If one uses rubylith for dodging and burning -- easy, repeatable, and
accurate -- then the light source used doesn't matter. The idea of dodging
and burning with one's hands, whether wearing sun glasses or not, seems a bit
neandrathal, if not, at the least, dangerous and difficult.
My printer for Pt/Pd is a homemade box hinged to a 20x24 vacuum easel which
has sixteen 40watt uncoated BL tubes, specifically the Philips TLK 40W/03.
The ballasts were cannibalized from 4 foot shop fixtures which I bought for a
song at a discount lumber place. It is hooked up to a Metrolux timer (like an
integrator and usable for ALL light sources, incl cold light, condenser,etc)
which is accurate to less than 1/10 of a percent.. I buy the bulbs from
Universal Light Source is San Francisco; the owner Doug Ascher and his son,
Bryan, know me well and have helped me and many of my Pt/Pd students build
all different size units with 15w, 20w and 40w bulbs. Their number is
415-864-2880.
I built my unit for around $500. Exposure times average around 4-9 minutes.
I've had it for 5 years or so and its made zillions of prints. Only a couple
od days ago did the first problem arise: a ballast seems to be going on the
fritz (it could be the pins are loose) which is an easily fixed problem.
Frankly, I'd suggest a person build a box with UV tubes: cheaper, cooler,
safer.
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