Need UV Info

Help someone....
I have bought 2 UV lights now to try and reveal tagging on stamps. Well first I bought a cheep one. It was LED and didnt work. So next I bought a more expensive one that said for stamps. has a plug on it and changeable bulbs. Still dont see any tagging on stamps that I know are tagged.
Someone please give me a model of light to buy that will work.

You need to check that it is a short wave UV at 250-255mn. These are for US stamps and most long wave regular UV lights are for most Britain and Canada stamps. The long wave is basically the ones you see checking money or stamps at clubs.

and where would be the best place to buy this.. internet would be great

I think Amos has decent prices, but let a few others chime in for internet shops. I bought mine from a science supply store. A plug-in model that was about a couple hundred cheaper just because it did not get listed as use for stamps.

Also, check out rock collecting supply shops they have the best ones. Just make sure that it is short wave model and if you want to spend more get the plug-in one with more wattage. Costs more than the battery ones and is not to good at a show but a world of difference when lighting up tagging or checking for repairs.

Bradlarose,

For a nice handy UV light, take a look at the Lighthouse dual wave unit. It covers both short and long wave stuff and is both battery powered and sized equal to your hand. No bulbs to change either.

If memory serves correctly costs around $65 and can be bought at www.lighthouse.us or at Subway.

I use it all the time and works fine and is reliable.

-Larry

bradlarose,

I would highly suggest you source your light from non-philatelic shops as the markup on such philatelic devices is exorbitant. Surely you can pay $80-250USD for a low powered, battery operated device from a dealer or you can pay $40-80 for a currency detector which provides the same functionality but with infinitely greater usability. Simply make sure, by talking to the merchant, as 1775mac has pointed out, that your device can produce shortwave uv radiation.

-P.Bear

Surely you just need to change the lamp for a shortwave one not the whole unit.
These are normally small fluorescent type tubes.

I got both the long wave and the short wave, battery powered units from Subway. The long wave is less than 20.00 and the short wave was in the 45-50 dollar range. They work fine.

I also have separate battery operated short and long wave UV lights. They work OK for the limited tagging examination I do but if I was doing a lot of checking for fluorescence and phosphorescence, I would probably spend the extra money on a more powerful corded unit.

It might be intuitively obviously, but I would also mention that darkening the room you are sitting in helps tremendously when looking at various forms of phosphorescence and fluorescence.

In fact, when I have a lot of Machining to do, I usually wait until dark, turn off the lights and have a go with my UV light.

It really depends on what you are looking for Brad. I use mine for paper types and it shows up repairs nicely. If just looking at US go for a dedicated shortwave, if also looking at worldwide a dual unit would be more cost effective. Best bet look around as there are deals to be had. I picked up my unit at science supply warehouse. Does it all, has it's own dark room and a long wave, short wave setup. Also, has a regular light for quick checks so I can load it up with a bunch of stamps and flick on the regular light in the dark box to rearrange items.

Link to my setup.
https://goscf.com/t/12130#110246

Some members of our club have those LED lights you can get at pet supply stores for about $10 which are used for spotting urine.

They're long-wave and work well for Canadian stamps.

I don't know where you get short-wave lights for other stamps.

By entering uv light on ebay, there is a lot to choose from and a variety of prices; but little indication of long or short wave.

Of course, the trick with ebay prices is go down the list, there is usually a better price than the initial offerings.

I managed to pick up one of those lights they use for detecting UV markings on money.

It was part of a grab-bag of stuff from a store going out of business and the price was very good as I paid little for the lamp and got a bunch of other stuff I'll never use. (as a bonus????)