Scored a photocopy stand! Need help on the bulbs for it and maybe rewiring

[csziggy]

15. I really would rather not mess with flash units

Light fixtures with 13W full spectrum bulbs are easy enough to find - it's just be a matter of how to mount them. If nothing else, I can take the bulbs out of the old fluorescent fixtures mounted on the stand and clamp new fixtures onto them.

I'm thinking something like this: http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/combination_lamp_53_prd1.htm

A major advantage - some of the things I need to copy are larger than the stand was intended to handle. The plate on it is only 14"x16" or less. Dad had a much longer column for it than the 18" original, maybe to accommodate the lens for his camera, but with that and with lights that can be spread farther apart I can copy those larger items.

This past week I copied some scrapbook pages - 13.5" x 16" - and the installed lights are not providing even light across the full width of the pages. Part of the uneven lighting may be that the pages are not flat. I have a piece of ultra-clear glass on order to put on top of the pages to flatten them but even in my tests with blank, flat paper, I can see the dark area in the middle of the pages while the ends are brighter.

With independent light fixtures, I also don't have to worry about what camera I use - whether it has a flash shoe or any compatibility.

The final part is I have a very bad history with flash units. I've never found them easy to use or reliable. It's my problem, not the equipment, but I'd rather not hassle with them.