First thanks to Bill and Cur for your input. This is in reference to my post last night on full spectrum lights vs. sunlight. I was just wondering what kind of lights are used in those tanning booths. I have never gone to one but maybe those lights would provide the UV I am looking for to bleach my skulls when i can't have them outside due to the freezing temps. Can't you just see it, going into one of those tanning booths carrying an armload of skulls along! Anyone know? Thanks again gang! Merry Christmas...Skullery....Jeff....<><
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I don't think we need to get into the full spectrum of light for skull brightening. I use a 100 watt (clear) bulbs, nothing with 'soft' in the title. I have a special light with a white metal interior shade that's about 12" wide. I put a 2' x 2' piece of white paper on the table, and with the skull in the middle I put the light right over the top of the skull. I leave it overnight most times, and when done I can't tell the difference between ones I have done outside. For a very intense white light try one of those 500-1000 watt construction utility lights, they also do a good job..
Any artificial source for the radiation required will work. There are black lights that might do the job. The portion of light energy that actually does the bleaching is invisible. Clear bulbs do produce more radiation than do frosted bulbs, how much more, I haven't a clue.
I will check around and see if I can come up with a surefire system for you.
Nothing is ever too scientific. It is easy to pooh-pooh science, and, I suppose, if one wants to remain ignorant, one never need know the principles behind what we do daily in this business.
Bleaching by solar radiation is a complex process that works at the molecular level. How and why isn't worth going into here, unless you want a detailed discussion of UVA and UVB radiation and wavelengths in nanometers.
What is important is which type of lamp (architechs rever to bulbs as "lamps") will best suit your purpose. All lamps (light bulbs or tubes) emit radiation. Some forms of lighting produce much more than others. A 100 Watt "clear" bulb doesn't produce much more radiation than do bulbs with frosted coated interiors. The visible light is harsher, but the UVB and UVA radiation is not significantly higher.
The most UVB and UVA radiation is produced by Tungsten-halogen and Mercury of Metal Halide Lamps (IHD). Metal Halide lamps do not have disposal restrictions as do mercury lamps. Tungsten-halogen is usually called "quartz" halogen lighting. I think that the "grow" lamps used by indoor gardeners are of the Metal Halide type.
Old tanning bed lamps produced high levels of UVB radiation which is very dangerous. The newer tanning bed lights are of the UVA type.
Without the risk of sounding, "too scientific" I will let you source the rest of the data you need.
I appreciate this site so much because of guys like you taking your time to help me out. This is what makes this site work! Thanks to all and to WASCO. Jeff
Hi Jeff
Sorry I missed your other post.
I sometimes do like you are talking about and it works like a charm. I use full spectrum reptile and amphibian lights. These emit light similar to the UVA and UVB spectrum in sunlight and are key for herptiles to synthesize vitamin D3 to process calcium and avoid Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). (Sorry about the science lesson Tomdes - hehe)
SO - go to a good pet store that has an adequate selection of reptile lighting - and pick up some full spectrum UVA/UVB tube lights - then go to Home Depot and buy a fluorescent fixture to put them in and you'll be creating a portion of fake sunlight in your studio in no time that seems to work very well.
Hope that helps =)
No science offense taken Raven, but for the number of skull mounts I've done each way, the difference is negligible, and it's impractical in the winter up here (-8 last night). I have a science background too, love science.. Love yours and curs' replies, they're the best! I wish I could jump in at times, but you guys seem to have things sorted out by the time I get a chance. In any case I had to add to the "Computer gurus' debate, because when I first read it I thought it would be the 'history folder' because that stores the pointers to all pages opened. I power my PC down every night and the pages read (under XP) will always come back as purple at power-up, unless I 'clear history' under internet options. When this is done then it looks like no pages were ever opened. That guy in the post should do something to protect his PC from crashes because it's going 'byte' him sooner or later.. sorry to open this wound up again...