Fixing up an old Thomas Deluxe Safelight

I have an old Thomas Deluxe Safelight that I would like to get working but I am not sure what is missing. I will be using it for Black and White work.

There are two filters in the flaps. They are very dark and have black tape on the edges.

There are no filters in the openings over the lamp.

It looks as if there is supposed to be a reflector under the lamp but it none is there.

Could you help guide me as to what I need to buy. Is there some way I can get a hold of the manufacturer to get a diagram/ specification for this unit?

Thanks... Barry saylorsnorth@home.com

-- Barry E. Saylor (saylorsnorth@home.com), September 08, 2001

Answers

Last time I dealt with them, it was Thomas Instrument Co., Inc., 1313 Belleview Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22901 804/977-8150.

There are two sets of filters: one set for the vanes (either Red or Black), and one set for the housing (either yellow or green).

The B&W printing filters have a yellow edge, whereas the color printing filters have a black edge. Good luck.

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), September 08, 2001.

Barry, The safelight is still manufactured. For a small darkroom, you will definitely need the top safelight panels. The bulb is expensive but for as long as I have been using them, I have never had to replace it (about 15 years!!!) Cheers

-- Scott Walton (f64sw@hotmail.com), September 10, 2001.

I just reburbished a Thomas Safelight, so here is some of the things I did.

I bought two black & white filters, which I believe will be the ones with the yellow tape on the edges. I bought them used from Midwest Camera Exchange for $14, but you can get new ones from B&H or Adorama for about $36. You may need to use some heat-resistant black tape (like gaffer tape, available at most good photo stores) to make sure that there are no light leaks from around the filters that are attached to the body. I then used the old filters in the "wings," but I have seen people use cardboard or other materials in order to control the brightness.

The bulb is expensive, I think around $79. You can occassionally find one on eBay, but they generally sell for about $50+.

There should be a reflector at the bottom of the housing, under the bulb. If I had to replace this, I would probably try some aluminum flashing available at a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes. Cutting it and attaching it will be a bit of a challenge, but if you are undertaking this project I am assuming you are at least somewhat resourceful.

After doing all of this, especially if you have to buy a bulb, you may be into the project for over $100. So maybe you would want buy one on eBay, and sell your old housing on eBay for parts. Only downside is that you probably won't know how much time the bulb has on it, but they last a really long time.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), September 12, 2001.