Is this possible? Make shift safelight question

[mark]

As a teacher I have changed my classrooms into a camera obscura and a darkroom in the past. My present classroom has two flourescent lights that are on permanently so blacking the room out is not an option, unless I cover the lights with thick black plastic, which I have already gotten in trouble for this year, or remove the bulbs, which I have already gotten in trouble for. For some reason I am allowed to cover them with butcher paper so I was thinking that, maybe I could cover them with red butcher paper and just use them as safelights. This would allow the room to be dark enough to turn into a camera obscura, and be used as a darkroom.

Would the light filtering through the red butcher paper work as a safelight, or would it fog the paper as we load our pinhole cameras then develope them?

 

[rbarker]

My bet would be that the butcher paper will have small voids that would spill white light, so some fogging would likely result. There are filter sleeves made for the tubes, but they're a bit expensive, I believe. Rosco gels in the appropriate color are available in moderately large sheets at $5-10 per sheet. That might be an alternative.

 

[mark]

Cool. Thanks Ralph. I will check out Rosco Gels.

 

[jim appleyard]

Yes, the red safelight are expensive, but they are SOOO convenient. I bought mine at Adorama.

 

[Lee L]

Try the tech info .pdf files on this page:
http://www.rosco.com/us/technotes/filters/index.asp

They have equivalents to #25 and #29 Wratten filters that should work. Looks like they also have flourescent tube sleeves.

Lee

 

[glbeas]

Look for a roll of Rubylith from a graphic arts supplier. A layer of that will do just fine.

 

[john_s]

Another vote for Rubylith for making just about anything into a safe safelight. It's used in quantities, and you might be able to get enough free of charge if you request a "sample" for your school.