Hello,

My wife and I are building a new darkroom in the Baltimore area. If you would kindly assist with the following questions, we would be most appreciative.

1.) We need a sink: 6 to 8 X 24 X 72 inches, single opening (for developing trays).

We have a quote of about $210 from National Camera Exchange for a Delta plastic sink.

We plan to build our own support from wood.

Any advice or alternatives or suggestions would be appreciated.

In particular, if you know of a source in the Baltimore area, that would be helpful.

2.) We would like a used Schneider 80mm f/4.0 Componon-S in 39mm (Leica) mount in excellent condition for under $175.

3.) We are considering the purchase of a 1956 Beselar 45 MX enlarger. We would like to buy an optically stabalized cold light (diffusion) light source for this enlarger, preferably one that would also fit our Focumat Ic Color.

By "optically spabalized" I mean that we would like the powersupply for the head to regulate the light output, rather than the voltage or current, so that the head will deliver uniform brightness as it warms up.

We do not have a lot of money for this, however we could probably build the power supply ourselves with the appropriate schematic. If anyone has a copy of the Horowitz supply, or a similar design, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Mark Frautschi

-- Anonymous, March 19, 1997

Answers

I just finished building a darkroom sink. Inside dimensions are 6" X 2 1/2" and the sides taper from about 4" to about 5 1/2". I made the sink out of plywood and then fiber glassed it. I found directions in shutterbug magazine several years ago. They were helpful. The worst part was the smell from the fiber glassing operation. I have used the sink and it seems fine. My total cost was about $175. including two sets of faucets, and the drain line. I had to use a sump pump to get the liquid into the drain line to our septic system. Should you want, I would be willing to fax my copy of the article from Shutterbug.

-- Anonymous, March 27, 1997

Making your own sink is quite easy and less expensive. You cna also customize it,i.e., make an integrated cabinet underneath to support it. I didn't use fiberglass, instead I purchased some opaque fibergalss sheet, it comes in a roll 5ft wide. I then cut it to the inside dimensions of the plywood frame I built and glued it in. To complete it I caulked the seams and drain. The whole project cost me under $100 including the faucet. I did get a little fancy as I my wife wanted something nice to look at so I finnished the outside with countertop material and built a matching cabinet unit for it to sit on out of maple ply. I've been using this setup for two years now without any leaks or trouble.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 1998