Safelight for B&W contact printing

[dwill]

I just built a darkroom 11x12 and am looking for safelight options for B&W contact printing. I see that many use the Thomas Duplex super safelight, is it necessary to have such a big metal box hanging from the ceiling? Can a red light bulb in the light socket work or one of those Kodak safelamp model A's that you just screw into the socket but has a filter around the bulb work? Or what about those little vintage safelight lamps that you just plug in the wall? I am just wondering if I am missing something as I am why one would put up the heavy and bulky Thomas Duplex Super Safelight when you can just plug in something.
Thanks
Dan

[Leigh]

Hi Dan,

I use a Thomas Duplex in my 10x12 darkroom, and would never consider anything else.

After all, the purpose of a safelight is to enable you to see what you're doing.
The Thomas is bright enough to read labels on bottles anywhere in the room.

- Leigh

[Tin Can]

I use and many others do too.

Only this particular RED LED as bare bulb, actually I put them in Ye Olde Kodak Bullet fixture without a filter. Looks authentic...

And the rule is everybody must test their own safe lights. So you trust your setup.

I do not recommend any other LED.

[jk0592]

I use Thomas Duplex in 8x10 darkroom. I put it high enough so that it's large mass up there is not a bother.

[Bruce Barlow]

I got a string of red Christmas tree lights and hung them around the perimeter of the darkroom. They're plugged into a circuit controlled by a switch with a dimmer, so I can test them to make sure they don't fog, and if they do, turn down the dimmer. It's very festive.

[John Kasaian]

I got a string of red Christmas tree lights and hung them around the perimeter of the darkroom. They're plugged into a circuit controlled by a switch with a dimmer, so I can test them to make sure they don't fog, and if they do, turn down the dimmer. It's very festive.

That's what I have---a short string of leds bought on sale at season's end to replace my GE Guide lamps, which haven't been sold here in decades. The Christmas lights are much brighter, and as you said, festive!

[Ted R]

Multigrade papers are sensitive to blue and green light. Long ago the amber filter was introduced as an improvement over the red safelight for use with graded and multigrade papers, this has the advantage that it is much easier on the eye, whereas working by red light always feels weird (to me at least) whereas working in amber light is more comfortable. Try to find an amber safelight, they were made by Kodak and Ilford and are not expensive, the Kodak safelight filter code for enlarging papers is OC, the Ilford codes are SL1 and 902, look on ebay, used ones are affordable. The Thomas safelight is overkill, it is a multipurpose beast for professional darkrooms doing color work.

[Leigh]

The Thomas safelight is overkill, it is a multipurpose beast for professional darkrooms doing color work.

You're certainly welcome to your opinion.

I strongly disagree, as do many other users of the Thomas Duplex Safelight.

They're not terribly expensive.
They provide absolutely superb lighting of the entire room.
You can read graduates and bottle labels in every corner of a darkroom.

- Leigh

[Alan9940]

Been running a Thomas Duplex in all my darkrooms since 1978; only thing I've ever done to it is replace the gel filters when the originals finally dried out. IMO, absolutely the best safelight for any darkroom. And, how can you argue with nearly 40 years of service?

[Tin Can]

Well the Thomas Duplex bulb is $120 at Freestyle, but where do we get new filters?

For that matter, how many of them are still alive?

All my Kodak bullet OC filters have big pinholes in them. In the past others taped over the holes. I just store them somewhere...hidden holes.

What causes those holes?

I run 6 of the red LED's I linked to, day and night, except when I sleep. The red does cheer up the room when the 'white' led's are on and I keep my red leds at least 4 feet away from any sensitive material.

If I had a Thomas Duplex I would use it, but I haven't found one anywhere. And now I don't need one, or do I...