Temporary Dark Room Lantern
Occasionally through some accident to the regular ruby lamp, or through the necessity of developing while out of reach of a properly equipped dark room, some makeshift of illumination must be improvised. Such a temporary safe light may be made from an empty cigar box in a short time.
Remove the bottom of the box, and nail it in position as shown at A. Remove one end, and replace as shown at B. Drive a short wire nail through the center of the opposite end to serve as a seat for the candle, C. The lamp is finished by tacking two or more layers of yellow post-office paper over the aperture D, bringing the paper well around to the sides and bottom of the box to prevent light leakage from the cracks around the edges, says Photo Era. The hinged cover E, is used as a door, making lighting and trimming convenient. The door may be fastened with a nail or piece of wire. It is well to reinforce the hinge by gluing on a strip of cloth if the lamp is to be in use more than once or twice. This lamp is safe, for the projecting edges of A and B form light-shields for the ventilation orifice and the crack at the top of the hinged cover, respectively. Moreover, since the flame of the candle is above A, only reflected and transmitted light reaches the plate, while the danger of igniting the paper is reduced to a minimum.