Re: [Leica] Wet work: share some wisdom?

[Brian Reid <reid@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>]

Here are my rules. I've taught 10 teenagers how to do darkroom work in the last 5 years (2 of them my own, the other 8 were their friends).

Cleanliness is more important than you can imagine. Never leave anything dirty. Never move anything backwards in the chemical flow. Never use a tray to hold any chemical besides the one for which it is labeled. Do not use the same tongs in different trays. There is a pair of tongs hanging right behind each tray. Never touch a negative unless your hands are clean enough for surgery and totally dry. Always use the dust-off to blow dust off a negative, even if you can't see the dust, it's there. Never leave until everything is clean. 

Measure temperatures. Never guess. There are three thermometers in here, and the sink has a thermometer built into the water controller. All procedures are written for 20C and 25C; use whichever temperature is easier for you to achieve. 20C is better. 

Label everything. If I find an unlabeled bottle I will dump it. Labels must say what it is and when it was put there. Use white cloth medical tape, which sticks to anything, in my darkroom, and write on it with laundry markers. If you empty a bottle, rinse it but do not remove the label. 

Keep wet and dry separate. Never ever ever ever ever put any wet object on the dry table. If something dry has been put in the sink, then you must wash it and air-dry it before it can be returned to the dry table. 

Do not hurry. There is no process in the darkroom that requires you to move quickly. The only process that is even slightly time-critical is developing. It is better to be accurate, but if you have to choose between developing something for too long and running or panicking, then develop it for too long.

Document everything. Follow your documentation. There is a written procedure for everything you want to do in my darkroom. Before you start the procedure, hang it on that hook right there, read it, and follow it. Airline pilots do the same thing. (LUG note: I have about 25 one-page procedures filed in plastic 3-ring envelopes, with titles like "developing film" and "making contact sheets" and "mixing coldtone paper developer" and "testing fixer"). 

Always use the timers. That's what they are for. Do not guess how long 10 seconds or one minute is. 

Don't touch the table while the enlarger is exposing the paper. You'll shake it. If the enlarger vibrates, your picture will be fuzzy. 

Everything in this room has a place where it belongs. When you are done using it and you are sure it is clean, put it back in that place. You are permitted to leave washed-and-rinsed objects on the drying rack; you need not wait around for them to dry. 

Never pull prints out of the developer before the time is up, no matter how dark you think they are. Always develop for the full time, even if it looks like the print is going to be entirely black. It won't be. 

If your prints are fuzzy even though you focused carefully, please check to make sure you're not exposing through the back of the paper. It's easy to do. I promise I won't tell anybody you were doing it.

If there is anyone besides you in the darkroom, always ask for permission to turn on the light. Every time. If you're alone, it's not stupid to ask yourself permission to turn on the light. 

There is a really good CD player and an FM radio in here. Use them. Darkrooms need music. Pick music that you think is appropriate for what you are doing. If I am in here with you, you may not listen to Gangsta Rap. I will return the favor by not listening to opera while you are in here.

Always make sure there are clean dry white towels available before you start working. Put them in the laundry on your way home. I'll wash them for you, but if they're dirty, I don't want them in here after you're done.