DARK ROOM AND APPARATUS.
[Sidenote: Dark room.]
There is no need to despair if there is no dark room, no place to build
one, no means to pay for one. Some of our most successful plates were
developed in a scullery, and others in the bedroom of a house-boat.
[Sidenote: Developing rule.] In fact, the sooner the student learns to
develop anywhere, the better, for no one, studying to do artistic work,
should leave his plates till his return home (if he is away on a
journey); they _should without fail be developed the same day on which
they are exposed_.
[Sidenote: Dark room.]
Only for portraiture is a dark room very necessary, and you cannot do
better than build one as suggested by Captain Abney, in his “Treatise on
Photography,” modifying it to suit your taste and means. One thing,
however, you should be careful about, and that is the ventilation, and
money should not be spared on that department. [Sidenote: Ventilation.]
The dark room can be scientifically ventilated by any good sanitary
engineer. We have already, elsewhere, gone into the subject of
ventilation of dark rooms, warning photographers of the pernicious
effects of defective ventilation.[11] [Sidenote: Apparatus.] The best
sinks are made of earthenware, as supplied by Doulton. The lamp should
be large, and give a good light. [Sidenote: Ruby glass.] Ruby glass is,
to some, injurious to the eyesight, and has been known to produce nausea
and vomiting, in which cases cathedral green and yellow glass should be
used. [Sidenote: Dishes.] The photographer will require at least eight
dishes, and at the very start he should make it a rule never to use a
dish save for one purpose. We consider the best dishes for all purposes
are made of ebonite. They should be bought in a nest, the smallest size
taking the largest plate used by the operator, and the other seven
increasing in size, so that one fits into the other. This makes them
more convenient for carriage. The dishes should be marked by painting on
their bottoms. One will be wanted for developing, one for the alum bath,
one for the changing bath, one for the hyposulphite bath, one for the
acid bath in developing platinotype prints, one for the water bath in
the same process, one for an intensifying bath, leaving one over for odd
jobs.
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Footnote 11:
“Ventilation of the Dark Room” and “Ammonia Poisoning” in the “Year
Book of Photography and Photographic News Almanac” for 1885-87, and on
“Pharyngitis and Photography” in the “Year Book of British Journal of
Photography” for 1887.
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When it is remembered that hyposulphite of soda is so “searching” that
it has been known to penetrate through the ordinary so-called
“porcelain” dishes and crystallize on the outside, one may judge how
important it is to keep a separate dish for each operation.
[Sidenote: Light cover.]
A light wooden board with a handle is most convenient for putting over
the developing dish, in the earlier stages of developing, especially
when using ortho-chromatic plates, but the student must be careful to
keep it on a shelf by itself.[Sidenote: Sable brush.] Another requisite
is a broad brush of fine sable hair, say three inches broad, this had
better be kept perfectly dry and clean in a box of its own.
[Sidenote: Chemical solutions.]
The chemical solutions should be kept in bottles with glass stoppers,
each bottle should have an enamelled label,[Sidenote: Plate washer.] so
that it can be readily seen in the dark room, and cannot be destroyed by
acids. A zinc washing trough which holds two dozen plates must be
procured. [Sidenote: Drainage rack. Travelling lamp.] A simple wooden
drainage rack is also necessary. We have tried several travelling lamps,
and have so far found no satisfactory one. There are several in the
market, and the photographer must choose his own. [Sidenote: Measures.]
Two measuring-glasses at least must be procured, and it is a good plan
to use Hicks' opaque glass measures, as they can be so easily read in
the dark room. It is as well to have one minim glass to hold sixty
minims, and a large measure to take the full quantity of developer
required for one plate. [Sidenote: Scales.] A pair of ordinary scales
with weights (apothecaries'), costing a few shillings, will complete the
list of apparatus required.[Sidenote: Printing frames.] A few simple
printing frames will be wanted, one of which should be a size larger
than the plate used. [Sidenote: Slabs of glass.]A square slab of glass,
the size of the plate, and another a few inches larger each way, will be
found the best for trimming prints upon. A razor or very sharp knife
will be found the best tool for this purpose.
Our student should get all these things of good quality, and set his
face against the syrens who whisper in his ear that he ought to get
this, and ought to have that; he does not want anything more than we
have told him, a greater number of things will only embarrass him. We
are perfectly well aware that the most elaborate fittings have been put
up by “amateurs” and “professionals,” and we are equally aware that
these have as yet not led to the production of a single picture.