FLUORESCENT UV LIGHTING

FLUORESCENT LIGHTING

RocknCrystals uses four different types of Fluorescent Lighting. This is for the purpose of viewing and photographing Fluorescent Mineral Specimens. You must wear Safety Glasses. When using UV lighting as they help protect your eyes and never look directly into the light source. Best results are in a dark room or box. The Lights we use are below.

UVA Longwave LED torches

We find these torches powerful and effective. The UVA LED Torches are also convenient and portable. There is a problem with the most powerful being very difficult taking pics of super Fluorescent Specimens like Ruby. They are great for fossicking or prospecting Fluorescent Specimens and illuminating at a long distance from the source. You must have a filter on the lamp to block out the other light spectrums emitted. The white and blue light will bleach any fluorescent effect and show a different colour. So a UVC light without a filter is a waste of time and money for viewing Fluorescent Specimens.

UVC Shortwave Lamps

These are in the form of a Fluorescent Tube. We have tried new LED UVC Torches but they are too weak for anything but minuscule purposes. The Tubes are the most efficient method of producing UVC Light. We have predominantly used small portable 4 Watt Lamps in a darkened space for photographing Fluorescent Specimens. These are cheap and effective for a small area but tend to chew through batteries. We use rechargeable batteries for these Lamps.

Recently we acquired a second hand larger 30 Watt Lamp which is amazing. Larger Lamps are much more expensive, bulky and generally heavy. Larger Lamps are great for lighting a larger area with and showing intense Fluorescence. The tubes are Quartz. Standard glass will block some of the UVC light spectrum especially at a close distance. You must have a filter on the lamp to block out the other light spectrums emitted. The white and blue light will bleach any fluorescent effect and show a different colour. So a UVC light without a filter is a wast of time and money for viewing Fluorescent Specimens.

UVA Longwave BLB Lamps

These are Black Light Blue Fluorescent Tubes. Like a standard Fluorescent Light except there is a special coating on the inside of the Tube. The coating blocks out most of the other light spectrums except UVA. The coating acts as a filter or UVA band pass filter. However there are some other light spectrums which leak out a little. Also called Black Party Lights and used for Disco or Party lighting.

BLB Lamps make most white items glow Blue and dyed items will Fluoresce. The BLB Lamps are readily available and relatively cheap. You can use them in a standard Bayonet or Edison Light fitting. I dislike the word Edison only because I like Tesla so much. By the way Nikola Tesla invented the Fluorescent Light. Edison invented practically nothing and was just a nasty money man.

UVA Longwave LASER

These are great for playing with the cat, getting them to chase the light dot. Seriously we use them for viewing and photographing Brief Intense Phosphorescence or BIP for short. The Laser has an intense light dot which is very effective in showing BIP. Particularly in Mangano Calcite Specimens. The Laser is also very good for fossicking over old dumps to find a glowing specimen at a distance.

UVA POWER TORCH FILTERED

This Longwave Filtered Torch is the best and most powerful we have had or seen.  The filter cuts out the white and blue light which comes from the led.  This gives a much brighter fluorescence and great for fossicking Fluorescent Minerals.  30 Watts.  You will receive a battery charger and two Batteries with this order.  Portable handheld UVA Torch used for checking out Longwave mineral fluorescence and phosphorescence.  This Torch has a glass filter which is a UVA Pass filter.  The Filter blocks out White and Blue light and allow only longwave light at 395 nM to pass.  Minerals not included.  Batteries included.  UVA light range is 315 nM to 400 nM.  Very very powerful!  This is the best tool we have seen to help with Fossicking for Long Wave Fluorescent Minerals.

WARNING – DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT LIGHT  WEAR SAFETY GLASSES! Not suitable for young children. This is the Lamborghini equivalent of UVA Portable Lights.

Dimensions:  21.5cm x 8.2cm x 7cm, 825g with batteries.

Most importantly it has a UVA Glass Filter installed which makes this great powerful UVA Torch OUTSTANDING.

Below shows the difference viewing Willemite and Mangano Calcite Mineral Specimens.

Check out some cool Fluorescent Minerals for sale here.

When we show people Fluorescent minerals for the first time in our shop, we get a lot of OOH WOW.  Sometimes even four letter words come out in excitement.  The view is really mind blowing and better than psychedelic especially the Willemite.

UVC SHORTWAVE LAMP FILTERED

UVC SHORTWAVE LAMP FILTERED at a bargain price.  4 Watts, uses 4 X AA batteries.  Portable handheld used for checking out shortwave mineral fluorescence and phosphorescence.  This Lamp has a glass filter which is a UVC Pass filter to block out white light.  The Filter allows only shortwave light at 254 nM to pass.  The lamp also has a bright LED torch at the end.  You can see your way in the dark and inspect minerals in brighter light.  They have a small stand.  Minerals not included.  Batteries not included.  More than 80% of Fluorescent minerals fluoresce in Short Wave Ultra violet light.  Simple to use and easy to carry in your pocket.  The cheapest Filtered UVC Shortwave Lamp available.
WARNING – DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT LIGHT  WEAR SAFETY GLASSES! Not suitable for young children.
Dimensions:
16cm x 6cm x 2cm, 95g.

When we show people Fluorescent minerals for the first time in our shop, we get a lot of OOH WOW.  Sometimes even four letter words come out in excitement.  The view is really mind blowing and better than psychedelic especially the Willemite.

The UVC Shortwave Filtered Lamp.

The difference, first without Filter, then with Filter (It’s a no Brainer).
Last but not least, WEAR SAFETY GLASSES! Safety glasses not included.

FLUORESCENT MINERAL SPECIMENS

Fluorescent Specimens listed for sale at RocknCrystals. A bit of a Fluorescent Mineral Gallery with links to more information on the particular Specimen.