semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
I cake the film in sawdust to absorb excess moisture and then blow the sawdust off with the hose from an air compressor. Hey, if it was quality I was after, I'd go digital!
(Ducks.)
(Ducks.)
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Never thought of that! Another bonus is you can get some exercise done while you dry films.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
@ Bob T -- I'd thought about a setup almost exactly like that, but not tried it. Thanks for actually doin' the R&D !
!Bob T
Established
Hi semilog,
The wardrobe bag works very well, the only drawback is the fact I lose a frame somewhere in the middle of a 36 exp roll of film. The only additional information I could offer is the fact I put some plastic over the top of the bag because of the holes in the bag which allow the hangers for the bag to come through and covering the holes keeps things dust free. Occasionally I’ll wipe down the inside of the bag with a damp cloth to be sure there’s no dust. The only time I unzip the bag is wipe down and film insertion/retrieval. I have the bag hanging in my garage, because my darkroom is built into an area adjacent to the garage, and even in that dusty environment I get clean negatives.
The wardrobe bag works very well, the only drawback is the fact I lose a frame somewhere in the middle of a 36 exp roll of film. The only additional information I could offer is the fact I put some plastic over the top of the bag because of the holes in the bag which allow the hangers for the bag to come through and covering the holes keeps things dust free. Occasionally I’ll wipe down the inside of the bag with a damp cloth to be sure there’s no dust. The only time I unzip the bag is wipe down and film insertion/retrieval. I have the bag hanging in my garage, because my darkroom is built into an area adjacent to the garage, and even in that dusty environment I get clean negatives.
40oz
...
Use something like photoflo mixed with distilled water for a final rinse. Remove from the photoflo then hang in the bathroom for an hour or two max. That's quite a bit quicker than your current method and won't risk the film in any way.
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
Two days to dry?!
I use a commercially available film dryer. It has a filter and a fan with 3 settings, air, heat1, and heat2. The air blows downward and out the bottom. Somewhere on the 'net there's a plan for making a similar dryer using a hanging clothes bag (the kind your grandma used to have in her closet) and a hair dryer. When I want to speed up drying I prep the dryer by switching the heat on and off before putting the film in, and then once the film is in the dryer, I occasionally switch the heat on for about 20 seconds or so (to prevent curling). It's very easy to have dry relatively dust-free film within an hour.
/
I use a commercially available film dryer. It has a filter and a fan with 3 settings, air, heat1, and heat2. The air blows downward and out the bottom. Somewhere on the 'net there's a plan for making a similar dryer using a hanging clothes bag (the kind your grandma used to have in her closet) and a hair dryer. When I want to speed up drying I prep the dryer by switching the heat on and off before putting the film in, and then once the film is in the dryer, I occasionally switch the heat on for about 20 seconds or so (to prevent curling). It's very easy to have dry relatively dust-free film within an hour.
/
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Sprint End-Run in water, followed by a quick pass with a Photo-Wipe, now made by Tidi Products as a medical supply tissue. Film dries in about 20 minutes, dust free.
Hair dryers have ALWAYS meant dust in every situation I've ever worked in, more than making up for the time saved in spotting.
Hair dryers have ALWAYS meant dust in every situation I've ever worked in, more than making up for the time saved in spotting.
robbeiflex
Well-known
My routine is a touch of dish soap in the final wash, squeegee using fingers, and hanging by film clips in the bathroom. From reading some of the above I would wonder as a newbie if I'm doing something wrong, but my films are dry in about a half hour and I have no problem with dust.
robbeiflex
Well-known
...the wardrobe idea is a good one though, I might have to try it when I move out of this apartment in the summer - thanks!
Leigh Youdale
Well-known
From the renowned Les McLean over at APUG in 2003.
Quote: I made a print dryer from an engineers metal storage cabinet (clothes locker) that is about the same size as the expensive dryers. After cleaning I lined it with thin polystyrene stuck on with wallpaper paste and bolted a small tubular heater, about 120 watt, along one side. A grid of nylon cord was fixed about 6" from the top to hang the film to dry. No fans required and the film drys in less than 30 minutes. Total cost £20.:Quote
There are many other examples given by contributors of less robust (and less convenient) construction consisting of two wire coat hangers set at 90 degrees to each other and with a plastic clothes bag draped over them and a light bulb set on the floor underneath but they're cheap, effective and can be easily dismantled and put away for storage.
Quote: I made a print dryer from an engineers metal storage cabinet (clothes locker) that is about the same size as the expensive dryers. After cleaning I lined it with thin polystyrene stuck on with wallpaper paste and bolted a small tubular heater, about 120 watt, along one side. A grid of nylon cord was fixed about 6" from the top to hang the film to dry. No fans required and the film drys in less than 30 minutes. Total cost £20.:Quote
There are many other examples given by contributors of less robust (and less convenient) construction consisting of two wire coat hangers set at 90 degrees to each other and with a plastic clothes bag draped over them and a light bulb set on the floor underneath but they're cheap, effective and can be easily dismantled and put away for storage.