Suggestion for drying cabinet heater

[Cor]

If you have the time I would advice to "have as little air movement as possible to avoid movement of dust particles. I have a Jobo Mistral dryer with a dust filter on the inlet. But I never use it to dry film, I do run the dryer on hot before hanging my film, the idea being that the blower pushes out dust particles (not sure if that is really true) and to have a warm air in the dryer. I switch it off and let my films dry over night.

best,

Cor

[Jac@stafford.net]

The page below generously describes the design, tests and results of developing their drying cabinet.

http://www.rosyproducts.com/film_dryer.htm

[cyrus]

Oh yes I'm familiar with Rosy products, I got my sink from them. Their drying cabinet is indeed quite nice -- too nice, with adjustable timed heating etc,

I personally don't even use cabinet, and would rarely even want heat at all but kept this locker and repurposed it for the dust prevention. In the rare circumstance that I want heat I was considering options. A lght bulb even if protected from the damp, still generates light and so the cabinet would have to be lightproofed. I did look at the animal or seed warmers, but they're more expensive than the mug warmer. And, I have this mug warmer here ...

[cyrus]

I'm reluctant to think that heat is a good idea unless there's a way for the hot vapors to exit. You don't want your lenses to turn in to dim sims

How about using desiccant and a very low power fan? Higher power fans will speed things up but also run the risk of sending dust inside the lenses, depending on the sorts of lenses you have.

There are no real hot vapors created; the mug/bulb just barely puts out enough heat to create a very gentle current of rising air, so gentle that it doesn't stir dust. These lockers have air slits in them (which I cover with filter) and also have gaps

[jamesaz]

I built my film dryer with 2x2's as frame and some subflooring material, 1/8", for the sides, top & bottom, hinged door made of canvas & 1&1/2x 1/8 hobby wood. Drilled a hole in the side, stuck PVC 1&1/2elbow & a hair dryer from goodwill connected to a timer. Put some filter material in the outlet of PVC. Even painted it was a 2 hour project. Locks with a hook & eye that had to be bent but will hold 6 35mm rolls & 8 sheets (more if left in hangers) 4x5. Has a footprint about the same as a gym locker but no louvers whee dust could enter. Whatever you do, weekly take a clean damp rag and wipe down the inside. Good luck.

[neil poulsen]

I think that another name for these could be dust cabinet. The main thing is to keep dust off the negatives while they dry. Unless one's in a hurry, is heat really needed?

I made my "dust cabinet" from poplar that I purchased at Home Depot. It's the perfect size and can handle 4x5, medium format, and 35mm film all at the same time. I hang the strip film on the right, and I have shelves on the left from which I can suspend 4x5 sheet film. Works great.

[John Olsen]

Tom Fuller wrote a nice article showing how to make a dryer using a transparent garment bag. Total cost to me was $30 and I never have dust problems anymore. Drying time is about 2 hours with a 75W bulb at the bottom. I think it was in Shutterbug magazine in 2002. Ugly photo attached.

[jeroldharter]

I would avoid heat, but obviously you are asking about heat. So you need something electric that produces no light. A light bulb is out. You could try a safelight bulb but those are low wattage and don't produce much heat. The pig blanket or heated floor mat would work but those are fairly expensive and inelegant to stuff in the bottom of a locker.

My Arkay drying cabinet had a heating element with a fan and filtered air intake. Never a problem with dust and I never used heat. So perhaps filtered air circulation would help you safely hasten drying. Maybe a computer fan with filtered intake?

[DougD]

Light bulb. My dad used a couple of 75W bulbs to keep dew from forming inside his boat.

[vinny]

Mine has a porcelain socket on the bottom with a 150w bulb in it. Directly above it is a piece of aluminum foil. The foil protects the bulb and catches any drips which evaporate quickly. Film is hung from binder clips and dries in about an hour.