Where to offload darkroom equipment?

FishyFish

FishyFish

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Nige
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I was put in touch with a guy who has some darkroom equipment he needs to offload (I think he's moving house). He's got some developing equipment which I may be interested in myself, but I don't have any room for a darkroom. He's in Sheffield, so I'll probably suggest he tries calling Harrisons or West Yorkshire Cameras, but I wonder if anyone knows of anywhere else he might contact? I believe he's looking to sell the equipment, not give it away.

Thanks.
 
Depends what he's got Nige, as it's really only worth what someone will pay. Unless it can be packed up, this would limit him to local sales on Gumtree or Collect Only on eBay, but worth checking completed sales on eBay to see what stuff is fetching nowadays. Companies like Secondhand Darkroom must buy from somewhere, but they're not local to you.

https://www.secondhanddarkroom.co.uk/
 
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FishyFish said:
The chap has offered me the following developing equipment for £35. Does that seem a good deal? Thanks.
Patterson film tank
5x measuring jugs
Jug
2x Collapsible chemical containers
Stirring stick
Thermometer
3 x film hangers
Click to expand...
The tank is the most expensive item, so it depends on what size it is and how many reels come with it. If it's the basic 35mm tank with a fixed 35mm size reel, that would be a dealbreaker straight away. You should really have proper measuring cylinders for accuracy rather than jugs, but maybe that's what he means? Collapsible (concertina) chemical bottles have a slightly iffy reputation, with rigid bottles and a lot of glass marbles seen as a safer bet against deterioration of chemicals. An accurate thermometer is pretty much required, but again it will depend on the actual quality of what's on offer. If it's a Paterson or other known name, that should be OK, as should the film hangers.
 
I just dropped my hard plastic (old ebay job) tank on the floor the other day & cracked it. A new tank from AW was £26 for tank, 2 spirals & swizzle stick.

The collapsible bottles I got went in the bin after a week. They were crap. Went to glassbottles.co.uk and ordered some proper brown glass ones for peanuts (couple of quid each). I use plastic 1l jugs from the local poundshop. I think they were 2 for a pound. For film hangers I use clothes pegs. Thermometer was most expensive at £7 but its a digital one (Amazon).

I agree with Peter on the tank. How big is it, how many spirals does it come with, and does it still have the center column. If it's just a tank with no bits, I'd pass. 6 jugs is overkill. I never use more than 3.

Of course if it's "effort" to buy these things individually (and there's postage on top of course!) that's something to consider.
 
FishyFish said:
The chap has offered me the following developing equipment for £35. Does that seem a good deal? Thanks.
Patterson film tank
5x measuring jugs
Jug
2x Collapsible chemical containers
Stirring stick
Thermometer
3 x film hangers
Click to expand...

That's expensive, unless it's one of the more expensive larger/taller tanks (which I doubt).
 
Thanks all. I’ve emailed him to pass on the offer. At this stage, despite the money I’d save, I don’t really have the spare time to home dev my films (especially given I have the convenience of being able to drop off and collect in person from Peak Imaging for the cost of a 10 minute walk). It’s maybe something I will consider at some stage, but I’d probably be better spending the £35 on some nice film or something for now.
 
Black and white development is fun and rewarding, and pulling out that strip of developed film is almost magical. But you need to get through some quantity to justify the chemicals, and if you're close to a good lab it's probably not worth it.
 
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