DIY DARKROOM SAFELIGHTS PART 2. YOUR COMMENTS

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ABOUT THIS VIDEO
This is really a follow up to my last video about DIY safelights and testing. I had some really good feedback and I very much appreciate all of the comments on this topic.
I claim in no way to be an expert in the darkroom but I like to trial and error and I found sensitising the paper before testing to be a better option than the white paper coin test.
So for now I am happy I can get more light in my Darkroom for you guys to see what I am doing. Cheers!

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ABOUT MY VIDEOS

If my videos inspire, create ideas and help others in film photography and darkroom work then it's worth making them.
I always welcome comments that are useful towards the video subject that will help others understand the process within.
Keep shooting and thanks for watching.


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[ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Sorry guys! At 09:42 I didn't mention it but you'll see I placed a white card half way over the already sensatised paper strip so that half of that strip was blind to the red light during the 5 minutes it was on. Which you can see from the result after fixing.

[andreipaul]

I also use RGB leds, but after a thorough test, they fogged the paper but it wasn't visible (just like pre-flashing). Get a CD or DVD and hold it so you can see the light spectrum the lights are giving. My leds, on red setting, also gave green and a bit of blue. I just took 2 red plastic caps from some sprays, put them on the led and it solved the problem.

But the CD thing is, from my experience, a pretty reliable test to see if a light is safe.

[retrofocusing]

Mom look, I'm on Youtube ! :D

Thanks for the shout-out, I'm looking forward to future videos!

[alasdairdougall]

Very happy you have seen the (LED) light. Thanks for your efforts and I really enjoy watching the trials and tribulations of analogue photography.

[Analog_Refined]

Hi Rodger! I love your videos mate. All kinds of darkroom fun and experiences. I made my own darkroom recently and I’ve enjoyed improving my space after learning from your videos. Keep it up!

[lehmansa]

@1:23 Tarantino Style … thx for your work!

[James-The-Hermit]

i have made a few lights in the past using lee filters safelight red gells, they sell these gells to theatre compaines and it comes on a roll, you can then use any bulb in a box the gell over a sheet of picture glass. a cheap way to make a classic box light like the ilford 10x8 ones.

[moritzheck]

Another very handy possibility for lighting is using the red light mode of a headlamp.

[andrethibault]

love the look after you read the first comment!!!! the best!! Cheers!

[filmlovephotography]

Hello Roger, other great videos like you always do. Usually the coin test gives false positive and your method of test it's much more accurate. And I know testing for 15min it's super boring and I give you 100 thumbs up for that. I believe you don't need a red lamp, I'm using a led lamp with 2700 Kelvin and 100 lumens and the box say 1, 4w. But like I used to say, if it's working, why to change. Cheers my friend and I hope to see a lot more great content like you always do, and with a lot of light 😂😅. Big hug

[helinophoto]

Did you ever try this with Foma-paper?
The issue with these things, is that you aren't really guaranteed that the light you have, has a nigh enough wavelength, specially when it comes to papers like Fomaspeed.

I have tried 2 different solutions;
A christmas-light chain with red leds, that fogged the Foma from 2 meters (indirect light) within 3 minutes.
One small LED nightstand light, white light, wrapped with two layers of rubylith, fogged the paper within 5 minutes from 2 meters (indirect light).

So yeah, it may work with Ilford and Adox, but if you are going to fool around with Foma, you better check properly, or waste a lot of paper.

[troywayneworks]

Incandescent lamps send heat into the room, LED lamps are rectified in the lamp base and send the heat into the fixture. While the LED feels cool on the globe the base / socket can be very hot. Some LEDs are rated for enclosed fixtures most are not, check the temp of the LED base. Cheers.

[stojanovicmiljan]

i've heard you can use dark red paper, the one used to protect photo paper, as a red filter. It was recommended to use two pieces so it will be more dark.

[kamaksi]

Ok so i am going to apologize now because i am going to be quite wordy about explaining the light spectrum borys talked about. I have a degree in physics and i teach both physics and math, so i will give you the intro version of my explainations. For starters light is split up into the colors of the rainbow that we are all very familiar with ROYGBIV (red orange yellow green blue indigo and violet). The band of visible light is approximately 750-380nm in order of red to blue that we can see with out eyes. Enlargement paper is typically sensitive in the blue and green light range or 450-570 nm (yes nanaometers). What borys is saying is the Kentmere is sensitive up to 550nm or just at the edge of the breen band of wavelengths. Red light resides in the 620-750nm wave lengths. This is also good to know because if you take pictures with Ilford SFX film it has an extended sensitiveity beyond the conventional film 650-380nm range (hence PANCHROMATIC). Orthochromatic is sensitive in more specific wave lenghts and not broad swaths like panchormatic). And yes the visible spectrum goes to 750. Techinally it is not a TRUE infrared film. You can get very dark skies and leaves on trees that light up when you use this film with a deeo red filter. It is nothing the old Kodak HIE film that actually absorbed light up to 900nm. pictures from this film take on a whole new etherial look.

Ok so back to the paper. Since the paper is only sensitive up to the 550nm range, using a red light that has a peak say at 750nm and is very centered such that no light is emitted below say 600nm then i would say in theory anylight in that range should be good. What i mean by centered is there is no way (except lasers almost) to pin point light to a very specific frequency. It slopes down. the greater the slope the narrowoer the frequency. And LEDs are pretty good at doing this. Now one thing i have learned about physics and the numerous other topic i have taught is quite often there is a large difference between theory and reality. I hope this helps to explain the wavelengths of the light spectrums a little bit better. And yes this is the micro short version.

Included below i am going to reply with
1) ilford data sheet with the frequency spectrum of conventioal film and their ilford SFX film
2) Also a diagram of colors with their frequencies
3) An image with Kodak HIE film.
4) a link to Superbright LED string light with a light frequency at 630nm

[paulharding]

Hi could you do a chat about how you made your dark room pleas thanks .

[stefflus]

Ooh, this merits a screenshot.
With the Pentacon. On some HP5+.

Incidentally you can also use the patterson grain finder as a diy reusable tissue paper core.

[nilzthorbo]

I use the red LED of my Petzl Tikka Headlight nothing else ... Thats for me the best and easiest way

[rafaelthetall]

printing idea: i've been seeing guys using X-ray films in large format cameras.

what if you enlarge a negative (i imagine a low key, high contrast picture) unto a x-ray film and frame it on some sort of light box?

might give a quite interesting effect, ins't it?

[slhibbs]

hahahaha some of these comments do make you think...Keep them coming thanks

[IainHC]

I see where you are going with this. It's like flashing your paper. You've kick started the exposure curve by flashing the paper with a 3 sec exposure making the paper more sensitive to light by already removing the 'cold start (or ramp up)' of the chemicals in the paper. Thats why the coin test isn't that reliable from scratch.