Flash tube care

[simonbarker]

Taken from Bowens:

"If you are regularly shooting at low power levels it is recommended that at the end of each shoot you turn the power up to full and flash the unit several times. This process helps to keep the gas performing at its optimum level and burns off the black powder that may start to accumulate on the glass. But in particular will help preserve the life of the flash tube."

Is this actually true and what are you supposed to do if you're using a tube that's rated for considerably more power than your flash head can deliver?

 

[Kodiak Qc]

•
I worked, in the past, with many makes of pro flashes. I owned a
a Speedotron Blackline for thirty+ years and now work with the
latest Swedish made technology… and I never heard about this!

This may have to do with the flash tube and/or its manufacturer!

 

[Garry Edwards]

It's theoretically correct, but whether it actually matters or not is a moot point - and as for the second part of your question, our SuperFast 600 has a flash tube that's actually rated at 2400, so this is where theory becomes redundant - this particular model comes into its own when used at very low power settings and from memory, only one of our customers has needed to replace a tube so far

 

[Steve Smith]

I think that's more capacitor care than tube care.


Steve.

 

[connersz]

Not heard of this one before. It could be true but whether it presents enough of a problem to cause significant loss of tube life is another question.

 

[Kodiak Qc]

I think that's more capacitor care than tube care.

•
Yes but that applied to older capacitor types as in the old Speedotron , that much
I remember.

In newer technologies, this is not even mentioned in the maintenance manual,

 

[simonbarker]

Not heard of this one before. It could be true but whether it presents enough of a problem to cause significant loss of tube life is another question.

I'm looking at it the same way but the black residue does cause a noticeable shift in colour temperature once it builds up enough.

 

[Garry Edwards]

I remember the Speedtron from when I worked in the USA - their Blackline range was pretty good in its day but that was a very long time ago, and as they only had to compete with other American brands there were no real technological challenges. Their Brownline range, by contrast, was about as good as Alien Bees

Today though, any perceived benefits are likely to be nothing more than perception.

I'm looking at it the same way but the black residue does cause a noticeable shift in colour temperature once it builds up enough.

Actually it's the yellow discolouration that causes the problem.