Luminous dots to find things in a darkroom...

xtolsniffer · May 28, 2009

Dear all,
I was modifying my darkroom last week, well I say darkrooom, it's actually a small shed. Anyway, I was feeling pleased with myself in that I put up a new shelf in just the right position to see my darkroom clock and have to hand all those little essentials. This is fine when I have the safelight on, only I subsequently discovered that when loading film in complete darkness, it was at just the right height to bang my head on repeatedly. Rather than wear protective headgear or move the shelf, I wondered about putting little luminous stickers on the edge just to remind myself it's there. Is that likely to be enough to cause light trouble? On a related note, my watch is also luminous, should I take that off too when loading film or handling monochrome paper?

David A. Goldfarb · May 28, 2009

I've used luminous tape or paint to help find things in the dark. It shouldn't cause any fogging, as long as it's more than a foot away from film. You might want to take off your luminous watch when loading film.

Monophoto · May 28, 2009

I have lots of dots in my darkroom. Bought a roll of luminous tape (usually hard to find, but I was in Adorama one day several years ago when there was a display right next to the cash register - to stimulate impulse buying!) and use a hole-punch to make the dots. Have added additional dots on my processing timer (Gralab 300) to note normal, N-1 and N+1 processing times.

Another handy thing to have is luminous paint. I found a small jar at Michaels.

Mike Wilde · May 28, 2009

I'm in Louie's camp - I use the roll of luminous tape too. Mine was marketted as a home safety think for seniors - don't run into things when you get are getting into bed at night, to better mark the top of the stairs, etc. I don't punch dote though. I cut little triangles, and then orient how I attach them to 'point' towards the thing I am trying to reach for.

I also have a strip on the back of the phone handset, and on the hand up hook on the phone as well. That way no need to leave the darkroom just to answer the phone.

I have found that I need to cover the Gralab 300 timer with the large luminous dial that sits at the end of my sink as a casual use timer when I am processing sheet film in open trays nearby. For those situations I use an old vivitar process timer that lets my mind wander better than needing to keep resetting the gralab 300 for each step. .

jp80874 · May 28, 2009

I put a little luminous paint on the light switch plate. A white switch plate on a white wall can be a little hard to find if you have turned around a few times in the dark.

John Powers

Martin Aislabie · May 28, 2009

I have a few luminous patches in my Darkroom to help orientate myself in the dark - but they are a good few feet away from where I handle film.

I haven't had any problems with fogging from them - which I can discern

However, I don't leave film in the open for any longer than I can help, from the box into the Dev Tank is no longer than a minute or two at the most, just to keep fog levels as low as possible

As David suggests, I remove my (luminous) watch when loading/unloading film.

I don't know if it’s practical but could you put the luminous tape/stickers on the top side of the shelf (so you can see it) but load the film at a lower height - so it cannot see the glow directly

Martin

Anscojohn · May 28, 2009

As others have said, there seems to be no problem. I have luminous paint on the pull-chain knob for the white light; also on the doorknob.

xtolsniffer · May 28, 2009

Ah thanks people, that's reassuring. I thought I'd check just in case someone said 'whoa! don't do that!' now I need not hit my head any more, that's a relief.

jp80874 · May 28, 2009

xtolsniffer said:
now I need not hit my head any more, that's a relief.

Just because it is illuminated doesn't mean you won't run into to it. Don't ask how we know. We won't tell.

John

Dan Williams · May 28, 2009

I recently picked up a package of glow in the dark stickers in the toy department of a local store. It has various sizes of stars, planets, comets, and shooting stars. I think I paid about $3.50 USD for far more than I will ever use.

Dan

Photo Engineer · May 28, 2009

Just a reminder....

Luminous tape will fog film and paper if the material comes within 1 foot or less of the tape. Some high speed materials need up to 3 feet distance. I have seen it happen.

PE

xtolsniffer · May 29, 2009

DarkroomDan said:
I recently picked up a package of glow in the dark stickers in the toy department of a local store. It has various sizes of stars, planets, comets, and shooting stars. I think I paid about $3.50 USD for far more than I will ever use.

Dan

In my mind I did sort of run away with the idea and after mentally labelling the edge of my shelf, doorknob, lightswitch I then extended to maps of the constellations on the darkroom ceiling, but that kind of defeats the object of a 'dark-room'.

robertg · May 29, 2009

Reminds me of when i was in college, 15 people in a dark room printing colour,we wore the dots on ourselves to stop collisions. There was always someone who would hold their paper up near their chest and fog it.
Regards Robertg.

PeterB · May 29, 2009

robertg said:
Reminds me of when i was in college, 15 people in a dark room printing colour,we wore the dots on ourselves to stop collisions

That's a great use for the dots !!

Can somebody recommend a place to purchase the luminous tape ? Here are thousands of hits (gotta love the wildcard feature in google , but a recommendation where you have purchased from before could be helpful.

thanks
Peter

Steve Smith · May 29, 2009

I have a luminous dial wristwatch which I have to put in my pocket when I am printing now. It took me ages to work out why my prints occasionally had a strange mark at the edge!

I used to work for a company which made ships' navigation equipment. We used to put luminous marks on the compass pointers. I can't quite remember what they were called though. Beta Light springs to mind but a Google search found lots of other things with that name.

They were about 1/2" long and about 1/16" diameter and glowed in the dark. I think they were mildly radioactive rather than luminous.

My boss had a darkroom in his house for the process camera. Every corner which you could conceivably walk into had two or three of these stuck to it.

I wish I had some now.

Steve.

Terrence Brennan · May 29, 2009

PeterB said:
That's a great use for the dots !!

Can somebody recommend a place to purchase the luminous tape ? Here are thousands of hits (gotta love the wildcard feature in google , but a recommendation where you have purchased from before could be helpful.

thanks
Peter

Freestyle Photographic has it: http://www.freestylephoto.biz/172601-Delta-Glow-Tape-1-in.-x-5-yds.?cat_id=1603

jp80874 · May 29, 2009

robertg said:
Reminds me of when i was in college, 15 people in a dark room printing colour,we wore the dots on ourselves to stop collisions. There was always someone who would hold their paper up near their chest and fog it.
Regards Robertg.

In college our 15 enlarger darkrooms also have drying racks for the prints. Then there was the day 7-8 of us were in there working. There is a knock. The door opens, a young girl comes in by the drying rack. She turns on a flashlight to find her prints. There was much screaming and pounding of gear. I thought her peers were going to kill her.

Memories of a retired guy going back to college 40 years after he graduated the first time.

John Powers

srmcnamara · May 30, 2009

jp80874 said:
In college our 15 enlarger darkrooms also have drying racks for the prints. Then there was the day 7-8 of us were in there working. There is a knock. The door opens, a young girl comes in by the drying rack. She turns on a flashlight to find her prints. There was much screaming and pounding of gear. I thought her peers were going to kill her.

Memories of a retired guy going back to college 40 years after he graduated the first time.

John Powers

That's something else! My professor tells a story about a woman who was using a small flashlight to align her negative in the carrier. Well the other students came running to tell him and he had a chat with her. The chat worked; she stopped using a flashlight and started using her Bic Lighter!!

Luminous dots to find things in a darkroom...

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