show off your artificial light source...

jp498 · Jan 20, 2011

I've been wanting to build a UV box with tubes, but I got this 400w metal halide light for free. Already blew too much $ on hoarding film anyways. Used, these lights often go unsold because of the shipping expense and it's not something most people mess with. Made some van dyke prints with it the past couple of nights. As shown, 15 minutes is solarized, 10 minutes looks pretty good, 5 minutes is sorta light. Height is adjustable via the strap or empty paint can. I might still build a UV box someday, but I'm pleased with this for now.

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Jim Fitzgerald · Jan 25, 2011

When I started with carbon transfer printing I used this set up. My exposure times were an hour! Still, it got me going.

JohnMeadows · Jan 25, 2011

I've got to track down something like this for my Cyanotypes; hoping for sunshine on the weekends in Toronto during the winter is chancy at best

Mike Wilde · Jan 25, 2011

Canadian Tire to the rescue

JohnMeadows said:
I've got to track down something like this for my Cyanotypes; hoping for sunshine on the weekends in Toronto during the winter is chancy at best

I bought up a supply of 9 compact flourescent spiral tube BLB lamps with accumulated Canadain Tire money, and then spent cash on 9 screwshell lamp holders. Sundry left over plywood amd white paint built the housing.

I can expose up to 14" square, wihich is the limit of my present coating ability.

I use Mike Ware's 'faster' cyanotype coating formulae, and my printing times are 30-60 minutes, which leaves lots of times for typical after work activities for me; things like laundry, dishwasher empty, make luinches, check homework, get kids to bed, etc.

Matthew Rusbarsky · Jan 25, 2011

John- I'm less than 4.5 deg S of Toronto and have been sun printing cyanos all winter. I've been exposing around noon for 15-20min on bright sunlit days and 20-25min on dim dreary days. My prints tend to look superior on the dim and dreary days. I've also tried artificial UV sources, but nothing beats a certain quality I get from diffuse natural light on days with full cloud cover.

JohnMeadows · Jan 25, 2011

Thanks for the reply Matthew. I have been using up my supply of pretreated Cyanotype paper, and I have found exposure times quite variable. This past Sunday (midday), printing transparency type negatives I found 6 minutes with this paper was almost too much exposure. A month ago under what seemed a bright overcast using paper negatives (treated with baby oil to increase translucency) it would take 70 or 80 minutes to get a good exposure. The frustrating thing is not being able to print during the week.

I am switching to coating my own paper with new formula, so I will likely have to dial in new exposure times this weekend, weather permitting. But that's part of the fun

JohnMeadows · Jan 25, 2011

Thanks Mike -- I'll look into that!

R Shaffer · Jan 25, 2011

Here is my little home made UV box. Has 8- T8 BL bulbs, adjustable height and can make up to 11 x 14. I mounted a gralab timer on the front and it sits on a shelf in my office. My home made contact frame is resting peacefully in the exposure zone.

Built the box out of some scrap 1/2" maple veneer plywood and 1/2" cherry.

AWCG · Feb 8, 2011

This was its first light.
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I made this under my workbench. It is a shelf attached to full extension drawer slides under five 30 watt Sylvania 350 Blacklights. They are run through an old school Graylab timer with a klaxon alarm. That thing will scare the hell out of you.

My current contact frame is not what is in the picture, that's just what I cobbled together for the maiden run. Presently I'm using two 24" x 24" sheets of 1/4 inch glass, held together with 8 large spring clamps.

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This is a 7 min. VanDyke on Bergger paper made in the unit.
Cyanotypes average around 20 mins and Platinum/Palladium prints are in the 45 min range.

konakoa · Feb 9, 2011

I've got something a bit different. I'm using multiple rows of UV LEDs in a 20"x15"x1.5" box I made. It runs on 12 volts DC via a wall adapter, so I didn't have to handle 120 volt AC household wiring. It's also lightweight--the side walls and back are white foam board lined with aluminum tape to (hopefully) reflect any stray light back to the print. The whole thing collapses down to fit in a drawer for storage when not in use. The nicest part is the LEDs don't get hot at all; after hours of use they're only warm to the touch.

Jim Fitzgerald · Feb 9, 2011

konakoa said:
I've got something a bit different. I'm using multiple rows of UV LEDs in a 20"x15"x1.5" box I made. It runs on 12 volts DC via a wall adapter, so I didn't have to handle 120 volt AC household wiring. It's also lightweight--the side walls and back are white foam board lined with aluminum tape to (hopefully) reflect any stray light back to the print. The whole thing collapses down to fit in a drawer for storage when not in use. The nicest part is the LEDs don't get hot at all; after hours of use they're only warm to the touch.

