Help me shed some LIGHT on my workbench...

I believe you might be referring to the Ottlight.  JoAnn Fabrics sells them.  They're expensive.  You might want to try buying color balanced light bulbs first.  They make them both in incandescent and flourescent.  Not perfect but better than regular light bulbs.

-Jesse

Here's what works for me over craft/hobby table, drafting table, and fishtank.

Go to someplace like Home Depot, get a 4ft double flourescent shop light fixture (usually find them on sale around $10). Then pickup one "daylight" tube and one "warm white" tube. Whole thing under $20 last time I went.

jhande wrote:

Here's what works for me over craft/hobby table, drafting table, and fishtank. Go to someplace like Home Depot, get a 4ft double flourescent shop light fixture (usually find them on sale around $10). Then pickup one "daylight" tube and one "warm white" tube. Whole thing under $20 last time I went.

Jim-  Good tip, gonna have to remember that one!

Try Home Depot like what they said even Lowes too. If you want smaller flouresent lights I know that Walmart carries over in the hardware dept. and that is what Ihave on my workbench works just fine does not take up alot of space either.

Regards,

Brian

Hey, thanks for all of your input guys. Been a real busy week for me, sorry I didn't get back to this sooner.

The Ott Lite sure seems pretty sweet - but definitely is expensive. Do the fluorescent "daylight" bulbs essentially do the same thing as the Ott Lite? I don't think I've actually seen a daylight bulb in action...need to check those out. Is a "color balanced" light the same thing as a "daylight" bulb?

I honestly hadn't really thought to go the fluorescent route. Is that what most of you are using? And finally, do you also use them for photographing your models?

Looks like I'm off to Walmart/Home Depot/JoAnn Fabrics. Heh. 

Circuitrider wrote:

I got this  http://ottlite.com/productdetail.asp?product_id=49 for Father's Day...the lamp, not the link...and am well pleased.  I use it in conjunction with a flourescent fixture.  This Ott Lite sold for 69.95 at HobbyLobby.  It is portable and the angle of the bulb can be changed.  It almost completely eliminates shadows and is a Godsend to my tired eyes.

That looks like a good item to use one of their 40% off coupons for

Tom

usmc1371 wrote:

I believe you might be referring to the Ottlight.  JoAnn Fabrics sells them.  They're expensive.  You might want to try buying color balanced light bulbs first.  They make them both in incandescent and flourescent.  Not perfect but better than regular light bulbs. -Jesse

I tie flies for my other addictive hobby, and a good light is a must have. Anyway after four or five lights I finally bought an Ott light at Joann Fabrics when they had them on sale for 40% off. Later when I was over at Hobby Lobby the had the same light with a built in magnifier, and once again shelled out the dough when they ran their 40% off sale. So last weekend I was in there, and now they've got a big floor stander. But it's expensive, and I need a new compressor first. Watch the sale cupons in the Sunday paper for Joann and Hobby Lobby.

gary

Any fluorescent tube with a colour temprature of over 6000K will give a great light AND be good for an accurate colour rendition.

I bought an Anglepiose type lamp (Luxo in the U.S. I think) and it came with a 6300K tube. This enabled me to take some photographs with my camera at its daylight setting.

One thing to consider when trying to decide between fluorescent vs. incandescent: The fluorescent tubes give off less heat. When I first moved to Arizona, my ex-roommate gave me a portable incandescent lamp he no longer needed. It gave off good light, especially when I put in a Reveal bulb, but the heat became a bit of a problem for painting, especially because I live in such a dry climate in the first place. Moving the light away when painting helped, but the real lifesaver came when I fished an old fluorescent desk lamp out of the dumpster at my apartment building. It still worked, so I bought a daylight tube and have been very happy with it!

About the same time, I managed to find a small Ott light at a garage sale for three dollars. I used it for a short time until I found the desk lamp in the trash. The Ott light went into the ice chest I use for taking the model on the road, and I've used it on several trips to California.

I recently changed over to compact fluorescent lamps at my paint table from incandescent GE Reveal lamps. I keep 2 of the swing arm desk lamps on my table that you can get at Office Depot for about 10 bucks each. I normally only use 1, especially since the switch to fluorescents, but sometimes turn both on.

The fluorescent lamps I got are the N:Vision brand that Home Depot carries. I got the 100 watt "bright white" variety,which the package says are 3500 K color spectrum. They don't look like the 3500  lamps that I deal with as an electrician though, they seem to be more of a pure white.

I don't care for the daylight and Ott light lamps I've seen, they're way too blue
 for my taste.

One thing about the fluorescent lamps, they're a lot brighter than an incandescent they're supposed to equivalent to. I compared the new lamp with my 100 watt Reveal side by side and the fluorescent is a LOT brighter. My table is much more well lit now.

 I also replaced the three lamps in the ceiling fan in the room with the 60 watt of the same type so when I need more light it will match my table lamps.

And yeah, a lot less heat. The main reason I switched to fluorescents at the time was we didn't have AC for awhile. (Had to replace our furnace) 100 watts at my left shoulder was cooking me when it was already 90 degrees in the house.

Wow! I picked up some of those N:Vision bulbs and MAN are they bright! They really are quite spectacular. Use much less energy than typical bulbs, and as a result are on massive rebate here in Maine because of the conservation of energy that will result, so I got them cheap (and will be getting more). Didn't even need to buy any new fixtures as they fit right into a standard sized bulb-hole.

My problems are solved! Everyone else should try these guys out...

Thanks tabascojunkie!