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Thread: Drying Expert drum

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    186

    Drying Expert drum

    Hi!

    How do you dry your expert drum? I use the spong, but I dont feel it gets perfectly dry. How dry does it have to be before it is safe to load new film?

    Stig

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Seattle, Washington
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    Re: Drying Expert drum

    It needs to be dry enough that the water doesn't run, or pool in the bottom. The sponge works fine, when used properly.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    74

    Re: Drying Expert drum

    I use the sponge, followed by a blow-dryer, if I need to use it again quickly.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay DeFehr View Post
    It needs to be dry enough that the water doesn't run, or pool in the bottom. The sponge works fine, when used properly.
    So your saying it can be some moisture there? Yes the sponge stops the water, but it is still moisted after use. Is there a problem to load new film while it is that way?

  5. #5

    Join Date
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    grand rapids
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    Re: Drying Expert drum

    Put a whole piece of paper towel over the sponge before you use it. Works wonders. Buy a second drum.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by vinny View Post
    Put a whole piece of paper towel over the sponge before you use it. Works wonders. Buy a second drum.
    Good idea

  7. #7

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    May 2010
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    St. Louis, Mo.
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    Re: Drying Expert drum

    You can buy extra sponges on ebay but I think Vinny's paper towel idea would work fine.

  8. #8
    Lachlan 717
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    2,591

    Re: Drying Expert drum

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Gales View Post
    You can buy extra sponges on ebay but I think Vinny's paper towel idea would work fine.
    Except if t leaves fibres/lint.
    Lachlan.

    You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky

  9. #9
    Still Developing
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Leeds, UK
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    582

    Re: Drying Expert drum

    BE VERY CAREFUL WITH A BLOW DRYER!!

    I wrecked an expert drum when I dried it with a hair dryer - I assumed the plastic inside the drums was as thick as the plastic at the top - it isn't! It's very thin blown plastic and shrinks with heat so that the drum touches the back of the film.. Very annoying. However, I do now have two drum tops and they're the most difficult to dry.

    I use high quality kitchen roll pushed into the drum using the sponge and then use a separate high quality sponge to get rid of the last drops (or at least to 'spread' them enough to evaporate quickly). I then put them in the airing cupboard next to the immersion tank. Normally it's dry within ten minutes or so..

    As for the lid - hold it firmly and spin it around fast for a while and the water gets centripetally emitted :-) ten minutes in the airing cupboard and all is well..

    I also dry the nozzle in my ATL2300 before I attach the drum - you can get drips from it if you're not carefull

    Tim
    Still Developing at http://www.timparkin.co.uk and scanning at http://cheapdrumscanning.com

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Re: Drying Expert drum

    Quote Originally Posted by wiggywag View Post
    So your saying it can be some moisture there? Yes the sponge stops the water, but it is still moisted after use. Is there a problem to load new film while it is that way?
    Yes, that's what I'm saying. As long as there's not enough water to get on the front of the film before the presoak or developer gets to it, there's no problem. You can test my claim with RC photo paper to satisfy yourself it's safe.

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