Acrylic 4x5 film drying rack recommended?

[PunkFunkDunk]

Does anyone have experience using these generic brand acrylic 4x5 film drying racks? Are they recommended? I am thinking of picking up a few to minimise any marks left on sheet from my current clip and hangers.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230419/b01e544c98105dc02beb7ac3f7288c38.jpg


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[John Layton]

...never seen one of those. Looks ok...but I'd be concerned about the potential of wetting agent residue/moisture collecting at the very bottom tips of those bottom V-notches and taking much longer to dry than the rest of the films surfaces. Maybe if you could move the films slightly at some point during the drying process you'd be OK? Just a hunch...I'm probably overthinking as usual!

[Tin Can]

I will not use that thing

I use pinpoint KODAK clips

Most likely very hard to find now

[Ron McElroy]

I use clothes pins for hanging 4x5 and 8x10.

[Doremus Scudder]

I use clothes pins for hanging 4x5 and 8x10.

I second the use of wooden clothespins for hanging sheet film to dry. If you're careful, and hang them by a corner, there is only a very small smudge in the non-image area of the film, or none at all.

The drying rack looks cool, but only holds a few sheets and will likely cause marks where the film contacts the acrylic. Having to clean the thing after every batch seems a bit much too.

I have some permanent lines in my darkroom, but for extras, have installed a retractable clothesline that offers 10 feet of line. I can dry 40 sheets at one time easily. If I went to the trouble to notch my clothespins so I could hang the film sideways, I could dry four times more. (Crowbar, Geoduck, I'll get around to that someday...)

Best,

Doremus

[Peter Lewin]

Like many, I dry my 4x5 negatives with wooden clothespins hanging from a line in my "darkroom/basement." But I have reverse-assembled the pins so that the ends that used to be the "handles" are now the ends that come together to "pinch" the negatives. I find this version allows me to hold the negatives by a small corner area, outside the image area. Since I can't easily describe how I re-assemble the clips, hopefully this link will work: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/at-the-top-in-the-above-photo-is-a-common-torsionspringtype-wooden-clothespin-below-it-is-the-same-thing-assembled--771593348629202901/

[fiddle]

I use something similar looking that I 3d printed. Never had an issue.

[PunkFunkDunk]

Thank you for the responses. Some good points. All things considered I think I will stick with hangers and clips.


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[GoodOldNorm]

Stainless steel dental xray film clips work.

[Vaughan]

I bought some cheap stainless steel clothes pegs, used a centre punch to put two points on each side to stop the film from slipping out.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/293232951928

[Jim Noel]

I use dental x-ray clips. Free from friendly dentists who have gone to digital x-ray.

[Kiwi7475]

I always used clips until I got this not long ago:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144764165660?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=kQEN1yorT5e&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=cJD-EcLCQ9e&var=443983397065&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have the 10 sheet ones. Has holes to drain around the “V”’s at the bottom. Works wonderfully.

No more marks on my sheets, no more sheets falling to the ground due to clipping clumsiness….

[PRJ]

I have some of the Kodak equivalent of the Xray clips. IIRC I cut them from some sheet film hangers then drilled a hole in them. Would have been much easier to just buy those clips. Where were you guys all those years ago, hmmm??

[nitroplait]

I bought some cheap stainless steel clothes pegs, used a centre punch to put two points on each side to stop the film from slipping out.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/293232951928

I found the same clips on Amazon.de when I started out with 4X5 last year. I wasn't too comfortable with wooden pegs and these caught my eyes.
They are well made and cheap.
I run the string through the holes in the handle.

[Chris_LF]

Anybody use the IKEA SLIBB Hang dryer 24 clothes pegs (Article Number 405.270.76)? Our family just picked one up for $CAD 7.00 for laundry, but I can envision other uses in the future. :)
I have been using fold-back binder clips on coat hanger bent to saddle each of six clips.

[Cor]

Bit late but I use the Combiplan 4*5 film holders to dry my film. I have a JOBO Mistral dryer which I let blow for 1-2 minutes on highest heat, switch off and place the Combiplan holder in. After a night drying the negatives are completely dry.

Best,

Cor

[Rex176]

You could consider this:

https://simonforsterphotographic.co.uk/products/platypus-tilting-sheet-film-drying-rack-by-forster-uk?variant=40564826406994

I haven't tried it, but am considering getting one, if only to support one of the creators of the Large Format Photography Podcast.

https://largeformatphotographypodcast.podbean.com/

[Tin Can]

I vastly prefer single point KODAK clips

VERY hard to find

I found NOS in box last decade

[tundra]

I use clothespins and have never had objectionable marks.

If this is really a concern for you, use dental X-Ray film hanger. They will leave nearly no mark behind.

[Drew Wiley]

Acrylic doesn't make a lot of sense if forced air drying is involved, since it is electrostatic and attracts dust, more than even the film base itself. But the drying chamber air should be highly filtered regardless. I prefer passive drying using a nylon clothesline over the sink.

[tundra]

I vastly prefer single point KODAK clips

VERY hard to find

I found NOS in box last decade

aka Kodak Film Hanger #6

[John Layton]

I've never trusted using wooden clothespins for hanging sheet films - having noticed the occasional wood residue they can leave behind on the films...thinking that this residue might put these films at some risk, archivally speaking, somewhere down the line.

[Axelwik]

I've used wooden clothes pins for years - never an issue. There are so many products these days trying to solve problems that don't exist while thinning your wallet and thickening theirs.

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

Since I realized that it's my fingers that get dust on the films, I let the films dry in the film hanger after bathing in Mirasol. No more problems.

[Mal Paso]

I've used wooden clothes pins for years - never an issue. There are so many products these days trying to solve problems that don't exist while thinning your wallet and thickening theirs.

Yep! I've had metal and plastic clips drop negatives. Wood has the perfect grip. Never had wood left in a negative but maybe it's hard to find good ones. Wooden matches are garbage now.

I drill the cloths pins with a 3/16 bit just above the spring so they always hang down and string them on 9 gauge steel wire.

[Jim Andrada]

+1 on acrylic being a magnificent dust magnet.