film developing - red light? (Jul/26/2006 )

Hi

in the dark room where I develop the films (western blot results), there is a bulb covered with red plastic but is very hard to see so I would prefere to by a proper red light bulb.

Can I buy any red bulb, is the intensity important?

Thanks

---

you have to get the wavelengths right, check with a kodak retailer or on the web for the proper filters/bulbs to use.

---

The red plastic is made by Kodak to filter out the light that damage the film.
You can install an extra red light box in the dark room!!

---

you should not install a second light. the filters are for use with a specific wattage bulb to give just enough illumination without fogging the film. any more and you may ruin your film.

the film insert will tell you which safelight filter and wattage bulb and minimum distance to the film you can use.

---

Thanks for your ideas.
Actually instaling a nother red light box, would be ideal to increase a litle the visibility.
But this dark room is not in my lab, and they are not wiling to install anything else. But in case I could just get a red bulb, as they already have there several lamps not in use...

I barely can see and the problem is when I have my membrane cut in more than one piece (labeled with different antibodies, because once in the dark room, I cannot see enough to put the membranes exactly side by side. One piece will always be a litle bit higher than the other, and then is a problem to determine size.

Well, but I will definitely look into kodak website to check wavelenght etc...

---

you can also go to a photographer shop. It's where we used to go when I was in France. It was less expensive.
To be sure that the intensity is not to high, or that the lamp is not too close, you can put a coin on a film, wait several minutes under the light, reveal the film and check that you don't see the shadow of the coin.

---

Hi, I would recommend not buying any old red light, especially for westerns where you need maximum sensitivity.

When I set up my membranes I do it in usual white light, by setting the membranes on a piece of saran wrap, they can be adjusted side by side then, then add the substrate solution on top of the membranes, let sit one minute, blot off excess substrate, fold over the saran wrap and tape it into the cassette, THEN turn off the light and put the film in the cassette.

The room I used to do it in had no light at all, but if you put everything you need in the same place every time, it was still ok

---