What safelight color to use with Arista paper?

Hello everyone,

 

Getting into darkroom printing, and I am wondering what safelight color I should be using with some Arista.Edu paper? (Its the cheapest stuff, want to use it so I dont feel bad if I mess up!). Its FB, VC.

 

I am getting a kit full of printing stuff with an enlarger, etc, and it comes with kodak brownie safelights, yellow and green, which I have read not to use, but some say its safe? Should I buy a generic red safelight bulb? New to this, so sorry if this is a dumb question! I dont think the site says which to use...

The paper instruction sheet should tell you the specific light that will work best, but with any VC papers that I have worked with the orange/yellow OC filter is usually fine. Red is generally intended for orthochromatic materials like graphic arts film, not VC paper. Also, in my experience safelight bulbs that are just coated rather than mounted in a housing with a filter don't always work that well and can cause fogged highlights in your prints. The Kodak Brownie safelights aren't the brightest ones ever made, but I did use them for many years in my first darkroom. One suggestion: if you can, paint the walls and ceiling white except near your enlarger to increase brightness. The green filter is intended for developing film "by inspection", which means that you can open your tank mid way through the process and try to look at it for a few seconds to see how it is doing. Unless you have been sitting in total darkness for 20 minutes or more, you probably won't see much, let alone be able to evaluate the density of your film. Time/temperature charts are much more useful for film developing.

Good luck with your new darkroom!

Thank you! I don't have the paper on hand so cannot check :(, but I'd like to order it with the paper if I do need a different color. The light will be about 8 feet above the work area...

 

Are you suggesting I use a coated light and then the Kodak filter? Or will it not matter at that distance and dimness?

oc orange or red

Are these the bullet-shaped Brownie safelights, bell-shaped metal ones with a bulb inside and a round filter on the open end? The yellow one is probably OK, the green one will be too dim for paper developing. You can probably find replacement round filters on eBay, so you could switch the green for yellow, orange or red.

You'll probably want more than the one yellow light anyway, so I'd go ahead and buy another one. Again, darkroom stuff is available on eBay, but some items are vastly overpriced. You can get a new big bulb light at Adorama or B&H for about $25.

The only way to know for sure about any safelight is to test. Put the light at the distance you'll probably use it. Put a piece of paper face-up where your enlarger or developer will be. Put a quarter (or anything opaque) on the paper and turn the light on, for, say, 10 minutes. Develop and fix the paper. If you can see even the slightest hint of a white shadow where the quarter was, the light's not safe.

Thank you Scott!

 

These ones look like they are more round than bullet shaped. I only have a blurry photo from the seller. Yellow and green with that black "base".

 

I'll probably just order a real light on eBay, can I probably just use any of those rectangular wall mount units that are amber? Again, sorry if this is a dumb question. Or maybe I'll just test the Kodak one... I don't even have the lot of stuff yet, probably getting it tomorrow.

If your darkroom is more than just a closet you will probably want more than one safelight. Scott's test suggestion is a good one; it will tell you if the light is safe for the paper you're using. Safelights are usually rated for a distance of 4 -5 feet and with the exception of sodium vapor lights they aren't very bright so you will want your safelight as close to where you're working as possible without being close enough to fog paper.

The data sheet for Arista's paper should tell you what safelight filtration to use.

 

If I was setting up a B&W darkroom today, I wouldn't bother with any antiquated filter-based safelight. I'd buy or build a safelight using efficient and near-monochromatic amber or red LEDs, or a selectable mixture of both.

Ok guys, thank you once again for the info. I'll hopefully order paper today and check it out once it's here.

 

Rodeo Joe, any suggestions for some nice cheaper ones for beginners? (LED)

I use Kodak safelights with OC filters

OC seems to work for just about any B&W paper. Better yet if you can bounce it off a light colored wall rather than shine it right at the paper. As for the safelight test, you really need to fog the paper first. Do an exposure with the enlarger or other light source that gives a light grey when the paper is fully developed. Then, do another piece and lay the coin on it after the fogging exposure. Leave it exposed to the safelight for the 10 minutes. Develop. if you can see the outline of the coin against the light grey, the safelight is too strong. Lower the bulb wattage or increase the distance.

VC papers are blue and somewhat green sensitive.

