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alexmuir
29th January 2010, 06:35 PM
Hi. I have recently bought one of these secondhand for my darkroom. Does anyone have experience of using one? I need to know ;
Do I use the red or white filter for Ilford Multigrade B and W paper?
Whatis the second slider switch on the unit for? I can see that the other one controls brightness and assume I adjust it to suit the darkroom space. Thanks in advance for any advice, Alex

Argentum
29th January 2010, 06:48 PM
Use the red filter. Can't remember what the second slider is for but you will be able to see when you take the filter off.

alexmuir
29th January 2010, 06:57 PM
Thanks for advice. I am going to put red one on now.

Bob
29th January 2010, 07:00 PM
I'll vote for not using the red filter. I never did with mine - the amber is much more pleasant to work under and will not fog MGIV or most other papers. Having said that, as always, do a proper safelight test.

Can't remember what the second slider is for now either... Is it a limit-stop for the main slider?

Argentum
29th January 2010, 07:10 PM
can't remember which paper I tested it with but I found I got longer safe times with red filter.

Bob
29th January 2010, 07:51 PM
Yeah, you will get longer times with red as amber (~590nm) is getting close to the paper's sensitivity, but the amber gave me 15+ mins (I stopped testing at 15m) as it is very narrow-bandwidth - not on full brightness but bright enough to read my notes. I find deep red very hard on the eyes compared to amber.

I use amber and orange LEDs now for b&w as replacing that Duka tube when it dies costs well over 100 beer tokens!

I only use the Duka for the occasional colour RA4 work now but even then I keep it covered with a piece of black card until I need to move the print from the developer to the stop in my Nova slotty thing.

Argentum
29th January 2010, 08:24 PM
Well I got one of the durst LED ones. Not because the Duka isn't good but because I feared not being able to get replacement bulbs for the Duka. So its more of backup which has taken over cos its easier to use and doesn't have warm up time.

Dave miller
29th January 2010, 09:40 PM
Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, (they usually do) but I beleive that two models were produced. One with a fluorescent light, which needs external clip-on filters, and a second more expensive model fitted with a sodium lamp that does not. The sodium model is not safe until it has warmed up for about 5 minutes whereas the fluorescent one can be used straight away.
The second lever set a limit for maximum brightness, the first dimming the light by progressively introducing a mechanical shroud around the lamp.

Argentum
29th January 2010, 10:08 PM
there's a cheaper model Duka 10 or 30 I think. It doesn't have sodium lamp.
The duka 50 has white/straw cover for colour work and a red cover for B+W. The red cover combined with sodium lamp gives very long safe times but is not very bright. Using the white cover makes it much brighter.

Jon Butler
29th January 2010, 11:00 PM
I've got one, lad it years for colour printing and still use it occasionally. I don't use it for B&W, it's quite dim with red filter and as Dave said it's warm up time is a problem and no good to connect with the enlarger timer switching.

The last time I inquired about a spare bulb I think I was quoted £125+ for one, so I save it for the little bit colour I do.
JON.

Mike O'Pray
30th January 2010, 12:01 AM
Hi I have a DUKA 10 and it does have a sodium light. I found that the white shroud which looks amber when the light is on as it is sodium was OK for B&W but and it is a big but I wouldn't use it for B&W printing. If the bulb goes the DUKA is an expensive door stop! New bulbs even if available cost a fortune. It would be cheaper to find another secondhand model on e-bay but the safer way is to use an ordinary B&W safelight and save your DUKA for colour only

As Bob has said do not switch it off as you might an ordinary safelight. It is only safe when warmed up and this takes several minutes so you build in a delay each time you switch off.

Mike

Argentum
30th January 2010, 07:23 AM
that's curious. There seems to be no difference between the 10 and 50 then, unless its the dimmer or ability to angle the head. As I recall they looked pretty similar from the outside.

Peter S
30th January 2010, 10:38 AM
According to my Kaiser catalogue the Duka 5 has a flourescent light and the 50 has a sodium spectral lamp,what ever that means.
Peter

Dave miller
30th January 2010, 10:59 AM
According to my Kaiser catalogue the Duka 5 has a flourescent light and the 50 has a sodium spectral lamp,what ever that means.
Peter

There you are. :) Knew I had read it somewhere.

The fluorescent requires the clip on filters, and was intended for B&W work. The sodium has a colour paper safe spectrum that also happens to be OK for most B&W papers. May be the 10 was an earlier version of the 50.

Mike O'Pray
30th January 2010, 07:43 PM
The 10 is the earlier version. When I see a DUKA 50 on e-bay I am blessed if I can spot any differences from the photo. Whatever it is or they are then it isn't obvious.

Mike