Amber safelight and ortho litho film?

Amfooty · Apr 7, 2014

To begin my foray into large format, I got a pack of the Arista Litho Ortho film to make mistakes on and mess with. I know it is ok to load with a red safelight, but is amber ok as well? The darkroom I use only has amber safelights and I don't want to have to go way out of my way just to load film. Thanks in advance.

Vaughn · Apr 7, 2014

Should be red, but amber will work if kept to a minimum of time...with your back turned to the light so that no direct safelight hits the film. But if you need to cut it down or need to have it out under the safe light for more than 10 seconds or so, then a red safe light is better. Find one of those small red light bulbs, or make one using rubylith, or something along that that line. Because you'll probably want to develop the film and you should have a red safelight for that, too, if you do not want to do it in the dark.

And nothing says an old time darkroom better than a red safelight!

bsdunek · Apr 8, 2014

Vaughn said:
And nothing says an old time darkroom better than a red safelight!

True, That!

Jim Noel · Apr 8, 2014

SInced you are basically a novice in loading LF film, I recommend against the amber safelight. The film is sensitive enough to that part of the spectrum to cause it to fog if exposed longer than a very few seconds.
Take out one sheet of film in total darkness and then use it to practice many times with eyes open and then closed to get proficient at doing so. after sufficient practice you wil be able to load the film in total darkness and not have to worry about the safelight.

Rick A · Apr 8, 2014

If you really want cheap materias to practice with, cut enlarging paper and shooting paper negatives. No need for a red safe light with that. It will give you plenty of practice for next to nothing until you are comfortable loading and exposing LF. Just remember to trim the paper to the correct dimensions, 3.9"x4.9" for 4x5.

Vaughn · Apr 8, 2014

You could always test it. Take a sheet and set it on the counter under the amber light. Let it sit there for 15 seconds, then cove up 1/4 for another 15 sec, cover up half for 15 sec, etc. Then develop it and see what happens.

JBrunner · Apr 8, 2014

Red, red, red. And run a safelight test. If you don't and you don't, how will you know? You won't, and you might not notice either, except you will be chasing magic bullets to make the prints and negatives with that little extra sparkle sparkle that yours somehow lack. Oh, and by the way, developing Litho Ortho for continuos tone is far from easy. Pretty much the last film I would recommend starting with.

Rich Ullsmith · Apr 9, 2014

What mister Brunner said.

I have a single red led light that can be trusted with everything for at least 15 minutes, that was pulled out of a xray developing room. 635nm red led bulbs fogged my Adox paper, and the amber safelights were even worse. I can't imagine that litho ortho film would be more forgiving.

Tom1956 · Apr 9, 2014

No amber. no red bulbs, no led's. I'm a printer of 35 years. Red safelight only.

Vaughn · Apr 9, 2014

Perhaps with litho film's tendency towards high contrast, a little pre-exposure might actually do some good...:crazy:

Amfooty · Apr 9, 2014

Thanks for the input everyone. Litho Ortho will certainly be an interesting thing to mess with--I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Newt_on_Swings · Apr 9, 2014

The problem with arista ortho litho cut for 4x5 is that there are no notches cut. So when you do get a chance to take it out in the darkroom with red safe lights to check the emulsion side, I suggest you take an exacto or sharp box cutter and cut off the upper right corner to save you time and hassle later on(if loading by feel in the dark or a changing bag). The knife goes through a stack of 50 corners like butter.

Amfooty · Apr 9, 2014

Newt_on_Swings said:
The problem with arista ortho litho cut for 4x5 is that there are no notches cut. So when you do get a chance to take it out in the darkroom with red safe lights to check the emulsion side

How can I tell which side is the emulsion side?

Tom1956 · Apr 10, 2014

The emulsion side is the side where you can scrape off a little scratch of it with a knife blade, develop it and fix a piece of it and make mental note of which side was lighter in color under the safelight.

bvy · Apr 10, 2014

The emulsion side is the lighter colored side, but I'm using the forbidden amber safelight. Even so, I've not had any problems with fogging or inconsistent results.

desertrat · Apr 10, 2014

I use a red LED 120v par floodlamp bought from an Ebay vendor with ortho litho film. Very bright and no problems with fogging. It does, however fog my green sensitive X-ray film. With the X-ray film I use a string of 660 nm 5mm LEDs powered by the power supply for a dead inkjet printer.

Andrew O'Neill · Apr 10, 2014

I always used this film under an amber safelight filter with no issues.

Tom1956 · Apr 10, 2014

Well, that's why they make rubylith and amberlith. Either can be used for their purpose, which was to block out negatives for a separate flat with the halftones on it to be surburned (double burned). Still though, the common safelight used in the printshop darkroom is a NuArc, which is a red safelight.

cliveh · Apr 10, 2014

You use a red safe light (not amber) and the emulsion side is lighter. The darker side is the back of the film.

MattKing · Apr 10, 2014

Tom1956 said:
Well, that's why they make rubylith and amberlith. Either can be used for their purpose, which was to block out negatives for a separate flat with the halftones on it to be surburned (double burned). Still though, the common safelight used in the printshop darkroom is a NuArc, which is a red safelight.

Amberlith is no longer being made, but rubylith is still around.

Tom1956 · Apr 10, 2014

Amberlith was actually easier to work with in the layout department because it was much easier to see through so you could see the work you were cutting around. Rubylith is very dark and harder to see through. Both had their purposes and the purposes were mostly interchangeable to the extent that if did not have one on-hand, you could get by with the other if you had to. Further, rubylith was very light-safe; amberlith, less so, in the case where your cameraman wasn't particularly good at his job
I might make note that these 2-layer materials were prone to aging, and at some point became practically impossible to strip the colored layer from the base. So you can't hope to lay in a "lifetime supply".

Amber safelight and ortho litho film?

Amfooty

Vaughn

bsdunek

Jim Noel

Rick A

Vaughn

JBrunner

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Rich Ullsmith

Tom1956

Vaughn

Amfooty

Newt_on_Swings

Amfooty

Tom1956

bvy

desertrat

Andrew O'Neill

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Tom1956

cliveh

MattKing

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Tom1956

Amber safelight and ortho litho film?

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