The darkrooms at SCHS are very old. Most are converted storage rooms from the days the lab was used as a printing shop. Windows have been blocked off with black plastic sheeting and a double door set up has been built to allows one door to open and then be closed before entry into the darkoom so light will not come in the door. Red light bulbs are used for safelights because they are inexpensive and outside of the range of visibility for photo paper. The lab has three different darkrooms. Darkroom #1 is located by the back door and is reserved for work groups number 1, 2 and 3. Darkroom #2 is the left door inside the front darkroom double door. This is reserved for work groups 4, 5 and 6. Darkroom #3 is the right door and is reserved for work groups 7, 8 and 9 and 10 if class enrollment is over 30.

Film is loaded in the old converted office. This room has had the main windows and doors blocked with black plastic sheeting. The door is save except for the bottom space.  Film will be safe in this room as long as it is kept on the desktop and not dropped to the floor. Be sure this door is locked as you close it so someone will not drop in on you when you have film out. If someone knocks please shout out "occupied" so that you can be heard incase someone is using a key to open the door.

CLEAN UP

At the end of class during the last 15 minutes each darkroom must be cleaned up.  All paper towels are thrown in the trash and the sink and counter tops are rinsed down. The last class of the day will throw out the developer and stop bath but NOT the fixer. Each period the sink will be cleared of test strips and wasted photographs. Also, each enlarger will have its negative carrier placed back in the head of the enlarger and its light checked to be sure it is OFF. Return scissors to the supply desk in the back of the main lab. The darkroom in this photo is an example of what NOT to leave the room looking like. If darkrooms are not cleaned up the group responsible will be required to do shop clean up work the next day of class for the entire class period.

The film tanks in the lab will need to be washed, rinsed and placed upside down to dry on the dry rack.  Chemicals need to be tightly capped and put back on the chemistry table.  Trash needs to be picked up.

WASHING PRINTS

Student should start to wash their prints 20 minutes before end of class. When the clean up bell rings prints should be moved from the wash to the dryer if they have been in the was for 10 minutes or more.  Prints should NOT be left in the washer after class. Students who leave prints in the wash should return after their next class during break to dry their prints.  Prints left in the wash at the end of the day will be thrown out.