Hi, A friend just gave me a Beseler 23c II enlarger w/ Nikon Nikkor 80mm/f5.6 lens. I want to build a darkroom around this, but am not sure where to start...? It's been quite a few years since I even did any darkroom work, although I do plan to take a class in the fall.

Is there a basic list of necessary items?

I have a sink and water supply in my garage, and with a little effort the garage could be light-tight. Closets are not a good idea since mine are completely jammed as it is.

My main interest is hand-coloring b&w photos. Primarily 35mm, but I also shoot 2 1/4

thanks for any help, info, tips... Sharon

-- Sharon Krikorian (sk931@earthlink.net), June 30, 1999

Answers

sounds like a similar situation I had. Same enlarger, same method of acquisition. I converted an apartment room into a full time dark room, rather than a garage, so some methods are more temporary (htough convenient) than you might need. I sealed wndows and doors with marine grade upholstery, with the outer edge of upholstery and door/window frame lined with continuous strips of velcro. This makes opening/ sealing windows and doors convenient. Backpack webbing and snaps can be used to hold upholstery nicely out of the way if you wish door/ window to remain unobstructed. I've noticed that when temperatures flactuate from hot to cold outside, the velcro tends to loosen in spots from the upholstery or wall, maybe try staple gun to wall or sewing.Otherwise its great and convenient. The Beseler has its own work table built at a height to be comfortable to work with when standing/printing etc. The wall behind I darkened to reduce light reflection from the formerly white wall. (I chose maroon for the whole room except cieling, from which I could reflect some more of the safe light). The enlargers work table I secured directly to the wall behind it to stop any freestanding shake. Its also handy to secure the timer to the wall near the enlarger, but not in the way of its adjustments for easy access. Also a small flashlight with a red filter (available at outdoor stores) is great for checking the timer if you already have put the paper in the easel, or to check earlier test prints to see where the hell it was you wanted to burn/dodge/cuss. I built another workbench to hold negatives/contact prints away from the enlarger, and definitely away from chemicals and drying prints. The workbench for the developing trays/print viewing/ and drying I built from prefabricated kitchen counter top, which comes relatively cheap - atop sawhorses (remember I need to be able to move it), but even though, its stable and cost effective. At each end of the L I mounted basic swivelling desk lamps, to view prints and concoct chemicals. You might want to consider using a light similar to that by which the prints will be viewed, otherwise when you take them from the darkroom they may appear lighter or darker than you want. Other than those things mentioned, all you'll need to start is three developement trays, a paper safe, an easel (as in under the enlarger) safelights,resealable bottles (at any drugstore) and the stuff I've probably forgotten to mention. A good book to reference, though he's thinking million dollar budget, is Ansel Adams' "The Print", or "Mastering Black/White Photo." by Strauss (I think that's the name) which has lower cost alternatives. Good Luck:) Uwe.

-- uwe (uwe@u.washington.edu.), June 30, 1999.

I would like to take this opportunity to caution you and other readers away from the Beseler 23C with the Dichro II color head. Mine has a terrible hot spot (which is definitely a function of the head, not a problem with using the wrong lens, as some have suggested), which requires a 50% edge burn when printing anything over 35mm. I have struggled to correct this problem, trying absolutely everything in the book, everything I have learned in nearly 40 years of experience, but to no avail. I finally came to the rather astonishing conclusion that it was simply a design flaw of the head, which throws light directly from the bulb down onto a diffusion disc, rather than reflecting it, at a 90 degree angle, into a mixing chamber as Omegas do. Add to that the chronic alignment problem caused by having a tiltable lens board, surely one of the most utterly useless and troublesome features ever built into an enlarger, and you have one big pain in the ass. I worked in professional color labs in NYC for more years than I care to admit, including Time/Life, Duggal, Berkey K&L, and Tartaros (all but the last manure factories, but thats another story), and I NEVER ONCE saw a Beseler enlarger in use ANYWHERE. There was nothing but Omega D-series and a handful of Dursts. Most professional printers I knew would rather have chewed on barbed wire and broken glass than have been forced to use a Beseler. A word to the wise.

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), July 01, 1999.