# Red Light



## HumanBN (Jan 4, 2010)

Hi, I've never done any dark room work but I have a question that revolves around it.  I am looking to start rolling my own film from bulk rolls.  I am wondering if you folks use a certain type of red light.  See, I have this headlamp that I use when backpacking that has a red LED option.  Do you think that would work in a room that has been sealed off to all other light?


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## compur (Jan 4, 2010)

Safelights are for paper, not for film.


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## Torus34 (Jan 5, 2010)

Modern films, both color and b&w, are sensitive to the full range of visible light.  There is no safe light [use of two words intentional] for film.  If you wish to bulk-load 35mm film, purchase a bulk film loader [I use the Watson(tm) type].  Load the bulk film into the loader in total darkness as per instructions.  From that point on, you can load cassettes at will in ordinary room light.  You'll get about 20-21 20-exposure rolls from 100' of bulk film.  A little bit of math will show your break-even point in terms of how many rolls of film it will take to pay off the loader and cassettes.

Please note that reusable cassettes will usually be discarded by commercial film developers and will not be returned to you.  Therefore, you can keep your costs to a true minimum if you a) shoot b&w and b) process your own film.  You can also easily create contact 'proof' sheets of each roll.  All this can be done without purchasing an enlarger.

There's a series of articles on this site which can 'walk' you through the procedures and detail the equipment you will need for film processing and the making of proof sheets.  Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about them.  I have some small acquaintance with their author and can usually provide answers.


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## terri (Jan 5, 2010)

> There's a series of articles on this site which can 'walk' you through the procedures and detail the equipment you will need for film processing and the making of proof sheets. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about them. I have some small acquaintance with their author and can usually provide answers.


Jim's being modest - the whole series can be found in Articles of Interest, and it starts here. 

Read through the series one installment at a time, or scroll through to find one that zeroes in on your particular interest - either way, you'll get great information! The email links provided in the original series are no longer valid, so PM Torus34 directly, as he has invited, or keep the conversation going here, if you have specific questions.

Enjoy!


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## J.Kendall (Jan 6, 2010)

No light. At all. And you can usually ask places like walgreens or whatever to save your canisters for you. Worked for me.


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## CSR Studio (Jan 6, 2010)

J.Kendall said:


> No light. At all. And you can usually ask places like walgreens or whatever to save your canisters for you. Worked for me.


 
You really shouldn't be using Walgreens for your film developing but if you do sometimes they will throw them away. Best thing to do is to make sure you go back the same day and that way they can go through the canisters for you and you won't have to worry about the trash having been taken out. But don't use Walgreens, Cosco, CVS, Rite-Aid, etc. Use a good pro lab that cares what they are doing with your film.


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## J.Kendall (Jan 7, 2010)

I just used walgreens because I had a few rolls of c-41 that needed to be processed. They were just candid type photos, so it wasn't that big of a deal. And if you just ask there for as many film canisters as they have, there's a good chance they'll hand them to you.


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## Paul Ron (Jan 21, 2010)

Be sure to write on the canister... "SAVE ME" so they know this is the one they have to hold for you. When they are loading their machines, no ever checks, but an odd one will be noticed. 

*Also, they use a can opener to take off the tops that will destroy your reloadable canisters. So more instructions will guarantee you will never get em back. 

Develop your own film.


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