I shoot mostly in the field, and leaving Australia meant leaving behind my myraid solutions for this (van, Ilford darktent, pull-out darkbox for the hatchback, etc). Not to mention all that chemistry, oof. 

One of the videos that most inspired me when I was starting out was Borut Peterlin’s guide for starting wet plate on a budget (he managed a complete setup of camera and chemistry for ~300 euros). In that spirit, I decided to set about creating the Minimum Viable Darkbox to get me started in Denver, since I’d just spent a small fortune at UV Photographic and didn’t have a job yet.

Wandering the aisles at Home Depot I came across this big plastic tub, on sale for US$12. Knowing that the folding 32 gallon Bin Warehouse tote favored for making the Bastard Box was extinct (at the time!), I figured I’d take a punt on it. Worst case, I’d have a place to store the growing pile of chemistry, consumables, and other wet plate accessories that were starting to take over my in-laws garage. While I was there I also picked up an assortment of bungee cords of various lengths.

Next, I needed a way to black it out. I had originally thought about cutting arm holes in the front and making a non-collapsible Bastard Box, but in addition to the yellow lid not being fully opaque, I wasn’t particularly keen about sacrificing my only changing bag to the wet plate gods, since I still shoot and develop my own B&W film and don’t have a darkroom.

Decided to head to Joanne Fabric, where I bought 4 yards (~3.5m) of 56” wide blackout fabric. I was a little disappointed that this was white on both sides rather than having one side black, and at the lack of a larger roll (2.4m wide) for a future project, but happy enough to walk out with it for $35 (also on sale). 

Uh, that’s it, basically. You turn the tub on its side, wrap the fabric around the lip, then use two bungee cords (or one long one, if you’ve got that) to secure it. The blackout fabric is wrapped around your upper body to make a light-tight seal; it’s probably possible to get away with using less blackout fabric than I did, but the more extra there is, the less hassle it is to create the seal. 

You can also see my rough little cardboard-sheathed silver tank on the table behind it in this picture, which is covered in another post.

Chuck in a generic 5V red LED strip with USB plug + battery bank and you’re laughing. 

While it can fit both the silver tank and the catch tray in at the same time, I usually only have one in at a time just so it’s a bit less crowded (this picture shows just after finishing developing). I had originally planned to cut a piece of 1/4” ply to size and bolt it to the bottom of the tub (which becomes the back of the darkbox when it’s in use) to create a more permanent attachment point for the light overhead, as well as maybe some loops of elastic for securing developer and rinse bottles, but ultimately decided I couldn’t be bothered.  

I did add a little folding 3 legged camping stool from Army Navy Surplus (not pictured) so I wasn’t contorting my back too badly when using it, which easily fits inside the box for storage and transport.

Pros:

• Very cheap and easy to “build”/set up
• Can hold most of your wet plate gear, so makes a good “grab and go” solution
• Robust construction

Cons:

• Limited to 4x5*
• Not terribly ergonomic
• Black plastic will heat up in the summer 

*Might be able to manage larger sizes if you are tray sensitising, but limited headroom means you’re probably stuck with 4x5 and smaller if using a vertical tank like most practitioners.