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pergorm
10-Mar-2010, 14:11
Until now (the last 30 years!!) i have been drying my film in the bathroom, hanging from a piece of wire...
However i need to be able to start my printing sooner, so i am looking for a way to dry my film. What are you guys using to dry 4x5 and 8x10???

Regards
Per

Allen in Montreal
10-Mar-2010, 14:26
Drying is the only thing I use stainless hangers for,
you could make a small box and hang the hangers inside to keep them dust free while they dry and place the box on the top shelf of the darkroom shelves.

domaz
10-Mar-2010, 14:28
+1 for Stainless hangers. Obviously a little hard to find since they probably aren't made new anymore but they work great. Just make sure they are clean before use.

Chris Strobel
10-Mar-2010, 14:29
I hang clips from the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.Usually after 3-4 hours they are dry and ready to scan.

jp
10-Mar-2010, 14:38
I hang the film from a wire too. If you want to speed up the process, use alcohol, like the 70% rubbing alcohol to dilute your photoflo. It dries quicker than water.

tgtaylor
10-Mar-2010, 16:36
I generally dry 120 and 4x5 sheets in a womens wardrobe that I bought from WalMart for $6.00. Hanging up in the closet, film is completely dry in 4 hours. I also use an
Arkey CD-10 film dryer that a found locally on E-bay for $70. It's a fairly compact dryer just a little bigger than my 25 bottle wine cooler which it sits next to in the kitchen. Using the heater, film will be dry in 10 to 15 minutes or so but I usually just let them air dry. You can also turn on the fan without the heat and film will dry quicker.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1947-REG/Arkay_602695_Film_Drying_Cabinet_CD_10_.html#specifications

Ed Richards
10-Mar-2010, 20:04
I use clips and hang them on a bent coat hanger hanging on the shower curtin rod in my bathroom. A small tile bath is pretty dust free, just keep the door closed until they dry. If you have a stall shower, hang the coat hanger on the shower head. Just make sure it does not drip.:-)

Mark Woods
10-Mar-2010, 21:15
The stainless steel hangers is interesting. I process the film with hangers, but take them out to dry to hang on a wire with clothes pins. The clothes pins are plastic and have a hole drilled through both ends that you pinch to open them. My dad bought them for his studio about 60 years ago, but I'm sure one could by plastic clothes pins and drilling them. I found that the hangers left a water mark that I really didn't like. BTW, I hang my negs in my darkroom. I don't process negs and print on the same day very often since I shoot and process the same day most of the time. So far it's worked fine.

Robert Brummitt
10-Mar-2010, 21:51
For my 4x5's I use SS two-up slip hangers. They pinch the very edges of the film and allow lots of air flow. For the 8x10's it's standard SS hanger.
I hang all the film at 30 degree angle to get the water flowing off. I also built a film drying system with hair dryers and hoses. About 10 dollars of stuff from Goodwill.

Milton Tierney
10-Mar-2010, 22:05
I made a film drier from clear sheet plastic from the hardware store that fits an old Combi-Plan film holder. If you have or know someone who has a table saw the plastic sheet can be cut to size easily. Glue together with super-glue gel. (Don’t glue your fingers together). Drill holes on the bottom sides and on the lid for ventilation. The film dries in about 2hrs and I haven’t had problems with dust.

bvstaples
10-Mar-2010, 22:06
Michael Gordon, who has excellent videos on his site, has this one that shows an economical homemade drying box that's just what you need. Here's the link:

http://michaelegordon.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/how-to-video-daylight-sheet-film-4x5-development-2/

You have to go to about 40:20 into the video to see the drying box, but I suggest you watch the entire thing.

Brian

Dirk Rösler
10-Mar-2010, 22:06
I will de-dust the bath room beforehand with a water atomizer, then on this hanger... works for 8x10, and prints of course.