Hello Darkness My Old Friend…

Well, next week… this week I am running a roll of HP5 through the Olympus so that I can process it up and see where the camera is at - and if it requires a trip away for some TLC or not! But I have also been researching some compact darkroom options with the thought of building a mini one in the utility room! I am looking at the AGO processors, initially I was thinking just of film processing, but they apparently to a good job of prints too - and without needing multiple trays out, which would be a real help in a small space! The new addition will allow printing of a 12”x16” print, which is a nice enough size for general day to day printing (there is also an 8×10 reel and I think I would probably want both). This leaves just one question - what enlarger! Ideally I want to find something that can handle a 6×12 negative, but that is pushing me towards the big Dursts and De Veres which are… well… big. So it may be that I temper my enthusiasm and go for something that will take a 6×9 and then just go to the WASPS darkroom when I want to work with larger negatives. More research is needed, and I may yet start thinking in terms of 6×7 or 6×6 as my maximum size.

Anway… this is all food for thought at the moment as I need to also work out the logistics of converting the utility into a temporary workspace as well!

16th September 2026