Was not prepared for the smell

[Zaphod2319]

Developed the first set of prints, well at least attempted to do so. Was not prepared for the smell of the chemicals. It is not so much over powering, but the fumes seam to get in my clothes and beard. It is not a pleasant smell that. I could not imagine doing this for a living back when developing enlarger prints were the norm.

I was working with old enlarger paper that came with the darkroom equipment I bought. It was toast. It all turned black withing 10 seconds of hitting the developer, but you can still see the image. It also darkened in odd patterns. It is not pretty to look at. Ordered new paper from Adorama.

The pic is the chemicals I was using.

 

[tirediron]

Welcome to the world of the wet darkroom. BTW... stop bath is a GREAT way to find any small cuts you have on your hands.

 

[Derrel]

Yeah...bummer about the paper having been light-fogged. The smell of the stop bath and the rapid fixer were always the worst for me...developer, not so much a problem for my nose. I used Ilford fixer for many years, but preferred Kodak Indicator Stop bath and Kodak Dektol paper developer. It's all good though. Have some fun!

 

[compur]

Odorless stop and fixers are available. Freestyle has some and there are others.

 

[smoke665]

Oh I remember that smell!

 

[ac12]

I see you have odorless stop bath, now you need to get odorless fixer.
The other is you should have ventilation, preferably with an exhaust near the chemicals, to suck out the chemical vapors.

You get used to the smell.
But, correct chemicals (low or no odor) and housekeeping/cleaning is important.
I remember a darkroom in high school that STUNK. It was very different than the other darkroom 30 feet away, that I spent HOURS in.

 

[dxqcanada]

"I love the smell of the Darkroom in the morning"

We had a darkroom (literally, landlord said the previous tenant had painted one room completely flat black including the window ... needless to say we jumped on renting the flat) right beside our bedroom.

 

[limr]

I don't mind the smell of fixer. Can't say what the other chemicals smell like. Caffenol smells like...well, coffee, so no, that doesn't bother me either.

 

[jcdeboever]

I like the smell, I skip a shower to enjoy it for an extra day. I guess I'm wired that way. Kind of like my hands, all mangled all the time from being into good mechanical jobs. I love working .

 

[Jeff15]

I am glad I went digital a long time ago.....

 

[ac12]

I am glad I went digital a long time ago.....

That is what I said, until I took a film photography class at the local community college.
And I was sucked back into the wet darkroom.

 

[Derrel]

"Odourless stop bath" it says! What kinda' world are we livin' in now????

 

[webestang64]

Look forward to seeing some prints.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I use old expired B&W paper to do lumen prints. But otherwise, yeah you need fresh paper. And think - ventilation.

But I like the smell of fixer.

Just watch out if you see the reflection of a mummy in your chemistry, driving a wooden tripod thru one doesn't seem to work. (Or is that for vampires??)

 

[LCL999]

You don't need to buy stop bath. It's just acetic acid. I just chuck in schluck of white vinegar and it works fine, never had a problem (provided that I leave enough for the cook.)