DIY high-tech film drying contraption

[feppe]

I've been drying my film outside on a clothesline for years to the delight of my neighbors. It's a bit chilly out this time of the year, and I had some film to develop, so I finally got around to making a drying contraption.

USAGE
Mine fits two dozen 4x5 transparencies, which is about as much as I develop in one sitting. Lid is to limit dust.

PARTS

• Plastic storage box with lid
• Some clothesline, or any string that doesn't shed
• Clothespins, or film hangers if you want to splurge

BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS
Make matching sets of holes with a sharp knife at each end of the box. Make sure to leave enough room up top so that the clothespins don't move around when you close the lid, and at the bottom so that there's enough room for the chromes to hang freely. Thread the clothesline through the holes, tie it up tightly. Takes about fifteen minutes to put together.

COST
A few euros, or practically free if you have the parts lying around already like I did.

A friend suggested that I install a computer fan on it. Not because there is a point in doing that, but just because.

End view


Other end. Note fancy knots.


All bays full


Locked and loaded

[Ari]

Nice; how long does it take for all 24 sheets to dry?

[feppe]

Less than six hours in a room at 20 or so degrees Centigrade. A fan would make it faster, but overnight is perfectly fine with me.

[jcoldslabs]

The method I use is even cheaper: I put a single rack at the topmost slot of my oven and hang my negatives from it on clips. I can hang at least a dozen 4x5s in there. It usually takes about two to three hours for the negatives to dry completely, but I often leave them in overnight. It may not be a truly dust-free environment, but since there isn't much air movement the negatives come out looking clean. In the winter I pre-warm the oven for about a minute beforehand which helps speed things up.

Jonathan

[AtlantaTerry]

Feppe,

I have a similar drying box that I use for my 4x5 Kodak #4A stainless steel film racks. My box is somewhat smaller than yours but the racks fit nicely suspended from side to side. The only negative is the lid won't close because the racks are hanging from the edges so I just place the lid atop everything.

One thing I would suggest adding to your box is one of those inexpensive orange micro-fiber cloths to the bottom. This will help drying somewhat by absorbing liquid that drips off the film.

In my case, I have just enough of the micro-fiber cloth in the bottom so it barely touches the Kodak racks and wicks the fluid off thereby speeding drying.

Like you, I do not want a fan in my drying box. I believe all it will do is bring in dust. Plus it runs the danger of the wet films touching each other and then drying stuck together - never a good thing!

[feppe]

Like you, I do not want a fan in my drying box. I believe all it will do is bring in dust.

Good point. One could add a dust filter to the fan, though.

[natelfo]

The method I use is even cheaper: I put a single rack at the topmost slot of my oven and hang my negatives from it on clips. I can hang at least a dozen 4x5s in there. It usually takes about two to three hours for the negatives to dry completely, but I often leave them in overnight. It may not be a truly dust-free environment, but since there isn't much air movement the negatives come out looking clean. In the winter I pre-warm the oven for about a minute beforehand which helps speed things up.

Jonathan

I bake mine at 325F for 20 minutes and they come out all curled up

Just kidding. I don't do color, yet, but my B/W 4x5s, as well as 35 and 120, I just hang up using clips on a second shower curtain rod in my spare bathroom, close the door, and let sit overnight. I have never had any dust issues. A shower curtain rod only costs a few bucks, and with it being 6 feet long, you can hang quite a few negatives on it.