Premier Print Dryer

[MattO]

OK, so you know those little print dryers with the chrome plated surfaces and the canvas covers? Has a thermostatic control on the side. Premier, Arkay, et. al. ... Anyone own one of these? Can these be used for RC as well as fiber based?

This is an older model with unknown model # - (or instructions) Thanks

[Witold Grabiec]

I don't believe you can stick an RC paper on it, they do get quite hot. My personal preference has been screen drying, and over the last 15 years I have never felt the need to go back to this old drying technique. On the other hand, once you master the drill (whihch may take time), you can end up with a high gloss finish. If that's what you're after then it may be worth trying.

[Jon Shiu]

They can be used for RC, but is more trouble than just hanging them on a line or on screens. (I assume you are not trying to get a glossier RC surface!)

[Paul Moshay]

Do not put RC paper on these dryers, the plastic on the RC paper will stick to the heated drum and you will have a real mess. Just hang the print by one corner or use the screen dryer method, the prints will dry in a very short time.

[Brian Ellis]

It's been a long time since I owned one of these gizmos but when you refer to a chrome plated surface it sounds like you aren't talking about just a dryer, you're talking about a combintation ferrotyping/drying system designed to speed up the drying process of fiber base paper and also add a high gloss to it. They were popular back in the days before there was such a thing as RC paper and even after that, when RC paper stunk as it did for many years. Since fiber paper doesn't have a high gloss, and takes quite a while to dry, people who needed to get work out quickly and/or who wanted a high gloss used these things. Today, with good quality glossy RC paper being available, and RC paper air drying as fast as it does, I'm not sure there's much need to use them but I'm sure some people still do. If you use one you need to make sure that your prints are thoroughly washed. Chemical contamination of the cloth was a common problem as I recall.

[John Cook]

I used one of these all through art school. It was dandy for double weight fiber paper (Dupont Verilour). I think it would melt RC.

The preferred procedure was to use glossy paper and dry it face-up (image against apron) for a nice semi-sheen.

If you want to try glossy fiber face down, first clean the metal face with Bon Ami. Then soak the prints in a ferrotype solution like Pakosol. If the plate is hot enough to sizzle when you lay on the wet print you will get tiny bubble-spots from the boiling water on the print face. Finally, don’t attempt to peel off the face-down print or the emulsion will stick (permantly) to the dryer. The ferrotyped print will pop off by itself when dry.

When doing the preferred semi-gloss method it is important to thoroughly and evenly dry the print. I suggest wiping it with a clean dishcloth after squeegeeing. Any damp area, water spot or wet fingerprint will dry more slowly and shrink less than the rest of the print, giving you a dimple, scallop or ripple in the paper base.

Finally, it is necessary to be accurate with the fixer hardener and fixing time. If you use too little hardener, the fiber print surface will be soft and may stick to the apron. When you peel it off, it will contain little bits of cotton fiber, giving your print a flocked surface. Too much harder or too long in the hardening fixer can make the fiber print brittle, causing tiny cracks which look like crazing on old glazed pottery.

[Don Wilkes]

I have one of those print dryers, and use it all the time to speed up drying of my RC prints. What I do is put four empty tin cans around it, and use them to support a windowscreen (in its frame) several inches above the dryer. The heat coming up from below seems to speed things up somewhat, and they're not touching the old (and probably contaminated) canvas.

[Maury Cohen]

Matt, I used to pre-dry most of my RC prints on this type of dryer. I placed paper towels on each side of the dryer so that the prints weren't in direct contact with the chrome surfaces, this way sticking/melting wasn't a problem. I'd squeegee them well before putting them on the dryer, and only leave them in for about a minute, balancing the dryer on one edge so that the moisture conld steam off easier. After the short drying time I'd take them out and let them finish air-drying on a clean surface.

[nerissa22]

In Premier Print Dryer to adjust the variable heat control just turn the plastic knob in the direction indicated by the arrow. To increase temperature, turn knob clockwise, To decrease temperature and shut off unit, turn the knob counter-clockwise until it reaches a stop.Premier Print Dryer is very helpful...

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