Darkroom lights, colors / construction

[mesaboogie]

i just bought an amber light. It's got an off white case with an amber filter. I thought the case was opaque, as many of this "style" appear almost metal housed.
Well, the entire off white housing glows yellow and is as bright as the light from the filter. I don't know why I feel confused but this seems wrong. I put it in an old lamp to test. Was this type of light supposed to be used inside another system or is that yellow light okay for multigrade bw paper?

The color isn't accurate in this pic, it's just to show how bright it is compared to the amber part. I used whatever 15w bulb BH cross sold me for it that other people bought.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63613-REG/Yankee_YASL3_Darkroom_Safelight.html

 

[MattKing]

I'm totally confused by your photo! I can't see the housing at all.

 

[mesaboogie]

I'm totally confused by your photo! I can't see the housing at all.

The two colors, the pink is the Amber filter, the orangish color is the housing. It's more yellow-orange in person.

 

[MattKing]

Is the housing a half moon shape?

 

[mesaboogie]

Did you click the link to the BH site to look at the product photo?

 

[photog_ed]

Looks like the housing is screwed into a reflector.

 

[mesaboogie]

Looks like the housing is screwed into a reflector.

So am I not able to use this in a shop light reflector? It's in a simple table lamp right now. What do I use this in?

 

[mesaboogie]

Let me rephrase my question...

If anyone has used this Yankee light housing, is the color of the light coming thru the white housing safe for paper or is there a special socket I am supposed to use this in?

 

[jeffreythree]

I have the same light with a 15w GE bulb in it. The case glows like yours, but I have it in a clamping shop light sort of fixture. I bounce my light off a wall instead direct light on my work space and have never had an issue with fogging paper.

 

[MattKing]

Did you click the link to the BH site to look at the product photo?

I did, and it looked entirely different than your photo!

Looks like the housing is screwed into a reflector.

I think this explains my confusion. I was thinking that the illuminated portion of the reflector was part of the safelight housing.

Generally, safelights like these aren't designed to have a reflector behind them.

 

[Neal]

Dear mesaboogie,

I can honestly say that I would be bothered by that much light from the housing. A safelight test might show there is no problem, but I would probably still paint the housing just to make me feel better.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

 

[DWThomas]

One might be tempted to paint the housing with a couple of coats of black paint! (Although some of the canned spray paints might not be compatible with the plastic of the housing. I guess if you aren't planning to go into dark red filters for developing lith or x-ray films, just paper, it may work, but I'm really surprised to see that glow. A careful test is in order. (I'm having a recollection that one paper that's out there doesn't like an amber safelight, but I forget which?)