Safelight for X-Ray Films

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Useful information:

https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.crcpd.org/resource/resmgr/docs/QA_Collectibles/4-89qac.pdf

 

[juan]

I use a Kodak bullet safelight with a GBX-2 filter. Inside is a red LED I found at Lowes (a big box hardware store). I tested the bulb alone for 10-minutes and it fogged Fuji green x-Ray film. With the filter, there’s no fog.

 

[koraks]

Nice, this sort of information is always useful. Good point @juan on LED lighting; these bulbs open up new opportunities. Like you, I find that red LEDs need additional filtering to make them safe for paper & x-ray film (especially the latter).

LEDs bring new opportunities and also new challenges; it's now very easy to create relatively huge light intensities with a fairly narrow spectrum. I've been doing this for a few years in my darkroom, which makes it very convenient to work under safelight conditions. But even allegedly narrow-spectrum red LEDs do fog paper and ortho film at high intensities. I find rubylith to be a fairly good filter material; several layers can be stacked if needed. Testing is required, but doing so creates possibilities for much more pleasant working conditions than those warranted by the rather dim bulbs of the good old days.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Inside is a red LED.

How many Lumens?

 

[JPD]

Safest would be a LEAD bulb, but you wouldn't see anything.

I'll show myself out...

 

[DWThomas]

How many Lumens?

I use an E27-R8-G red bulb from SuperBright in a Kodak bullet housing. The claimed bulb output is 9 lumens. I also have a homemade ND filter of a couple of stops plus a Rubylith red filter I use. I won't claim to have done exhaustive testing but that bulb does definitely not work for the Fuji green film without a red filter.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've always used an amber coloured safelight... it hangs from the ceiling and is about 5 feet from processing trays. Never had an issue.

 

[juan]

How many Lumens?

I don’t remember and I’ve discarded the packaging. It is a normal, household sized bulb - not one of the small ones like the superbrightled ones.

 

[Rick A]

I have a decades old Premier 5x7 safe light with dark red filter and a 15 watt bulb, never have an issue with fogged ortho film or paper.

 

[gone]

I use the rubylith too. Easy to roll up for storage, layer, or use w/ a floor lamp. When I had fog issues w/ Foma papers, it was easy to double up the rubylith, and move the light further away from the papers.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

I've always used an amber coloured safelight... it hangs from the ceiling and is about 5 feet from processing trays. Never had an issue.

Is it safe for green sensitive X-Ray film?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Is it safe for green sensitive X-Ray film?

I've had no issues with green sensitive.