From: Ed Stander (glassact@compuserve.com)
Date: 10/27/01-04:10:47 PM Z
Sandy:
As I understand it, BLB bulbs are simply BL bulbs with a secondary
coating that blocks visible light. Should this be true (and it can be
checked by contacting Phillips), the BLB bulbs should not be inherently
faster unless the visible light portion of the spectrum inhibits printing.
Something to think about.
Further, I have a spectrum on the super actinics. They give a very
strong peak at 410 nm which trails off within 35 nm in both directions. No
secondary peaks. Power means nothing if the light emitted is not within the
active range of the emulsion. Thus, comparing fluorescent bulbs with metal
halides means little unless you have the spectral response of each.
One thing you might wish to do... take your bulbs over to the chemistry
department. They should have a UV spectrophotometer. If you block the
normal spectrum tube in these machines, and feed in your light, you should
be able to generate an accurate spectrum for the bulbs you are using. This
will help standardise the experiment, and perhaps provide some info on what
peaks are important for each process. Cheers, Ed Stander
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