Color Darkroom Glowing clocks. Do they fog paper and film?

[Tayne]

Hello everyone. I am Tayne and new to the forum. I had my own darkroom as a teenager and decided @ 50 I want to get back into it. I just bought a 4x5 camera and 4x5 color enlarger. I know a color darkroon doesn't allow any light to speak of. What about glowing timers and other glowing stuff. Will they fog color paper or film? Also are there any way to print slides to paper any more? My research showed all the papers like Cibachrome or Fuji Chorme are all gone.

Thanks,
Tayne

[Drew Wiley]

Most papers, esp Ciba, are relatively slow, so less at risk for fog than films. And yes, those luminous hands will absolutely, positively fog things like sheet film if in
close proximity. I learned that the hard way. My timers - whether old-time or digital are strictly used either underneath the sink, on a shelf, or way up behind a ledge where the film simply cannot "see" it from its own tray positions in the sink. I put little dots (using a hole punch) of glow tape on certain light switches, not on others, depending. When in doubt, test, just like with safelights.

[Drew Wiley]

2nd half of your question: Ciba is largely gone, as are R-print materials. No easy solution. Making quality internegs and printing onto RA4 paper is a possibility, but I
just haven't had enough opportunity myself to fine tune it to a high-quality level. Portra 160 should make a decent interneg film, but to get results you need to learn
masking, and then adapt it to new circumstances. Good luck. I don't know if anyone is really taking that path at the moment. A few people are experimenting with
reversal processing of RA4 papers - but again, it's going to be awhile before anything like this really becomes practical. So that basically leaves only digital printing
options via scanning or switching over to shooting color neg film, which is what I've done.

[Tayne]

Most papers, esp Ciba, are relatively slow, so less at risk for fog than films. And yes, those luminous hands will absolutely, positively fog things like sheet film if in
close proximity. I learned that the hard way. My timers - whether old-time or digital are strictly used either underneath the sink, on a shelf, or way up behind a ledge where the film simply cannot "see" it from its own tray positions in the sink. I put little dots (using a hole punch) of glow tape on certain light switches, not on others, depending. When in doubt, test, just like with safelights.


2nd half of your question: Ciba is largely gone, as are R-print materials. No easy solution. Making quality internegs and printing onto RA4 paper is a possibility, but I
just haven't had enough opportunity myself to fine tune it to a high-quality level. Portra 160 should make a decent interneg film, but to get results you need to learn
masking, and then adapt it to new circumstances. Good luck. I don't know if anyone is really taking that path at the moment. A few people are experimenting with
reversal processing of RA4 papers - but again, it's going to be awhile before anything like this really becomes practical. So that basically leaves only digital printing
options via scanning or switching over to shooting color neg film, which is what I've done.

Thanks for the input! I will be sure to keep the glowing lights covered when loading film. I love Fujichrome's colors for landscapes, but doesn't seem pratical unless It drumscan or try flatbed scan.
Thanks.

[ROL]

Hello everyone. I am Tayne and new to the forum. I had my own darkroom as a teenager and decided @ 50 I want to get back into it.

...@ 50 you might relatively still be a "teenager" here.:D

[Jim Noel]

My current darkroom was built in 1989. I have three timers with glowing hands al in easy sight. Additionally I have glowing tape on light switches,etc.
I have never had film fogged by these. I know better than to put film within a foot or so and that may be the reason. When I first built the room I laid sheets of HP5 in all locations where it might happen to be used, enlarger base, sink, shelf over storage cabinet, and left them for 30 minutes. No fog resulted.

[Drew Wiley]

Just depends. Color paper is relatively slow. But with long-scale film, even relatively slow ones like TMax100 I've had totally ruinous fog in the shadows from those luminous hands even six feet away, as well as from red LED's on digital timers. Take your chances. ... Getting careless like that would be suicide trying to make color
separation negs in trays, like I've learned to do for dye transfer printing. HP5 has a long toe to it, so will seemingly be more forgiving, but something is still going on.

[BetterSense]

And yes, those luminous hands will absolutely, positively fog things like sheet film if in close proximity.

This does not match my experience. I have loaded sheet film, and rolled bulk 35mm film within 2-3 feet of my Gralab timers, and never noticed any fogging.

I used to develop under IR inspection, and I found a sheet of film where I forgot to pull the darkslide, so the sheet was blank. After about halfway through the developer, when I was sure that it wasn't just underexposed, I stuck it directly to my Gra-Lab timer for what I would call about 3 seconds, thinking it would be cool to contact-print the numbers. Absolutely no density was developed on the film. I have heard that film is less sensitive to light when it's been partially developed, so maybe that explains my experience.

[Drew Wiley]

If you like gambling... I don't.

[neil poulsen]

I cover my Gralab before loading or developing film.

[AtlantaTerry]

I don't take any chances.

I don't have anything glowing when I'm loading my sheet film holders.

When developing, my Gralab timer is facing away from the film. I can see it but the film can't.

As for red LED's on digital timers, they are light sources and not radiating stored energy as does glow tape. I would never trust a glowing LED in my darkroom.

[ataim]

I have quite a bit of glowing things in my darkroom. Switches, the edge of my enlarger table (I've wacked it with my leg too many times) However from the cabinet or sink working surface there are no glowing things in direct line with the film. The only thing that is my enlarger timer, and I cover it when loading film. Why take the chance?

[John Olsen]

I cover my Gralab before loading or developing film.

Same here. I have damaged 400ISO sheet film by loading in front of my timer. Now I drape a towel over the timer when loading film about 4' away. I also block direct light from hitting the film developing trays when doing sheet film below the timer. Other than those few precautions though, I have lots of glowing tape pieces around the room so that I can find things without bumbling around.

[Tayne]

I like to play it safe :)