safelight

ferny · Dec 24, 2006

How does this look for a safelight?

Safelight
Kaiser Code: 4018

Matt black plastic housing. Top tilts from 0 to 40 degrees. Can be used as wall or table-top light. The unit can be mounted on a wall for direct or indirect lighting of working area.

Supplied with yellow-green and Multigrade filters 9x12cm (3.5 x 4.7 in). Takes a standard 15 w small Edison screw lamp (supplied).
£27.90 + £6 for postage

A normal red buld costs £5.58 at this place anyway. That's one option I was considering and buying a desklamp for it.

Jessops want £17.99 + £3.95 for one of those domed Paterson red safelight with bulb.

But the Kaiser comes with more filters and I can change them so might be able to use it when I do colour as well.

Verdicts and other options?

mysteryscribe · Dec 24, 2006

Looks great but I also love my night light with a red painted 7 1/2 bulb for two dollars... and the red 25 watt bulb (either for a christmas ornament or bordello not sure which) in a regular old lamp.

Best advice get out of the photo shops for red bulbs. It is christmas for god's sake should be millions if you hurry before they put them away.

A red bulb can be a regular florecent bulb and red spray paint. I use incandescent in the night light but it might be a little warm for most people's paranoia with paint.

ThomThomsk · Dec 24, 2006

ferny said:
How does this look for a safelight?

Safelight
Kaiser Code: 4018

Matt black plastic housing. Top tilts from 0 to 40 degrees. [snip]

Verdicts and other options?

I have that model. It's very good, and the ability to tilt the housing is more useful than it sounds.

Thom

ferny · Dec 24, 2006

mysteryscribe said:
Looks great but I also love my night light with a red painted 7 1/2 bulb for two dollars... and the red 25 watt bulb (either for a christmas ornament or bordello not sure which) in a regular old lamp.

Best advice get out of the photo shops for red bulbs. It is christmas for god's sake should be millions if you hurry before they put them away.

A red bulb can be a regular florecent bulb and red spray paint. I use incandescent in the night light but it might be a little warm for most people's paranoia with paint.

I've seen the suggestion of a normal red bulb before. So it really works? Been coin tested and everything?

I've seen a red florecent tube. Bloody expensive!

mysteryscribe · Dec 24, 2006

the only way a red bulb can fog paper is if it is too strong. Best way to test it is to put it in a light hang it in a corner of the dark room, put a piece of paper on the table where you will be working let it sit out about fifteen minutes then develop it. If it is white you are good to go if it is gray or black you arent. that all there is to it. But I used a 25 watt bulb in a 8x10 room with no problems at all for years.

I use a 7 1/2 watt night light with red pain on the bulb now in a bathroom to cutt paper and have no problems with it either. I did put a red cup over the night light just to cut down the volume of light. I doubt that I needed to but It just looked so bright.

red florescent bult... plain bulb red paint they do not get that hot its why I said florescent. I dollar can of spray paint and you can turn all the blubs you will use in a lifetime red.

A second can of green paint and you can do color. Problem with florescent I just realized is that you would need a special fixture with one of small wattage I think. Maybe not take a look at your building supply store.

As far as tilting goes if that is a big deal put it in a trouble light with a swivel on the head. You can swivel it in a thousand directions with those things./

ferny · Dec 27, 2006

Right, ordered myself a few red bulbs online as well as a couple of enlarger lamps which I hope will fit. I went to the local B&Q and that was a complete waste of time. No lights or lamps even in the same realm as what I want. And all bloody expensive. 2x 25w red bulbs, 2x 15w red bulbs and 2 12v 100w halogen lamps came to around £25 including postage. Not too bad and they could be here tomorrow.

The bloody automatic doors in B&Q wouldn't even let me out of the shop! But they worked for the woman behind me. Maybe I shouldn't have sold my soul last week...?

JC1220 · Dec 28, 2006

There is nothing finer than a Thomas safelight. You can actually see everything in your darkroom, sorta like a room bathed in warm light from a sunset, a real joy.

Torus34 · Dec 29, 2006

I assume the 'multigrade' is an OC. If so, and if you're using variable contrast b&w paper, you're in good shape.

ksmattfish · Dec 30, 2006

Aren't they giving away safelights on Ebay?

My safelights have red filters, and just take cheap household bulbs.

karissa · Dec 30, 2006

mysteryscribe said:
Looks great but I also love my night light with a red painted 7 1/2 bulb for two dollars... and the red 25 watt bulb (either for a christmas ornament or bordello not sure which) in a regular old lamp.

Best advice get out of the photo shops for red bulbs. It is christmas for god's sake should be millions if you hurry before they put them away.

A red bulb can be a regular florecent bulb and red spray paint. I use incandescent in the night light but it might be a little warm for most people's paranoia with paint.

My Photography instructor in High School used a regular red bulb like your saying and well... it worked great however hers was apparently needing replaced. I spent a year trying to develop some good prints and she kept telling me I wasn't getting anything with good whites. I had struggled with this teacher really never liking any work I did so I didn't return to Photography the next year. My friend took the class and said that she had the same problem and the teacher finally thought to change the darn darkroom light. :lol: