Anyone still use old print dryers?

[toolbox]

Hey guys,
Just curious if anyone out there still uses old electric print dryers? I've got one of the two-sided ones, but I still need to clean it up before I think about trying to use it. I'm also a little hesitant to use something that old which has both ancient wiring in it, and produces heat...
I've looked the drum style dryers too. Not looking to Ferrotype my fiber prints, just looking for an alternative to letting them dry and putting a big stack of books on them for a week.
Cheers,
Scott

[Jim Noel]

Clean it up including the apron and dry with emulsion toward the apron. Don't remove the apron, but wash it with a brush and then stretch it into drying position to let air dry. This is to prevent shrinkage and will work on both models.

[Michael E]

Make sure to clean it well. Chemical residue from the unsufficiently washed prints of decades could contaminate your freshly rinsed prints. That's why I stopped using these dryers years ago.

Michael

[ROL]

Hey guys,
Just curious if anyone out there still uses old electric print dryers?

No.


Not looking to Ferrotype my fiber prints, just looking for an alternative to letting them dry and putting a big stack of books on them for a week.

There are other much better alternatives (http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/pages/a-darkroom-portrait#dryside).

[WayneStevenson]

I have an RC dryer I use all the time. Wish I could find a replacement foam for it. Spits out specs every now and then.

I don't use my toaster ovens. Well, to put it more accurately, I don't print FB much at all. But have no concerns about plugging in old electric appliances. They were built to last in will outlast anything in your kitchen including your grandma's fine china.

[fralexis]

Clean it up really well and use it. I use one and find them great. As someone else pointed out, the emulsion side goes on facing the canvas. The old ferrotype requires a special coating and probably isn't useful unless you just really, really want it.

[cowanw]

With the emulsion on the canvas side, the glossy papers come up very nice with a pearl finish.

[Brian Ellis]

Hey guys,
Just curious if anyone out there still uses old electric print dryers? I've got one of the two-sided ones, but I still need to clean it up before I think about trying to use it. I'm also a little hesitant to use something that old which has both ancient wiring in it, and produces heat...
I've looked the drum style dryers too. Not looking to Ferrotype my fiber prints, just looking for an alternative to letting them dry and putting a big stack of books on them for a week.
Cheers,
Scott

While a big stack of books will flatten the prints (more or less) for me it never eliminated curling around the edges of the print. There aren't many things in photography about which one can say "if you want to do it right, this is the only way to do it." But drying prints is one of the few ways about which that can be said (IMHO obviously). Here's the way. Lay the prints on a non-metal screen, face up. Put a second screen on top of the first one. Let the prints dry on the screen. Then when they're dry put them in a dry mount press for 10-15 seconds to eliminate the curling around the edges.

Electric print dryers were made primarily for people who had a large volume of prints that they needed to dry very quickly (e.g. labs, newspapers, etc.). Ferrotyping, as you know, was used to add a glossy sheen to the prints. If neither is your situation then there's no reason to use an electric print dryer that I know of.

[Michael E]

A friend used to print with wide borders and taped the print face up to a sheet of glass with adhesive tape (rubberized paper tape). When the paper dried, it stretched and flattened nicely. He cut off the borders with a box cutter. The print was and stayed perfectly flat.

Michael

[Renato Tonelli]

I have a Premier drum-type dryer; the canvas has water stains. Haven't use it since the late 1980's. If anyone wants it, send me a PM; it's your for the shipping cost.

[tgtaylor]

Up until about a month ago I used a 16x20 Premier 2-sided dryer that I bought new from Adorama ~ 2008. I dedicated one side for color and the other for B&W - always placing the prints face-up to the canvas. Then I bought an Arkay RC1100 from a forum member for a very good price and now use it exclusively for prints up to 11x14. Greg hadn't used the Arkay for years and at first a pronounced "mildew" was emmitted when turned on. However that odor has slowly disappated and I expect it to shortly totally disappear. I still use the Premier for 16x20 RC, a hand dryer for larger RC, and Calumet racks for all fiber.

Thomas

Thomas

[J. Fada]

I use a two sided one for drying prints fast, sometimes for ferrotyping and also for flattening dry prints. To flatten dry prints I crank the heat all the way up, stack the prints, close the top and then turn off the heat. When the bed is cool the prints will be flat. I also use a sheet of hot press watercolor paper to keep the canvas clean although I never put a print in it unless it is completely washed. If you need to wash the canvas put it back on the drier while it is wet otherwise it will never go back on!

[Jess C]

I used to have an old Pako and an Arkay many years ago. I dry all my prints on screens and have for years. For fiber base prints I believe it's the only way to go. No electricity needed.

[toolbox]

Thanks for all the great input guys! I looked at the old dryer I have, and it should be pretty easy to remove the canvas and clean it (it's pretty ugly). I'll take some tosser test prints and put them in there and see if I like it or not...who knows. I don't have room for big screens, but I can probably build some smaller ones and see how they work too. I like the idea of using the dryer to flatten dry prints, I'll give that a go too.
Thanks guys!

[cyrus]

Yes I use 'em. To see drydown effect when I'm choosing an exposure time, not to flatten prints.

[cyrus]

I have a Premier drum-type dryer; the canvas has water stains. Haven't use it since the late 1980's. If anyone wants it, send me a PM; it's your for the shipping cost.

PM sent! :)

[SpeedGraphicMan]

I still have mine... Use it every once in a while.

I assume you already know this, but just in case, DO NOT USE IT WITH RC PAPER!!!!!

You will have a nice sticky mess if you do.

[Renato Tonelli]

I have a Premier drum-type dryer; the canvas has water stains. Haven't use it since the late 1980's. If anyone wants it, send me a PM; it's your for the shipping cost.

Still here, taking up space ---

[Captain_joe6]

I might be able to make the claim that I've got the only proper ferrotyping operation in Oregon. A truly glossed fb print is quite a thing to behold.

[neil poulsen]

I use one ONLY to dry work prints for review under proper lighting.

Final prints get dried on a drying rack that's been cleaned using about a 10% solution of bleach.

[joselsgil]

Yes I use 'em. To see drydown effect when I'm choosing an exposure time, not to flatten prints.

I seem to recall A Adams using a microwave oven to dry a portion of a print. This was to see how the whites were going to look, once the print dried. From what I have heard, A Adams, was a decent printer. YMMV. :)


Jose