Many people do have questions about the safety of their darkroom or they convert the bathroom on weekends only to find the tell-tale sign of image fog. Also a section for the folks who open the back of the camera to change a roll in the middle or rescue a broken or damaged roll from their balky 35mm camera.
Ok, you want to change from color to B&W or slides to prints mid-roll. Perhaps you tried to get that 37th or 38th image on your last outing, only to hear the tell-tale sounds of film ripping and now you need to rescue the film. Where to do it? Most homes or offices have two likely candidates, a closet or the bathroom. First turn out the lights in the adjacent rooms or hall. Go inside and place a rolled fluffy towel at the bottom of the door. Turn out the lights. Have a seat and WAIT, up to 10 minutes. Yes, that long, depending on the speed of the film, even small amounts of light will cause damage to the film in the minute or so it might take you to rescue the film. After the 10 minutes look around, see if you can see any light leaking in, from a vent overhead or around the door frame. It should be completely dark. Raise your hand in front of your face, wiggle your fingers, if you can see anything, this room is not for you. You could throw a thick black towel over your hands and the camera, if the room is quite dark, but you can see some light leaking in around the door. That might allow you to perform the rescue. Your really want it dark, as in pitch black. If that is the case, change film or resuce the film and place in a black Kodak film container with a black lid. Make sure the lid snaps tightly closed. If the images on the film are irreplaceable your other alternative is to go to a photo lab and have them rescue the film.
You have a weekend or laundry room darkroom that is not dedicated to film or paper processing and you want to check for safety. Follow the procedures in the above paragraph. and get a new roll of Kodak film in a high speed version (at least 400+). In the dark break open the box. (The leader is not exposed on a new roll, until first opened) Cut off the leader. Place it on the counter, emulsion up with a penny covering a section of film. Wait twice the length of time it takes you to load your typical roll(s) of film on to a reel. Now process that snip of film in complete darkness (in the tank). If after fixing the film you can see any trace of a circular image left by the coin, you have an unsafe darkroom for film developing.
The procedure for checking to see if your printing darkroom is safe is the same except you leave your safe lights on. Place a piece of photo paper under the enlarger and another at the area where you process the sheets. Place a quater on each paper and wait at least 5 minutes. Now process the paper normally. If you find a shadow image of the coin repeat the process with the safe light(s) off. No shadow, your safe light is the wrong type, too close or leaking. If you still have an image or shadow of the coin you have a room leak. Fogged paper can also occur from heat or age, but will have no distinct pattern. A paper safe can also go bad with time or rough handeling.
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Tips & Tricks "Darkroom Safe" last updated: 05/31/98 rl
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RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined! RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined! RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined!
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RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined! RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined! RAY LITMAN PHOTO-GRAPHICS, our only limitation is what can't be imagined!
web design services home pages graphics Internic registration promotion photography graphics IBM PC MAC pc web services prodution models talent restorations images pictures medical legal forensic slide presentations negtives film camera Nikon Pentax Ricoh telephoto shoots flash Canon art studio location sets imagination retouching darkroom developing processing photo design illusion lessons workshops
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web design services home pages graphics Internic registration promotion photography graphics IBM PC MAC pc web services prodution models talent restorations images pictures medical legal forensic slide presentations negatives film camera Nikon Pentax Ricoh telephoto shoots flash Canon art studio location sets imagination retouching darkroom developing processing photo design illusion lessons workshops
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web design services home pages graphics Internic registration promotion photography graphics IBM PC MAC pc web services prodution models talent restorations images pictures medical legal forensic slide presentations negtives film camera Nikon Pentax Ricoh telephoto shoots flash Canon art studio location sets imagination retouching darkroom developing processing photo design illusion lessons workshops
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