confidence. These products (this is where the advantage of powder chemistry comes in...) still work, provided the film pouches haven’t disintegrated due to age. I myself still use N113, A300 and A49 from those bygone days.
I can’t tell you much about Neofin and the other liquid developers, except perhaps that Rodinal and F09 or R09 concentrates seem to be indestructible....
Uwe
Gast
Hi Harald,
I wouldn’t recommend using film stripping pliers – they’ll scratch the whole roll of film too quickly. It’s better to let it dry in the open air, especially as you’ve gone to the trouble of keeping it dust-free.
The 80mm lens is for medium-format negatives, the 50mm is for 35mm.
The canisters should all still work, provided no light gets in and they’re full. Different models are handled differently, so practice is key. You’ll have to sacrifice a roll of film, and you need to practise in daylight. To start with, use the canister you find easiest to handle.
In my experience, you can use the powder chemicals indefinitely. Of course, the packet must be intact, as Uwe has already mentioned. I myself successfully used Neofin Blaue (also priced at DM) last week; the only way to know is to try it.
The Orwo paper should still work too, provided no light has got on it, obviously. The small sizes are quite good for beginners; you only need small trays, so you use less chemical. The downside is the longer rinsing time compared to PE paper. You don’t need a gradation filter for this, as it’s fixed-grade. The working principle is the same for both types of paper (baryta and PE), though the speed of the paper varies, so don’t simply transfer the values. However, at the start there’ll probably be a lot of rejects that don’t need to be washed, so it’ll certainly balance itself out. In my opinion, it’s ideal for practising.
All you’re missing now is the darkroom and maintaining the Opemus. And, of course, a roll of film full of pictures...
Ronald
