Will a GRA-LAB 300 fog film?

[Curtis Nelson]

I have a chance to pick up a GraLab 300 timer to use when processing sheet film in trays. I have a pretty small darkroom, and am worried that the glow-in-the-dark dials might fog my film if it gets too near to the clock. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Is it ok to use?

Thanks

[Leigh]

ANY light visible to the human eye is also visible to most film.

I use a Gralab 900 timer for tray processing, and turn the LED display off before starting.

- Leigh

[vinny]

Yup.

[Darin Boville]

How far away is the timer? Once you spend enough time in the dark and your eyes are fully dar-adapted can you see your hands at all? Not just their silhouette against the timer but your actual hands? How long are your sheets out for?

--Darin

[SeanEsopenko]

I taped some scrap paper on my digital enlarger timers screen like a baffle so it can only be viewed from high above so it doesnt fog cokour paper. It was fogging ra4 paper before I did that.

[DanK]

This is one of the best items to purchase 'very well used' for the darkroom...IMO...not nearly as bright as newer ones...

I use the newer ones for drymounting and toning...and old rusty dirty, barely glowing for the darkroom...

Cheers,
Dan

[Doremus Scudder]

If you're using the timer for timing your development, then rig a baffle so that the film-developing tray cannot "see" it, but you can. Turning off the lights for a while before you begin developing allows the phosphors to use up some of their stored energy and get dimmer. Keep the timer as far away from the film as practical, keep it away from reflective surfaces, etc. and you should be fine.

Best,

Doremus Scudder

[BetterSense]

If you are talking about the big glow in the dark dial ones, I have found them very safe. I once took a sheet of unexposed tmax 100--it had been in the developer for several minutes without developing an image; must have forgot the darkslide--and stuck it emulsion-side first against the gralab for at least a couple seconds thinking it would make a contact print of the glowing dial. It literally developed nothing. I don't worry about my gralab timers anymore.

[Jim Michael]

Feel the force of the inverse square law and locate the timer a few feet away from the sensitive material.

[jayabbas]

This is one of the best items to purchase 'very well used' for the darkroom...IMO...not nearly as bright as newer ones...

I use the newer ones for drymounting and toning...and old rusty dirty, barely glowing for the darkroom...

Cheers,
Dan

This I do also as it is a testament to how much time spent in the dark and film has been processed. My rusty timer always gets compliments by those who see it. Darkroom detritus has dulled the glow of the dial and have never had a problem.

[jp]

Feel the force of the inverse square law and locate the timer a few feet away from the sensitive material.

Yep; mine is on the other side of the room (which isn't but 5 feet away from the trays).

Mine doesn't stay glowing bright forever. If I am in safelight or dark conditions, in 10-15 minutes, it's much less visible and is no longer a threat.

If I want to go in with light on, shut off the bright light and load some film holders, with no delay, I throw a dish/hand towel over the gralab as it will be glowing pretty good. That's plenty sufficient.

[Drew Wiley]

All these things will fog film under certain circumstances, even LED ones, even the dimmable ones, even at a reasonable distance. Tray dev of film is esp vunerable. I place my timers UNDER the sink, where I can see them but the film can't!

[bobherbst]

Thank you. This kind of response is the difference between real life experience and reading spectral sensitivity graphs in product specs. I have four large Gralab 300 timers hanging above my sink's backsplash about 2 feet from the trays where film is developed. After over 40 years working in numerous darkrooms and many thousands of 4x5, 8x10, and 12x20 negatives developed in trays, I have never seen fogging from the timers. I too have held unexposed film up to a timer and seen no exposure of the film whatsoever.


If you are talking about the big glow in the dark dial ones, I have found them very safe. I once took a sheet of unexposed tmax 100--it had been in the developer for several minutes without developing an image; must have forgot the darkslide--and stuck it emulsion-side first against the gralab for at least a couple seconds thinking it would make a contact print of the glowing dial. It literally developed nothing. I don't worry about my gralab timers anymore.

[Ken Lee]

"After over 40 years... I have never seen fogging from the timers."

Ditto

"Feel the force of the inverse square law and locate the timer a few feet away from the sensitive material."

Ditto

"I have found them very safe."

Ditto

[Curtis Nelson]

Thanks for all the replies. I found a new one for $40 that I just might grab.

[Kirk Gittings]

FWIW, I have definitely had fogging of tray developed TRI-X some years back from two Graylab timers at opposite ends of my 8 foot sink. This was determined after some testing to figure out where the slight fogging was coming from. To solve this I raised them up further from the sink and blanked out with black tape the hatch marks etc.

[Drew Wiley]

I've had TMax 100 fog (very sensitive in the shadow values); and even in my color
darkroom I placed several sheets of ND filter material over the dimmest setting on the
red LEDs. My old Gralab is only used as an emergency backup. But when you work with
very low contrast masks for color separation work, or anything comparable, an
exposed timer will ruin the film for any critical use. A few extra points of uninteneded fbf means you have to start over. So it just depends. Take your chances.