This one. I have one and for a A4 sheet, about a foot ( 30cm ) from the light it's about a 3 minute exposure. Anything Higher than 370nm is dangerous and cyanotypes seem to work better with a 365nm light anyway.
I have a shoebox gaffertaped to the top of one of those plastic storage containers that are a drawer, with a hole cut in the top and my light mounted in the top of the shoebox.
I can drop in my contact frame, close the drawer and do my exposure without being exposed to UV light. The light itself generates almost no heat ( even after an hour )
a minefield? i don't know, but certainly it's a pain in the ass to get consistent opinions :)
there are some lights completely with cords and everything with 50w (or more and less) at 365nm or 395nm (they can be mounted on a wall). these seem to be quite okay: https://www.amazon.de/Everbeam-365-50-LED-Schwarzlicht/dp/B08635F9CX/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=50w+365nm&qid=1668162857&sr=8-3 (check for similar lights in your country or at aliexpress)
i don't exactly know where i have read this, but there is a difference in leds and thus some my not be as powerful when you look for the strips. other than this it's quite easy if you buy something with a psu. here is one guide for a box: https://www.instructables.com/Build-UV-LED-Box-for-Cyanotypes/
other than this, yes, an expensive 100w light bulb might be suitable if there's no special power source needed (some reptile bulbs needed them).
I bought this one a few months back:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X34KMLR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I have it set in an opening I cut on the bottom of a large cardboard box. It took a little bit of playing with the height of the box and exposure times but it works great! There are definitely some limitations on how large you can print with an indoor light though.
We are having good luck using this kinda pricey grow light that we had on hand. We have it inside a grow tent ( which has a reflective interior), and expose the images about 12 inches below the light. This gives pretty good results in 20 minutes.
I'm cheap. I used thisand it worked just fine for both printing faux negatives and for drawing/stamping directly onto it. It's a bit fiddly to print on. I found you had to take everything out of the print tray and only place one sheet (with the paper backing removed) for it to work.
I don't know, but I bet you can find a method for doing so in the cyanotype toning book.
"Cyanotype Toning: Using Botanicals to Tone Blueprints Naturally" by Annette Golaz
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0367553546?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details
I use one of these and can expose an 8x10 cyanotype in 5-7 minutes. Works great. https://www.amazon.com/QUANS-Blacklight-Fishing-Aquarium-Waterproof/dp/B07JFGGXRQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=27WJ9B4FNZKDZ&keywords=quans%2Buv%2B50w&qid=1648679862&sprefix=quans%2Buv%2B50w%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-2&th=1
Sorry I got .5 and 5 watts confused. I meant 5 wats like this. it not strong enough for bigger cyanotypes as the power is spread over more area.
I bought this, and it works great, built a stand to clip it on. I expose about 10" away for about 12 min.
Everbeam 365nm 50W UV LED Black Light - High Performance LED Bulbs, IP66 Waterproof - Ultraviolet Flood Lighting for Aquarium, Indoor or Outdoor Parties, Stage - Party Supplies, Halloween Decorations https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08635F9CX/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_7QWB0SD8P8TDYF5FYC72?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is how it turned out. Cyanotype on fabric https://imgur.com/a/fFuB6LW
Hope this helps!
I love this textbook from my alternative processes class back in art school. It has many other fun processes to try.
The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1285089316/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AK9XG5J0JXCBWXTVDVCX
The marbling style is called "suminagashi marbling", and the supplies are pretty cheap to get started. These are the inks I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H6CM4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_EPNTTBF6M723AWZZHHNT
And the cyanotype is... Just regular cyanotype chemistry.
This is the light I purchased a couple months ago: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08635F9CX?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I made a "light box" by cutting an opening in the lid of an office copy paper box, and then lining the box with aluminum foil on the inside. Exposures have taken about 10 minutes or so.
I use this and I’ve got it suspended in the lid of a cardboard box(appx 7cm from the paper) and I can do a print in around 30minutes.
Been very happy with my Janky set up so far.
Have you considered buying a cheap standard sized home printer and then using something like https://rasterbator.net/ ? It could print out a larger image page by page. A bit of a pain in the ass, but if you line it up properly it's hard to tell it wasn't just one large piece of paper.
We’ll have no sun soon as well. I’m using just this this one light from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0863HD955/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s the Everbeam 365 nm 100W UV. $79. I took a class on cyanotypes and this is what the photography department of the art school uses in their small light box.
My exposure time is about 20 minutes.
I will try that! I have been wanting to preserve the blue and didn't know it was possible.
I use this diopter which works well, but it has a poor focus area. It's got a 55mm focal length.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A5K3BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_GZHW0W0JWE66EGZJG8N3
It's an opteka 10x magnifier. I will link below. It is my favorite camera attachment in general and it works well for this.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A5K3BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_GZHW0W0JWE66EGZJG8N3
Hey, can you link to the lights you used? I have these ones in the link... and I'm not sure if they'll work.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TLJTQDY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Really well done. Love the idea of quilting. Totally lends itself to that medium. Do you know the work of Bea Nettles? She was at the forefront of photo transfer and alternative mediums back in the 90’s. She did a “cookbook” that is still knocking around and I highly recommend. Here’s the link on Amazon but I know it’s on eBay as well.
From my experience the pictorico transparencies are terrible for cyanotype. (Great for screen printing) and extremely over priced.
They are much too cloudy to get really clear and sharp images. Out the the dozens I’ve tried these have the best for cyanotypes specifically.
Check my post history for my result with these transparencies and pixma ix6820