Changing Up My Darkroom and Home Studio

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Nokton48

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Hi Goran, Thanks Shooting is continuing on and off. Hope things going well for you. Latest thing for me is Skiier Pro Negative Digitizing Setup with olde Minolta SRT Copy Stand, and Bellows I and 100mm F4 MC Rokkor Bellows Macro. Bought a Nex 7 from a friend and things are progressing. Still Life Photography is fun and going well, with Lightroom Classic and the NPL Inversion Program, have an entire archive of work haven't looked at in thirty years. Many surprises ahead.

Set Shop Tutorials – Online Tutorials for Photographers

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I am starting from zero with digital photography. But I am an analog Guy you see.
 
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Nokton48

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New 8x10 Kodak Basket Line Installed 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I have decided to finally set up by Kodak 8x10 Hard Rubber Tanks, with floating lids, and Kodak Film Baskets. I can do 18 8x10's in a run, or 48 sheets of 4x5. Or 18 rolls of 120 film in a go. I think I will start with Replenished D23 as a starter. I have 500 sheets of 8x10 HRU, as well as multiple boxes of various 8x10 films. I just bought a fresh box of Arista 200 8x10 (On Sale) which I think is FOMA 200. Also I have an 8x10 Kodak Hard Rubber Wash Tank, it is in the front right, hooked up well and running great.
 

mshchem

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Looks like a lot of fun!! I have a bunch of this kind of stuff I've accumulated over the years. I need to use it.
 
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Nokton48

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Right. Exactly what I have decided.
 
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My plans for Combiplan Dev Tanks 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Went to World of Used Photography yesterday, bought these two matching Combiplan Developing Tanks. Up to now I have been developing rotary using JOBO 2500 series, working good for me for really big runs. Wanted something smaller, more like dipn'dunk, daylight lid is a plus. My thought is to load my European size films (six at a time), then drop into dev tanks, cover on. I checked in the store, ran water and the dev tank dosen't leak when inverted. The tank labeled stop bath DOES leak when inverted, so would be good as a small deep tank. On the left front is a rack of 6.5cmx9cm XRAY film, on the right is six sheets of 9x12cm B&W (this rack has all the pieces and is complete). I just won one more Combiplan, complete unbroken, with all the original parts, from Germany. That gives me three tanks and racks to configure in different ways for different processing runs. Any thoughts on Complan use from out there?

My plans for Combiplan Dev Tanks 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr


This is coming from Germany. In the box old stock.
 
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Nokton48

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Makiflex 150 Xenar F11 Octobox 50 Ortho Commercial 9x12cm by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Auto Makiflex with SK Grimes Graphic Back 150 f4.5 Auto Maki Xenar Yellow Filter Ilford Commercial Ortho 9x12cm Arca Swiss 9x12cm Graphic Back. Broncolor Octobox 150 1500J C200 Monolight One Pop F11. D23 Straight Replenished in 9x12cm Combiplan Tank. DipN'Dunk works great! Love it. New Background Low Key by Artist David Maheu. 4x6 Foamcore Fill off camera right. A successful first test of the Combiplan, I utilized red LED safelight Inspection 25 minutes Straight Replenished D23. Omega DII Laser Aligned 180mm Rodagon Omegalite Dektol 1:2. Copied with Sony Nex 7 on Minolta SRT Copy Stand, Zeiss Touit 2.8/50M at F8
 
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Nokton48

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New to Me Combiplan Setup Complete by Nokton48, on Flickr

I ordered three liter sized pitchers from Photographer's Formulary. The complete Combitube NIB old stock arrived from Germany in good order. So now I am ready to go trying developers that are more suitable for DipN'Dunk processing. Works with European sized planfilm and plates that fit my European cameras. Long WInter, crank up the heater, and give it a good go. Looking forward to it as I have time.

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Testing this Combiplan Film Washer, it works great! After fixing into this modded tank it goes. Surgical tubing three feet ID half-inch, fits the screw-in plastic Combiplan insert. Gently tightened hose clamp tight seal, no leaks. Final embellishment will be to add Inline Filter, set of three plus six extra filters, $30 on Amazon. On it's way to me. This will wash any of the Combiplan Rack Configuration, Imperial size or Metric size. Most excellent film washer.
 
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Nokton48

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Dip N Dunk Combiplan set up for Panchro Work by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is my present Combiplan three tank setup, getting ready to run six sheets of 4x5 Shanghai. Will use my liter of Replenished D23. Middle tank is Wash Tank, for presoaking (haven't been doing that), water stop, and final washing too. Raising the tanks on a plastic box puts them at a good working height. I processed some Ortho film by inspection, but I am just getting going with this.
 
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First Test of NPL 8x10 HRU 1000mm F32 18 pops Octobox by Nokton48, on Flickr

First test of Negative Lab Pro, a program which converts large format negatives (small ones too) into nice looking positives. This is 8x10 Fuji HRU XRAY Film, D23 replenished. Neg copied with Sony Nex-7 (36mp) with 50mm Zeiss F2.8 Touit, an AWESOME optic. Big learning curve ahead
 

RalphLambrecht

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avoid fluorescent lights if you can. They have an afterglow when turned off
 

RalphLambrecht

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I solved storage in my darkroom with inexpensive kitchen furniture. That's ideal; it gives you a work surface and storage space simultaneously.
 
