Darkroom help - question about safe lights?
Hi everyone! I’m in the process of setting up my darkroom, but I have a question about safe lights. I’ve been given conflicting information and I could really use some help!
I had a safe light with a red gel filter in storage for a while, but when I took it out of storage the other day, I discovered that the red filter had a large ***** on it (enough to where white light would bleed through).
I was telling my photography professor from college about this, and she adviced me that I really didn’t need the filter; just a red light bulb. I told the rep at my local photography supply store about this, and he said that I would HAVE to have that filter and that a red bulb alone would be too white and would expose my paper.
So basically, my question is:
In a darkroom set-up, is it essential that you have a red filtered safe light or can you rely only on a red bulb?
Thanks in advance!
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Posted: April 6th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Tags: Crack, Darkroom, Local Photography
Comments
Comment from Dawg
Time April 6, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Here’s a link to another discussion on the same topic.
The red bulb is not as effective as the filters but if you minimize the time the paper is out in the open before developing it should work - keep in mind when the bulb burns out it will be cheaper to replace an ordinary bulb than a red one - a new filter should out last many bulbs, if it were me I’d get the filter.
Comment from nikonfotos100
Time April 7, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Many years ago using a regular 15 watt light bulb and RED Cellophane (it was really, really dark red) I covered the plastic light case and used black electrical tape to seal it. This worked fine for me for many years and I got no fogging at all.
Hope this helps,
Kevin
Comment from John T
Time April 9, 2009 at 11:25 am
There are specialty red bulbs made specifically for darkrooms. They function just as well as safe lights using regular bulbs and filters. The red color bulbs you find in Walmart, etc. are not appropriate for darkroom work and will fog your paper. I prefer the filter since you can always hijack a bulb out of a lamp if you dark room safelight burns out–and if you don’t have the right size at home there’s probably someone around that stays open all night long that has something that will work.
Comment from The Swami
Time April 6, 2009 at 3:28 pm
If you are using only b & w paper in your darkroom, the red bulb should be sufficient if it is of the photographic type. A red decorative bulb would definitely not be adequate. I used a red bulb only for many years and got excellent results with no discernible fogging. It is always wise, under any circumstances, to take the paper from a paper safe just before exposure and do not locate your safelight directly above the chemical trays. Always take a few minutes to allow your eyes to adjust to the low light level before starting any darkroom procedure. The least light you can utilize the better. Good luck.