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Thread: Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

  1. #1

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    Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

    Just ordered a "factory reconditioned" Excalibur Food Dryer. Unit has 9 15" x 15" drying screens/racks, Adjustable thermostat 105 to 165 degrees, and a 7" fan. Am planning on using it to dry coated alternative process papers. I'm sure I will have to construct some kind of plenum to exit the air from the dehydrator to a 6" round duct to the outside of my house, no big deal. Presently I have an 11" x 11" darkroom exit fan in the wall behind where I coat my papers, but I have found it to be rather inefficient for exiting the air over several coated sheets of paper. Tried adding on an in-duct 6" fan, but its fan was less powerful than the fan inside the darkroom exit fan. Has anyone else used a Food Dryer to dry coated papers?
    Thanks

  2. #2

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    Re: Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

    Never even thought of that but what a great idea!

  3. #3
    Gary Beasley's Avatar
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    Re: Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

    Id be careful to use the lowest heat as many of the alt processes are sensitive to heat and may fog.

  4. #4

    Re: Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

    And you may have to rehumidify the paper before use.

  5. #5

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    Re: Using a Food Dehydrator to dry Plat/Pall coated paper?

    The Excalibur Food Dehydrator arrived a few days ago. 9 slide out trays with 14"x14" plastic screens. Timer goes from 2 to 26 hours. No heat or heater starts at 105 degrees. Fan is nice and slow/gentle. Air comes in from the "rear" of the unit, over the screens, and out the "front". Put the dryer on a shelf to the side of my Darkroom in-wall exhaust fan. (Initially used an in-duct booster fan, but it's movement of air is more likely to be measured in cubic inches per minute rather than cubic feet per minute. In retrospect should have adapted a bathroom exhaust fan for half the cost of the "specialized" darkroom exhaust fan.) Fabricated a plenum that goes between the wall fan and the dryer. In a quick test with the dryer fan on and my wall fan on high, using a stick of incense burning on the rear side of the unit where that air is pulled into the unit and a flashlight, the rigged up system looks to be 99% effective, in that all the smoke from the incense was exited out to the outside. Looks be a safe way to dry Ziatype and Platinum/Palladium coatings. Also for small runs of conventional FB paper will greatly decrease the drying times verses using my under the sink fiberglass screens.
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