safelights for graded & VC paper

patricia de roeck · Mar 26, 2007

Hi all - just been squirreling away assorted safelights just in case "they" cease making them and have acquired a couple of orange dome lights - I may have misunderstood but one of my 'text' books states that orange light should not be used with VC paper - is this also true with graded paper??
If so, under what situations would an orange light be used?? I'm using a very dark red light with graded paper and presume this will be OK for VC papers too.
Thanks everyone. Patricia

Roger Hicks · Mar 26, 2007

Dear Patricia,

Red -- even bright red (Paterson) -- has yet to fog any paper we have tested (and we test for the magazines), even with half an hour at 30cm/1 foot. Some orange filters can in theory fog some VC papers but it's unusual and they never fog graded unless they're getting elderly and faded or the exposure time (to the safelight) is very long (many minutes).

Cheers,

R. (www.rogerandfrances.com)

Ian Grant · Mar 26, 2007

Roger is right orange or red safelightst don't normally fog paper unless they are to close.

However there is a problem with some safelights and variable contrast papers. In particular there was a problems with the general purpose Paterson safelight dome and Paterson produced a specific VC paper dome (ref VF).

Plenty of people have written about this in the past: "There is a strange phenomena which can occur with variable contrast papers used with the wrong safelight, usually red/orange.

This causes a lack of contrast at the higher filtration settings, it prompted Ilford to introduce the Amber (light brown) safelight filters, and other manufacturers including Paterson followed their lead."

I moved to a smaller dark room a few years ago and began to have this problem, changing to the recommened Variable Contrast Safelight instantly resolved the issue.

Ian

Jim Jones · Mar 26, 2007

I use a dimmer on the electrical supply to my safelight so the light can be reduced for long exposures or critical prints. It's better to test safelights than to leave it to such chance. There are many ways to do this. One is to give paper strips of varying expose under the enlarger and strips of varying expose at right angles to that under the safelight. I usually raise the enlarger head completely and stop the lens down. The paper is exposed in steps of zero, .5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 seconds. Then strips at right angles are exposed on the same paper under the safelight at zero, .5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 minutes. Times may be altered to fit particular enlargers and safelights. After developing, save the test paper. It gives one insight into the effect of flashing prints.

patricia de roeck · Mar 27, 2007

Many thanks for your information guys - I have a couple of Paterson domes on order but not sure if they'll be amber or red - either way it seems I'm covered one way or another - its getting to be quite a challenge at the moment to buy these things - keep getting "this line is discontinued" popping up everywhere or an incredulous reaction from sales staff as to why on earth I'd need something like that!! Once upon a time, not long ago......etc.etc.
Cheers everyone. Patricia

Bob F. · Mar 28, 2007

Safelights are not one of the things I worry about disappearing. It is easy to make your own from red, orange or amber LED based lighting and if you are not so inclined, any small business could knock them out in the volumes needed.

About the only real killer is if film goes, taking paper with it, but I don't see that happening in the next 20 years at least. Practically everything else can be cobbled together or bought second-hand.

Cheers, Bob.

patricia de roeck · Mar 29, 2007

I envy you Bob, to be in London with Silverprint so handy, not to mention quite a few other companies in the UK that supply base chemicals and lots of other lovely bits and pieces, but its becoming increasingly difficult for those of us in isolated places to access pretty ordinary darkroom items. Have just had to stock up on about 10 years worth of pot.ferri. and a few more esoteric chemicals because they're no longer being stocked by just about the only supplier in Oz - think I have zero chance of getting any chemicals sent from the UK by post or freight with the current paranoia about any kind of powdery substance. Good job I love a challenge......
Cheers, Patricia

Bob F. · Mar 29, 2007

Yes, fair point: living in a major European city does tend to distort the view of worldwide access to, well, to most things in life really... In a large part of the world it must be necessary to be creative in securing supplies already, let alone in 20 years time.

Cheers, Bob.

dancqu · Mar 29, 2007

patricia de roeck said:
...under what situations would an orange light be used?

Orange, yellow, yellow/green are colors used with Graded
paper. Graded paper sees only blue light. That is a generalization
but much the case. I'm setup to use Graded or VC lighting.
As the light level using Graded is very noticeably higher
I prefer working with Graded. Dan

Mick Fagan · Mar 29, 2007

Patricia, do you ever come to the mainland? I have all sorts of things I have picked up over the years.

Two weeks ago I picked up a beautiful Ilford 8x10" metal safelight, wired with working globe and an Ilford amber filter in place for $5.00, somewhere else I have a 5x7" Ilford metal safelight with the same filter, I also have a Paterson dome safelight or two kicking around.

I hope the enlarger is working.

Mick.

sgub · Apr 13, 2007

From ILFORD MGIV fact sheet, it is almost "blind" for wavelength longer than 550nm.
Normal red LED have a central wavelength around 650nm with a lower limit of 600nm.
So it's quite safe to use red LED as safe light source for MGIV paper.

safelights for graded & VC paper

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