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Nokton48

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New 8x10 Kodak 3F 15 liter Basket Line Dev Fix Wash Filled with H20 works good by Nokton48, on Flickr

Installed today the olde 8x10 Kodak 3F 15 liter Processing Tanks, one for dev, fixer, and Special Wash Tank. Only takes up half the sink! The other half right now has my Combiplan LF Sheet Film Tanks, one dev and one fix, and special wash tanks. Going to start with 15 liters of straight D23, will the D23 Replenisher too. I can run a lot of sheet film 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 in hangers. Also made some special hangers for Jane Lane 6.5x9cm Dry Plates. Need to make some additional of those. This is great and I think I'll just leave it set up. There is extra bracing which I figure I need supporting heavy deep tanks. Good use of a very small space.
 
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Nokton48

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3F Kodak 8x10 B&W Sink Line 15 Litres by Nokton48, on Flickr


I bought the Delta Sink for $50 it took a while to clean it. I custom built the table myself so the Delta is pretty level. Adjustable feet on the bottom for best drainage. Here I've stocked up on 1 Gallon Distilled Water, two gallons of TF4 Fixer Concentrate, and Artcraft and Photographer's Formulary chems necessary for 15 litres of straight D23. Adding Sodium Carbonate makes the D23 Replenisher. Once set up this can last for many years. I made the homemade Lids with 9x12" Plexiglass, I drilled and added the Knobs and SS Nuts and Bolts. Then adhesive foam padding to the bottoms, to keep the smell of the Fixer tamed down. And lessens evaporation too, hopefully. Will be mixing up the chems next.
 
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Nokton48

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Ready to Run Kodak 3F Dev 8x10 Tanks 15 Litre by Nokton48, on Flickr

Front left Developer D23 Straight Replenished. Rear Left TF4 Film Fixer. Center right, 3F Kodak Wash Tank. All tanks fully filled, ready to process some 8x10 Sheets. Going to develop by Inspection, some 8x10 Ilford Ortho ISO 50, bought fresh from B&H. I made the lid covers from sheet Plexiglass cut by Home Depot, then added rubber sealing all around the bottom of each lid. Keeps from evaporation and should last a very, very long time.
 

mshchem

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Looks great. No substitute for good old hard rubber tanks

Well there's substitutes, but this is the standard!
 
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Nokton48

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mshchem said:
Looks great. No substitute for good old hard rubber tanks

Well there's substitutes, but this is the standard!
Click to expand...

Yeah I was in the local camera collecting society, the President was a serious Kodak Collector. He was using these for waste baskets LOL I think maybe ten bucks each back then so a great deal Had the floating lid, too. I'd like to find some of the lid covers so I can turn on the lights LOL
 
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Nokton48

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8x10 Deep Tank 15L 1000 AR Octobox Ilford Ortho D23 Replenished by Nokton48, on Flickr

Tweaking the 8x10 Long Norma 1000mm F16 Rodenstock Apo Ronar Ilford Ortho EI 50 F32/45 18 pops of the Octobox 45 Camera Left No Fill. D23 Replenisher in 15 liter Kodak 3F Hard Rubber Tank, Kodak 8x10 Hanger. Eighteen minutes at 70F. Sony Nex7 50mm Zeiss Touit Lightbox. Agitation the Kodak way every 60 seconds, it looks pretty even to my eyes. A first start, the lens definitely passes, it's a rare bird. Developed by inspection under a deep deep red safelight six feet away. I did change the glass cover from a diffused one, to a clear glass one. That increases the specularity of the Octobox up just a teeny bit.
 

mshchem

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I tried to buy a 3 1/2 gallon tank like these from an ebay seller. I told him these things are brittle and to pack accordingly Needless to say it came in pieces. I have a bunch of stainless tanks and huge plastic, I never use but they look fabulous
 
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Nokton48

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New Copy Setup in Studio by Nokton48, on Flickr

I've been copying RC Silver prints in my Enlarging Room, with ambient LED lighting. I have decided to move my Minolta Copy Stand into the studio area, and leave it set up on a permanent basis. From Harbor Freight a rolling cart (I have several), with an Apple Box Riser on the top shelf, makes a strong base with wheels for the copy stand. Easy to move around as I please. Recently donated to me, a pair of Broncolor Impact 300J Impacts, with well used strobe tubes working perfectly, and a nice matched pair. Standard Impact Reflector, attached 3M Polarizing Filters on both lights. Camera for 35mm film is a Minolta SRT-101 with SRT Diopter Eyepiece Correction, SRT Cable Release, 50mm F3.5 MC Macro Rokkor, and 55mm Minolta Hooded Polarizing Filter. All filters set for maximum polarization, lighting balanced to 1/3 fstop with Broncolor Incident Strobe Meter. With Ilford PanF+ rated at EI 25, I'm at F16 without polariizer exposure correction, so I did a bracketed series at 1/2 stops to establish a good baseline. This is a pretty good setup I'm intending to leave up all the time, and it's easily movable.

I also intend to use the setup for copying flat art and I have a Skier Box for digitizing negatives with the same setup. This will evolve.
 
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