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Thread: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

  1. #21

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Arizona
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    320

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Fantastic response guys. Thank you. Don't you all have anything else to do?
    I would have never thought of closing my eyes, on my own.
    Seriously, you all have been a great help to me, directly and indirectly.
    Tim K

  2. #22
    Cooke, Heliar, Petzval...yeah
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    700

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Just load those males into females and you'll see what you end up with.
    Peter Hruby
    www.peterhruby.ca

  3. #23

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Nevada
    Posts
    90

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    I am not going to say it does not matter, but I will say that in my experience a bit of light under a door has not made any difference. By little light, I mean little, not anything that you would see without totally dark adjusted eyes.

    I just think about how LOOONG of an exposure I need to give with even EV2 or 3 metering, and the light I think we are talking about would never even register on anyones meter, I imagine. I just do not fret over so little light and any (if any) effect from the 5 seconds it takes to get film from the black film bag into the holder.

    Ideally, yes, totally dark so you can't see your hand. Practically speaking I have never seen any ill effect from light you can only sense with dark adjusted eyes.

  4. #24
    tim810
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Nyack NY
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    202

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    I work in a really nice dark room at a local community college. The room is pitch black (tested with a roll of ilford 3200 that was exposed for 2 hours in the room than developed, it was clean). I did this test to ensure my 8x10 and 12x20 film would not get damaged (as a student I have little money to waste). At about .04 per square inch can't afford to loose any. The dark room has two doors that both lock and I have one of two keys.
    This seems like a perfect scenario, but... The other day I had just finished developing 4 12x20 sheets of film and 16 sheets of 8x10 film, all in the fixer. I had switched to re-loading my holders. I finished my 8x10 holders than moved on to my 12x20. As I opened my box of Berger BPF 200 with 20 sheets still in it the custodian opened the first door (even with a huge note on the door saying "Do not come in, Light sensitive materials in use"). Well This is why I have two locks. I hollered and said to not come in. She said that I did not have the "light" in the hall on to notify my being in the dark room. I told her that If the light is on than the dark light is on and what I am doing "can not" include "any" light. The custodian doesn't seem to listen to me and "informs me" of the switch on the wall in-between the two doors that turns this light on; as she does this she flips the switch and all the auburn lights turn on, a total of 9 lights in a 12x12 room. Most of my film was ruined!!! How do you take the human element out of the situation.
    Due to this I think a Harrison Tent is necessary.

    Please excuse my rant. I just needed to vent this obsurd situation.

    Cheers

  5. #25

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Chicago & the Calumet Crescent
    Posts
    187

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Just blow the, what $20-25?, on a changing bag. That said, I made the noob mistake and forgot to zip both layers shut. The bag was partially folded at the time. I was loading 6 5x7 carriers at the time with Tri-X. It was fine. Not ever a trace of fog.

  6. #26

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Mobile, AL
    Posts
    552

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Quote Originally Posted by tim810 View Post
    The custodian doesn't seem to listen to me and "informs me" of the switch on the wall in-between the two doors that turns this light on; as she does this she flips the switch and all the auburn lights turn on, a total of 9 lights in a 12x12 room. Most of my film was ruined!!! How do you take the human element out of the situation.
    Due to this I think a Harrison Tent is necessary.

    Please excuse my rant. I just needed to vent this obsurd situation.

    Cheers
    Next time some duct tape or gaffers tape on the light switch might slow her down enough so you can get the box close.

  7. #27

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Tucson, Az.
    Posts
    45

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Quote Originally Posted by tim810 View Post
    I work in a really nice dark room at a local community college. The room is pitch black (tested with a roll of ilford 3200 that was exposed for 2 hours in the room than developed, it was clean). I did this test to ensure my 8x10 and 12x20 film would not get damaged (as a student I have little money to waste). At about .04 per square inch can't afford to loose any. The dark room has two doors that both lock and I have one of two keys.
    This seems like a perfect scenario, but... The other day I had just finished developing 4 12x20 sheets of film and 16 sheets of 8x10 film, all in the fixer. I had switched to re-loading my holders. I finished my 8x10 holders than moved on to my 12x20. As I opened my box of Berger BPF 200 with 20 sheets still in it the custodian opened the first door (even with a huge note on the door saying "Do not come in, Light sensitive materials in use"). Well This is why I have two locks. I hollered and said to not come in. She said that I did not have the "light" in the hall on to notify my being in the dark room. I told her that If the light is on than the dark light is on and what I am doing "can not" include "any" light. The custodian doesn't seem to listen to me and "informs me" of the switch on the wall in-between the two doors that turns this light on; as she does this she flips the switch and all the auburn lights turn on, a total of 9 lights in a 12x12 room. Most of my film was ruined!!! How do you take the human element out of the situation.
    Due to this I think a Harrison Tent is necessary.

    Please excuse my rant. I just needed to vent this obsurd situation.

    Cheers
    Talk to the darkroom tech, and the department head. The school should replace you film!

    This kind of thing happend once six years ago at the institution I attended, The University of Arizona, and the janitors were promptly banned from the darkroom.

  8. #28

    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Windsor, UK
    Posts
    128

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    I think that closing your eyes prevents your eyes to get accustomed to the dark and 'see' light leaks. Also I find that having my eyes open helps with my 'localization' sense; I can reach stuff without fumbling etc.

    Try it !

    You might also see some of these ellusive 'chemical flash'. I had that a handful of times when opening a film envelope : you pull it open and suddenly see a rather brigtht flash, it's one of physics 'explained but not very convincingly' problems... it's called 'triboluminescence'.

  9. #29

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    Quote Originally Posted by buze View Post
    You might also see some of these ellusive 'chemical flash'. I had that a handful of times when opening a film envelope : you pull it open and suddenly see a rather brigtht flash, it's one of physics 'explained but not very convincingly' problems... it's called 'triboluminescence'.
    I get that sometimes when I'm peeling the tape off roll film. You know that bit of masking-like tape that holds the film to the reel. Worst possible situation where there isn't much you can do, since the roll itself IS the light source. Peeling more slowly helps. Nevertheless, the developed film doesn't seem to show any ill-effects. Now I have a name for it: 'triboluminescence', eh? I used to call it that-blue-light-I-get-when-I'm-peeling-the-tape-off-the-film-roll. Hmmm... come to think of it, it's still easier to pronounce than 'triboluminescence'. Maybe I'll stick with my original name.
    Nick Kanellos

  10. #30

    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Pacifica, CA
    Posts
    22

    Re: Loading film; how dark is dark enough?

    I may find out the answer to this question soon. Last night I unloaded exposed color sheets (Fuji 160S) into a film box in my changing bag. The problem was that I had zipped the first zipper and thought that I had zipped the second, but really unzipped the first instead. I did this with the lights off in a room, but there was definitely some light emanating from clock radios, windows, etc. Hopefully not much light entered the bag, but I guess I will find out.

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