Response to What do I need to start a darkroom?

If you don't rush into it, you can find what you need relatively cheaply. When I decided to set up my first darkroom I found everything I needed at garage sales in about six months. I bought trays and tongs and mixing containers all together for a song. I found a cheapo 35mm enlarger for about $35--it served me for a couple of years, until I was certain I wanted to pursue photography seriously--then I sold it for $40 (remember, this was over 20 years ago). I was also able to find easels, developing tanks, film clips, reels, a timer, a thermometer, etc.--usually at about a tenth their original cost. Of course, I live in a university town, and a lot of what I bought came from students whose enthusiasm had waned. You can find most of what you need on e-Bay, but garage sales will offer the best bargains. I think you could get it all for less than $200, but you could easily spend $1000 or more, depending on the quality of the items you seek. When people find out you are serious, they start giving you stuff too. A few years after I got serious a friend's father died, leaving a complete color darkroom. Her mom wanted to sell the whole lot to one person, and I got it for $200. The enlarger alone (Beseler 67 with dichroic head) was worth twice that. Over the years, stuff just sort of accumulates.

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