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Thread: UV Creating Filter? Such a thing?

  1. #1
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    Default UV Creating Filter? Such a thing?

    Is there such thing as a filter I can place in front of a normal white light bulb that converts the light into ultra violet black light?
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  2. #2
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    Lightbulb

    I have no true idea, but isn't that how most blacklights are made; with some coating on the "bulb" with a white light inside?
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  3. #3
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    That's what I thought as well but can't seam to find anything...
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  4. #4
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    This piqued my interest, so I looked up how blacklight is produced. Some blacklights are regular incandescent filaments with special glass jackets.

    Sounds like you are asking if there is a UV Gel. You can get purple gels, but you won't get UV, at least from what I have seen. Even if there is such a thing, it is likely more expensive than buying actual blacklights, at least for your purposes.

    If you want a cheap blacklight, you can pick them up in hardware, lighting, or electrical supply stores. Here in the US we have a store called Home Depot that sells 3 foot flourescents very cheaply. Don't know what you have that is equivalent, but likely if you have such a place near you, you can pick up an incandescent or flourescent bulb there that can go in the appropriate fixture for a few dollars.
    Last edited by LEDpaint; 03-05-2010 at 17:13.

  5. #5
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    I've never seen a good UV filter that actually does what you want from UV. They just project a deep violet colour.

    If you want blacklight, get a blacklight, they're not expensive.
    edit: LEDpaint beat me to it - yes we have those stores, called B&Q, in most towns...
    http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.js...klight&x=0&y=0

    Another couple of quid will buy you the fixture.

    Or just spring the 30 notes for a proper one with reflector
    http://www.thomann.de/gb/dts_uv-strahler.htm

  6. #6
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    A normal "white light bulb" emits very little UV. It is a very inefficient way to get a black light. Fluorescents and mercury vapor lamps are far more efficient since mercury has many UV lines to begin with. Woods glass is used to filter out most of the visible spectrum, leaving UVA and IR - that's what most (all?) black lights use.

    This 13W CFL (about three of these make the same light as a long tube) is only $4 plus shipping.

    Or if you need a ridiculous amount of UVA, This 400W mercury vapor bulb with a second-hand ballast like this one is pretty intense. It's at least $60 though.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by lamborgini8 View Post
    Is there such thing as a filter I can place in front of a normal white light bulb that converts the light into ultra violet black light?
    A filter by definition doesn't convert anything, it filters out (stops) things that you don't want.

    That could be lumps out of a liquid, certain frequencies out of an audio signal or colours of light out of the spectrum.

    As Xytrell said; UV lamps even have special glass envelopes as normal glass filters out UV.

    Don't bother with the incanecent type UV bulbs, they are useless.
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  8. #8
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    you can get a "congo blue gel" rosco 180 i beleve and its close to black like at least it does cause similar effects. also when using moving light i drop magent and can in to %100 and th make a verry nice uv look i have seen dicroics that are the same color mix and i beleve in a mac 500 there is a dicroic on the color wheel that is called "deep blue" and its the same uv look.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shawnb View Post
    you can get a "congo blue gel" rosco 180 i beleve and its close to black like at least it does cause similar effects. also when using moving light i drop magent and can in to %100 and th make a verry nice uv look i have seen dicroics that are the same color mix and i beleve in a mac 500 there is a dicroic on the color wheel that is called "deep blue" and its the same uv look.
    So it follows if I take the UV filter out of my intelligent lights , they will do UV with the appropriate dichroic; but is a 250 watt halogen bulb going to produce significant UV?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by LEDpaint View Post
    So it follows if I take the UV filter out of my intelligent lights , they will do UV with the appropriate dichroic; but is a 250 watt halogen bulb going to produce significant UV?
    In short; no, just a tiny amount.

    If you have a source with lots of UV to begin with then yes.

    The deep blue on my old Roboscans is full of UV, there is a warning plate on them advising a minimum safe distance, but they use full spectrum unprotected MH sources (many metal halides incorporate a UV filtering outer envelope).

    They are clunky old units but even so; the metal halide adds a sparkle to the colours that halogen just can't match.
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    Doc's website

    The Health and Safety Act 1971

    Recklessly interfering with Darwin’s natural selection process, thereby extending the life cycle of dim-witted ignorami; thus perpetuating and magnifying the danger to us all, by enabling them to breed and walk amongst us, our children and loved ones.





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