Can a cheap red night light be used as a darkroom safelight?
Asked 4/20/2017
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I don’t have a proper darkroom safelight and currently work in complete darkness. Can a cheap red night light, such as a dollar-store lamp, be used safely with black-and-white photographic paper? I know the exact spectrum may be unknown, so I’m looking for practical guidance and how to test whether it will fog paper.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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It's likely to fog your paper. You need a specially designed red or amber filter or bulb. But... there's an easy test. Place a large coin on a sheet of unexposed photo paper. Expose the paper to your safelight for, say, twice the amount of time you expect the paper to be typically exposed to the safelight. The safelight should be in its intended location. Develop and fix the paper normally. If you see any outline of the coin, then your paper is being fogged by the safelight.
Originally by user59637. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user59637
9y ago
0
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Maybe, but you should assume a cheap night light may fog black-and-white paper until you test it. A proper safelight is the safest choice.
Colored LEDs are often better than ordinary colored bulbs because their output can be narrower, but some still emit unwanted blue light that can fog paper. Red is generally safer than amber when improvised, and adding red filter material may help if the lamp runs cool.
Do a safelight test before trusting it:
- Put the light where you will actually use it, as far away as practical.
- Place a coin or key on unexposed photo paper.
- Leave the paper under the safelight for about twice your normal working time (or around 5 minutes).
- Develop and fix the paper normally.
- If you can see the outline of the object, the light is fogging the paper.
Also keep paper exposure to any safelight as short as possible. As a quick check, if the lamp still lets you clearly see green/blue areas, it may be emitting wavelengths your paper can detect. In short: it can work, but only if it passes a proper fog test.
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