Nice looking unit. What process are you doing and what kind of exposure times?

Thanks,

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 10, 2011

Ooooh....gotta have my husband or one of the boys help me with this project!

Mainecoonmaniac · Feb 10, 2011

I like yours the best

Jim Fitzgerald said:
Nice looking unit. What process are you doing and what kind of exposure times?

Thanks,

It's energy efficient to boot.

Vlad Soare · Feb 11, 2011

I use one of these.
With cyanotypes and vandyke prints, it gives me exposures of five to ten minutes with unstained negatives, and about twenty minutes with stained negatives.
It covers 8x10" with some room to spare. The contact printing frame in the attached picture is 9.5x12" (24x30 cm).

holmburgers · Feb 11, 2011

konakoa said:
I've got something a bit different. I'm using multiple rows of UV LEDs in a 20"x15"x1.5" box I made.

Absolutely gorgeous.

konakoa · Feb 11, 2011

Jim Fitzgerald said:
Nice looking unit. What process are you doing and what kind of exposure times?

Jim, I use it for cyanotypes and van dyke brown. I keep meaning to try it with some gum bichromate but other projects keep seeming to conspire to keep me from doing so.

Exposure times vary for me. Generally, for a good full range cyanotype or van dyke brown print it takes an hour or two with my UV box.

My exposure times are based off a Stouffer 21-step wedge. I make enlarged negatives from my original films with Arista lith film and my darkroom enlarger. Densities wander a bit when I do this, so exposure times in the UV box also vary on both sides due to the inconsistencies of my enlarged negatives. For cyanotypes, I can print about a eight stop range with a two hour exposure. For comparison, I get the same contrast range outside in the winter sun with about thirty minutes of exposure to direct sunlight. Van dyke browns are complete (seven stop range) in about an hour under the UV LEDs.

My exposure times compared to others posted here seem long; I don't know if it's my light, paper, sizing, the formulas I'm following or the densities I'm expecting to see.

(Thanks for the compliments Mainecoonmaniac and holmburgers!)

Lee L · Feb 11, 2011

konakoa said:
I've got something a bit different. I'm using multiple rows of UV LEDs in a 20"x15"x1.5" box I made. It runs on 12 volts DC via a wall adapter, so I didn't have to handle 120 volt AC household wiring.

Am I correct in thinking you used these:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-...pPage&category=BARS&Page2Disp=/specs/NFLS.htm

Lee

konakoa · Feb 11, 2011

Yep! Same ones as in my LED enlarger.

Lee L · Feb 11, 2011

konakoa said:
Yep! Same ones as in my LED enlarger.

Very cool. Thanks.

Lee

daleeman · Feb 12, 2011

Vlad Soare said:
I use one of these.
With cyanotypes and vandyke prints, it gives me exposures of five to ten minutes with unstained negatives, and about twenty minutes with stained negatives.
It covers 8x10" with some room to spare. The contact printing frame in the attached picture is 9.5x12" (24x30 cm).

What kind of uv source are you using. This looks like you store bought this? where can we find out more?
Lee

Vlad Soare · Feb 13, 2011

Yes, I bought it. It's a facial tanning lamp. Click on the link I gave above (on the word "these") to get a better look of it.
It was approximately eighty dollars, new.

Lee L · Feb 13, 2011

Vlad Soare said:
Yes, I bought it. It's a facial tanning lamp.

A google search for this lamp, the Philips HB175, doesn't show any sources for it in the US. I suspect it's not approved for sale here, probably due to the potential UV damage to eyes (including cataracts), but that's just a guess.

Lee

Vlad Soare · Feb 13, 2011

It comes with a pair of anti-UV goggles. It does no harm to the eyes if it's used correctly (that is, with the goggles on, at the right distance from the face, and for the right amount of time).
I don't think it's banned anywhere. Most probably it's either discontinued, or sold in the US under another brand (Norelco, perhaps? I don't know). Anyway, the HB-175 is just an example. I happened to find this one locally because Philips products are popular in Romania, but I suppose any facial tanner will work just as well. Like this one, for instance.

show off your artificial light source...

jp498

Jim Fitzgerald

JohnMeadows

Mike Wilde

Matthew Rusbarsky

JohnMeadows

JohnMeadows

R Shaffer

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