I <3 Thomas Duplex

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

Here's a few photos of the renovation of Thomas Duplex:

1. As I bought it, you can see the filters are wasted.
2. Measure and cut the new gels
3. Soaking the glass before scrape and tape
4. The melted gelatin goo floats right off the glass
5. New filters, with Rosco #19 gel and Rolux diffusion, taped around the edges

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

Last few pics:

1. The small chain or whatever that helps support the bulb was missing so I just used a loop of uncoated picture wire
2. Tools needed for the job
3. Light warming up with gel but no diffusion. At first I thought it might be fine without the diffusion, but that bad boy could give you a suntan! You definitely need diffusion. You could add as much as you want to the inside filters to bring the light way down, and then use one layer on the vanes to do fine tuning with the pull chain.

Hope that helps.

[Sundowner]

Great pictures! Thanks for that!

[nsurit]

So it looks to me like you are using the Rosco #19 on both the top and bottom filters as opposed to a yellow of some sort. Is that corrrect?

[Mark Crabtree]

I "heart" my Thomas Duplex too! I run mine throttled way down in my mid-sized darkroom with low ceilings. I could probably open the vanes more, but it is plenty bright for me now and has been safe with every paper I've tested. At least one of mine came from a color lab and a friend uses his for color, but I haven't tried that yet. Mine is currently way to close to the paper supply on my color printer.

That is a nice renovation guide. I can't remember what I did for my color set, but I made my black and white only set with Kodalith. Cheap on eBay, but no cheaper than your solution. I found vinyl tape the exact width in a set with several appropriate colors at Lowes. Certainly not necessary, but these seem like an exact match to the original tape on mine.

[EdSawyer]

I have a spare one of these I can part with, Helinophoto. Shipping to Norway might be expensive, (I am in US). It's a great light. I just don't need 2 of them.

-Ed

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Hey thanks for the link! I got one free because the university I was working at tossed it. I've been using it for years and the replacement bulbs cost $100. The place you recommend is a 1/3 of that.

[Richard Jepsen]

Our community DR had a Thomas over our sink. While tray developing paper the safelight fell from the ceiling, hit the sink edge, and crashed to the floor. It was a near miss. Providence was with me.

Glass on vans broke but the tube works. Built like a brick. Your info on filter replacement would have been handy. There is a long post in Apug about replacing inner and outer filters and what color to use. Parts are expensive for the Thomas.

I replaced the Thomas with a 10x12 Kodak Utility light supplemented by extra safelights at stations. Not talking over the Thomas buzz is nice when instructing. The unit operated with the vanes mostly open, bouncing light off a black ceiling. No fog with OC safe papers but other papers were fog sensitive.

[Leigh B]

Thomas buzz???

There's something wrong with your light. Mine makes no noise whatsoever.

- Leigh

[Steve Smith]

Is Rosco sheet a theatre lighting gel? If so, for us in the UK, the same thing is available from Lee Filters.

http://www.leefilters.com/


Steve.