How do you dry negatives after processing

[David_892]

One problem I've just encountered after processing a bunch of negatives at home, how do I dry them, as they were done in a paterson orbital tray/tank, and so ar e not in hangers, and I don't have access to a traditional darkroom with all the film drying paraphanalia. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Hang them from a line with clothespins. If you want to get fancy, get a retractible line you can hang over your bathtub like they have in some hotels (they're sold in hardware stores). If you get drying spots, rewash and try Photo-Flo.

[Doug Paramore]

David: Wooden clothes pins seem to work better and get a good grip on the neg. I was taught years ago to hang the negs by the corner with the notches, that way, the water drains away from the sky areas where streaks are most noticeable. Just grip a little corner of the neg. If space is limited, you can drill holes in the handle part of the clothes pins and string them on a wire. That way, the neg is turned 90 degrees from the direction of the wire and you can get a lot of negs on a short wire. LF negs don't curl like roll film when drying so you can put them a couple of inches apart. Form a loop at each end of the wire and either tie them off or hook over cup hooks. When your are done, take the wire down and the clothes pins will stay on the wire due to the loops. Drop the whole assembley into a paper bag or box and you are ready for the next batch of film by just re-hooking the wire. I also like David G.'s idea of the entension clothes line. Either will work. Also, I always use photo-flo out of habit. It works well. Hope this helps.

[John Randall]

I used to hang my negatives on a line using clothes pins but since I have a forced air furnace I couldn't keep the dust off the negatives while they dry. I made a drying chamber using a plywood base with a divider, in the center, on which I mounted 1/8" thick wires to hold the clothespins. I then cut a hole in the base, on each side of the divider and mounted a small fan on one side and a filter on the other. I hang my negatives, with the clothespins and cover the whole thing with an inverted plastic bin which sets down on the base board (I stuck foam tape around the lip of the bin to seal it). After closing it up I switch on the fan and my negatives now dry without any dust specks. I purchased all the parts at Sears (except for the fan which I already had) for $25.00.

[Scott Walton]

David, Agreeing with everyone about hanging them so they dry vertically... When I started (many years ago) I wanted to dry negs quickly to get printing that night. I also hate spotting... I went out and bought a garmet bag, the kind you hang in your closet that has a clear front and a frame supporting the top with 2-3 hangers on top. Well, I strung line inside the top to hang the film and I then borrowed my sisters hair dryer and cut a hole it the top, stuck the dryer through the top and then poked a few holes in the bottom so the air would flow out and it worked great for years. When you turn the dryer on, it will balloon the bag out and blow the negatives straight down and I never once got negatives stuck together. The other alternative is pay $500+ for a film cabinet...

[Scott Walton]

I forgot to say also that it works great for sheet up to 8x10 and it is amazingly dust free! Cheers

[Matt Long]

David:

I second the garment bag suggestion. I have used this setup for years and it has provided a clean, dust-free environment for drying negs (normal room drying, no forced air) at a minimal expense.

[Yaakov Asher Sinclair]

I have a similar system to the garment I back but use an small close insteadt. I'm deciding whether to put the hair dryer at the top or the bottom. Any ideas? Also - how can I filter the air without burning the filter? Thanks to everyone for all the help.

[Yaakov Asher Sinclair]

I have a similar system to the garment I back but use an small close instead. I'm deciding whether to put the hair dryer at the top or the bottom. Any ideas? Also - how can I filter the air without burning the filter? Thanks to everyone for all the help.

[Yaakov Asher Sinclair]

Sorry for the previous garbled message which should have read: I have a similar system to the garment bag, but I use a narrow closet instead. At the moment I'm deciding whether to feed the air from a hair dryer to the top or the bottom. Any ideas? Also - how can I filter the air without the hair dryer burning the filter? Thanks to everyone for all the help.