film drying cabinet

[phil r calgary ab canada]

forgive me if it's been already explained in detail how to make it...

but i thought i'd bring it up again because it's sorta essential.. got

told.. buy a negative drying cabinet! isn't that just a box with a

heater and filter jammed on the bottom??

 

so i sat and thought and found the answer to my own question and post

it for others curious on how to do it as it's a huge relief to stop

finding dust particles when you print things and wish i'd dealt with

it earlier

 

for your negatives to live dust-free... use a hepa filter from a

safety respirator mask.. ($6 and hot pink! i'm putting one on my

intake fan for my computer.. OVERKILL WOOT) ductape/wire it somehow to

the snug fitting 3inch aluminin dryer vent tubing ($2/ft) that is

found at the hardware store, i can probably find a cheap small heater

with a fan($15 at walmart) that only needs to be 25degrees so it'll

dry negs in about 30minutes

 

for the box... i'll beg borrow ask not steal six feet by two feet of

excess plywood from the next job site or lumber yard i go by, (if they

won't just give it it to me, it might cost $20 and they'll saw it down

for me, but a few people still like art students with creative

solutions) knock a hole in it at the bottom for the air intake

 

buy a pair of cheap hinges and door handle ($5) drill holes near the

top for exhaust... and holes to jam clothes hanger wire through and

clothes pegs (pennies) the negatives at both ends, hammer it together

with metal brackets on the top corners ($2) and grin when i turn on

the heater and hope that it doesn't melt my negatives... iknow that's

not possible but it could happen... i'll add the timer soon

 

total cost $30-50... (canadian dollars btw) why do i need to go on

ebay for the same thing for three times as much plus shipping it from

florida when i can do two hours of work, below is a complete article

and photos that inspired me more:

 

http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/fdryer.htm

 

p.s. other suggestions i found were converting small closets, shower

stalls with hot water at the bottom, and punching holes in highschool

style metal lockers from staples... which seems more work to cut

through metal, if you have sheet metal cutters and patience, great...

and using foot warmer heaters and computer fans hooked up to a timer

(which all needs to be waterproofed or put at the top of the box,

whatever works)

 

my only question is MDF cheaper and simpler then plywood? other then

that... does it sound workable?

 

 

i went looking for new ones and they only want to make professional

grade ones for over a $1000 that dries 40rolls at a time... I ONLY

DEVELOP THREE OR FOUR ROLLS... SHEESH... apperently there isn't much

market in home darkrooms anymore, i didn't look for long though...

 

no market?? funny the darkroom supplies store seems pretty busy to me

still, i was talking to a sales guy and copper/titanium plate prints

are all the rage in new york, go figure... sounds like those 150 year

old daguerreotypes eh? don't sell your darkroom yet... history and

hobbies go in cycles, it gets me off my computer so it's awesome fun

 

i'll post a photo when it's finished, thanks for any suggestions of

things i missed

 

cheers

 

phil<div></div>

[chris_waller]

Consider also a full-height locker of the type found in changing-rooms. If it has a shelf, remove it by drilling out the rivets. Then, in the bottom put a 100 W lamp - BUT ENSURE IT IS COVERED BY A PIECE OF BENT METAL PLATE. We don't want water dripping on hot electric lamps.

[ronald_moravec1]

Poly urethane or varnish or paint the inside so it can be cleaned with a tack cloth to pick up dust.

 

MBF is heavy and chews tools and is not self supporting, sags. Stay with plywood. 1/4 in is fine is you add extra wood to where the hinges attach.

[don_james]

I use a plastic garment storage bag from Target; $12, assembled in 3 minutes, and can be moved out of my darkroom/bathroom in 30 seconds. I do have to let the film dry overnight because of the lack of air flow, but that isn't a problem for me.

[jim_kendrick]

I use a "Bridal Gown" bag. It is longer than a garment bag; it has a zipper that seals it tight; it is transparent. No dust spots.

[phil r calgary ab canada]

this is good advice and appreciated for sure... hmmmm MDF is heavy stuff totally... so the plywood needs covering to be easier to keep clean

 

but some questions... poly urathane, expensive as it is.. would a quart be more then suffice?? what's the advantage of it over paint... other then the fact that it's totally waterproof and durable... i'm looking at cost vs effectiveness, plus poly urathane arggg... has a heck of a nasty fume though unlike a bathtub you could take it outside

 

isn't the varnish compareble to waterproof bathroom oil paint which really only needs one thick coat in this situation??

 

100watts of light... wow... makes sense... what kind of heat lamps and bulbs do they use for exotic pets?? would it be cheaper then a space heater attached to the piping??

 

crazy... using a garment bag... so simple, only how do you get the wet negatives not to stick to the sides?? i'd assume you'd hang the negs from clothes pegs but definately a cool solution if you don't mind the wait or are tight for space

 

gooday

[__stu_evans]

I'd really rethink the heater in a wooden box - it sounds like a newspaper headline. The computer may be better off being vacuumed out once a year or two since the components inside are sealed and the fan lacks the capacity to draw air through a filter; especially a fine, blocked one.

[scott_walton2]

I have done the same thing Don and Jim have done, with a plastic, hanging garmet bag for years with absolutely no dust. Mine had a hair dryer poked in the top (duct taped) and a few slits in the bottom to let air out. Hair dryer on low and you will have dry, flat negatives in 15 minutes. If you feel the need, add your filtration over the hair dryer but I never had a problem... VERY cheap and you can fold it up and put it away for the next time! When you turn the dryer on, the thing ballons up and I never had any issues because the roll film was always straight down. I did up to 15 rolls of 35mm one time.

[phil r calgary ab canada]

Hi

 

I finally found time and plywood. i tried cardboard but figured vanishing it myself would be brutal... not to mention smelly. I'll just paint the plywood with bathroom latex ($10 for a quart)

 

Didn't even bother with the piping, filter or whether it's completely dust free. i pounded the plywood together.. it's ugly but i'm not a pro cabinet maker. It stands 4ft high and is 6" square... holds four rolls of film together nicely.

 

I put my space heater next to it and left a hole in the bottom. It dries film in about 15minutes.. and really only cost me a couple hours with a hand saw and hammer and nails. Saved $1000 i can use to get a digital camera. now there's a paradox for you... thanks for all the help

 

cheers

[phil r calgary ab canada]

not only will i vanish that cardboard... i decided not to varnish it as suggested... sorri