68degrees
Well-known
My enlarger plugs into a timer and the timer into the wall. The safelight also plugs into the timer. When the enlarger goes on the safelight goes out. If I put a red bulb in the light socket instead of having a safelight hooked up to the timer, will I have to turn the safelight off during exposure? thanks.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Safelights are designed to stay on during paper handling and exposure because the paper is sensitized for a narrower band of the visible spectrum. Also make sure it's not just any red bulb, but a Wratten OC 15 watt.
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
jmcd
Well-known
You do not have to turn off the safelight during exposure. Test to make sure that your safelights do not fog your paper.
68degrees
Well-known
Why does the timer have the safelight plug into it? So are you saying that I do not need to use the timer on the safelight?
ayazdani
Member
68degrees
Well-known
my timer has one plug labeled enlarger and one plug labled safe light.
ray*j*gun
Veteran
I have worked in dark rooms for many years and a proper safelight is designed to remain on during work. Also, do not mix red and amber safe lights at the same time, that can result in fogging.
John Bragg
Well-known
Is it a colour enlarger ? Colour paper has to be exposed in total darkness.
68degrees
Well-known
no just black and white. SO maybe the timer has the two plugs in case yo are doing color work. That would make sense. Thank you for mentioning that.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
ayazdani
Member
Gotcha. There are certain papers that are more sensitive to light, ex. high silver content papers (i believe). Ilford papers are fine for constant amber light.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Sorry, but you believe wrongly. It's mostly a question of grain size, and this often relates to image tone. Two papers may have identical coating weights, but if they are warmtone and coldtone, they will vary in speed (warmtone = smaller grain = slower).
To answer the OP, no, don't worry about it. Safe is safe. And, of course, unsafe is unsafe. Do you know how to do a safelight test?
Cheers,
R.
KenD
Film Shooter
And put in the easel and into the tube in total darkness as well. So, no safelight at all for color paper.
Long B&W exposure times (lots of dodge and burn, big enlargements) could get highlight veiling from safelight during exposure.
KenD
68degrees
Well-known
The only test I know is the one they taught us in highschool where you take the coin and put it on the paper, turn on the safelight for a while and then develop the paper and see if there is any difference around where the coin was. I saw a test on kodak site but I didnt read it yet. It seemed very technical from the 1 or 2 seconds I glanced at it before I clicked off. Ive been meaning to go back to it. Do you have a condensed version?
Vics
Veteran
Mine also has a plug for the safelight.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
No, sorry, only a longer version. (1) pre-flash the paper ( http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps real pre-flash.html ) and (2) be aware that red light (or at least IR light) can actually decrease density -- though the latter is pretty arcane and has only once in Ilford's experience, let alone mine, mattered.
Cheers,
R.
MartinP
Veteran
It can be convenient to have the safelight off during long exposures (for example, with relatively low-wattage incandescent bulbs and/or large magnification) and for complicated burning-in, but most metering systems also suggest turning off the safelight when making a measurement (ie. when the exposure lamp is on). A combination of these two reasons explains the safelight being wired through the timer.
Dwig
Well-known
+1, also it is much easier to focus when the safelight is off.
The primary reasons some timers have this feature are the focusing improvement and the fact that the safelight will conflict with most B&W and all color metering systems.
Most of my darkroom setups used two safelights. This was primarily so that I was never working in my shadow as cast by a single safelight. There was always a second safelight positioned elsewhere to fill in the shadow. One would be near the enlarger and one near the developing tray. The one near the enlarger was always rigged so that it could easily be turned off. In my case it was plugged into my meter rather than the timer.
68degrees
Well-known
what do you guys mean by "meter" as in 'plugged into my meter'. You differentiate between meter and timer so I dont understand what you mean by metering. We did test strips in highschool to determine the expsoure. Is there a better way? some kind of metering device like for film?
Roger Hicks
Veteran
"Some kind of metering device like for film?" -- Yes.
"Is there a better way?" -- No. Stick with test strips.
Cheers,
R.