 

I believe the rule is OC but not OA.

 

Red should also work, though isn't as bright.

 

The red Brownie safelight is from orthochromatic film days.

 

The yellow Brownie might be closer to OA, and so not good with VC paper.

"Rodeo Joe, any suggestions for some nice cheaper ones for beginners? (LED)"

 

- I believe Jobo used to make an LED safelight, but the market for darkroom gear is near zero these days. It's a case of keeping an eye on used auctions and suchlike.

 

Personally, I'd buy a sheet of 'Veroboard', populate it with amber and red 5mm hi-brightness LEDs (about 18 of each should be bright enough) and connect it to a cheap 5v switch-mode PSU, such as is supplied with every mobile phone.

 

The only 'tricky' bit would be fitting suitable resistors to limit the current to around 10 milliamps per LED.

 

Each LED will drop around 1.5 volts. So putting 3 LEDs in series with a half-watt resistor of 47 ohms will get somewhere close.

...I believe Jobo used to make an LED safelight, but the market for darkroom gear is near zero these days....

 

Paterson still makes darkroom equipment -

 

http://www.patersonphotographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/paterson-darkroom-brochure.pdf

 

Beseler still makes enlargers and other darkroom equipment -

 

How We Developed | Beseler Photography

 

And B&H Photo still sells darkroom equipment too -

 

Darkroom Equipment: Developing & Processing | B&H Photo

 

If it wasn't selling, they wouldn't make it.

I think you can buy red LED lamps that fit into ordinary light sockets.

 

I don't know the spectrum of them, which would be nice to know before using one.

 

Maybe other shapes, too.

Thank you Scott!

 

....... can I probably just use any of those rectangular wall mount units that are amber? Again, sorry if this is a dumb question. Or maybe I'll just test the Kodak one... I don't even have the lot of stuff yet, probably getting it tomorrow.

 

Yes, those rectangular wall units with amber filter are intended for paper, so they're probably fine. Again, don't just trust anything... do the test before you actually use the light. The actual filter part is replaceable, so you can try different colors.

I think if I were in your position, I'd get two of those round lights from Adorama. That's $50 total, and since they're new they're probably trustworthy. I prefer red over amber, but that's a personal preference.

 

And it's not a dumb question at all.

 

Here's an off-topic suggestion: Black and white darkroom work isn't particular complex or difficult, but there are lots of details where you can go wrong and be stumped if you're trying to learn all by yourself. The easiest way to get an overview of the process is to take a darkroom class at a local art school or junior college, or find someone near you who has a darkroom and would be willing to let you hang out with them for a while. Google photography clubs in your area. Most are all-digital now but you might get lucky.

When you're starting out, everything is new and confusing. It's just way easier to learn from someone who has experience.

 

Although it is out of my sight Arista photo paper is coming from Foma in the Czech Republic. Looking at their photo paper instructions (Foma, Foma Bohemia, Černobílé fotomateriály, Radiodiagnostika, NDT Systémy) you can only use Red or Orange darkroom lights for their multi grade photo papers.

If you are using Red LED lights you are depending on the wavelenght and bandwith of the LED's. Apart from this the minimum distance to any darklight should be at least 0,7-1m.

 

Best regards,

Robert

 

(Dutch Foma distributor since 1998)

I have a Varigam safelight filter, and also VC filters that I inherited from my grandfather.

 

I only knew him to use them with Polycontrast, as he said that they worked the same way.

 

The safelight is close to brown in color, though maybe that is dark yellow.

 

But my darkroom now has three safelights with OC filters (and one with a 13 filter for Panalure).

 

The OC spectrum is: http://wwwru.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/ti0845/ti0845b.gif

 

and OA is: http://wwwru.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/ti0845/ti0845a.gif

 

Looks to me like OC cuts off at 550nm, and OA at 540nm, as close as I can read the graphs.

 

and for those interested 13 is: http://wwwru.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/ti0845/ti0845m.gif

 

Kodak doesn't give sensitivity curves for polycontrast:

 

http://wwwau.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/g21/g21.pdf

 

but presumably 550nm is fine, even though to us that looks pretty far into the green.

 

But other VC papers might be different, going to longer wavelengths such that OC doesn't work.