drying negatives

[geert_de_keyser1]

What do you guys use to dry your 4x5 or 8x10 negatives? Do you use the same

drying 'machines' as for 35mm and medium format or something else? Any info is

welcome.

[Monophoto]

I use a film drying cabinet. It was designed to accommodate 35mm rolls (36 exposure), but obviously it will also take shorter rolls and sheets. Film is attached to clips that hang from a metal grate (a scrap of Closet Maid metal shelving). Air is introduced into the cabinet via a fan, and forced through a filter and then past a 200w incandescent that generates more heat than light. When using the forced air fan and light, film will dry in about 30min. Normally, however, I leave the fan off and let the film dry off, and in that mode it takes a few hours. But because it's enclosed in a cabinet, it's protected from any dust in the area.<div></div>

[spodzone]

I'm a real cheap-skate, at least for now. Sheets get dangled from

the shower-rail just like 120 film. My page on <a

href="http://pig.sty.nu/Pictures/composition/paterson_orbital/">developing

with the Paterson Orbital</a> has a photo of how it happens, towards

the bottom. <br />

I'm not sure what the minimum drying time is - probably closer on

4.5-5hrs this way (bathroom being around 21ﾺC), but I normally leave

them overnight to be safe.

[sattler123]

I use two Jobo mistrals drying cabinets - one for 35mm and 120, the other for 4x5 and 8x10. Jobo makes a cabinet that fits the mistral specifically for large format. Works great.

[randall ellis]

I hang mine off lines run in the shower, no dust problems or water spots.

 

- Randy

[brian_ellis16]

Remove towels from bathroom, run shower as hot as possible for 10 minutes, hang negatives from shower rail.

[michaelging]

Just remember to hang from a corner so that water drops off a single corner.

[vinny_walsh]

Get some of those binder clips for paper from the office supply place. They'll hold on to

the edge of the film and won't damage the emulsion in the image area. String up a bunch

through some line running between two points and you can dry many sheets at a time.

[andrew_limiti]

clothes pin hanging from wire works for me. No dust problems

[spodzone]

Michael suggests:

"Just remember to hang from a corner so that water drops off a

single corner."

 

Oh? Interesting idea. I was wondering about this, having seen water

collect in a little strip ~2mm deep along the bottom edge. Is it

common practice and does it bring significant improvement

(presumably quicker drying overall)?

[brian_ellis16]

"Is it common practice and does it bring significant improvement (presumably quicker drying overall)?"

 

I don't know about quicker drying but it's certainly common practice to hang the negatives by one corner, I've never seen it done any other way.

[michaelging]

That is the way I was told 30yrs ago.You seem to get the water to drop off the point, better than a edge. It might have something to do with surface tension.

[sergio_ortega7]

It also helps to use a wetting agent as a final treatment before hanging your sheet films up to dry, like Kodak Photoflo or the Patterson product, to avoid water marks/spots/streaking of your negatives. If your tap water is hard or has impurities use distilled water. The negatives will dry crystal clear and clean, making printing much easier.

[jnanian]

clothes pins and string / wire across the darkroom sink.

[harold_levie]

There are various styles of film clips on the market, each of which seems to have some drawback (teeth that wrinkle the film, smooth jaws that let the film slide out, etc.) and all of which are priced 'way above what they are worth.

 

Simple plastic clothespins work fine, if you file out the inside a bit so that only the teeth at the very tip do the gripping. The ones available around here even have stainless steel springs.

 

If you don't do the distilled-water rinse (and even if you do) it helps to use towel to wick off the water droplet at the lowest corner after the film has been hanging for ten minutes or so. Otherwise this corner will be soft long after the rest has dried, and may have a water mark extending into the image area.

[richard_lingg3]

Although Joan Crawford would certainly find fault with my technique, I dry 8x10 film by using two binder clips and a wire clothes hanger.

 

I haven't tried a wooden hanger, but that would probably also work.<div></div>

[capocheny]

Geert,

 

I just hang my film up in the bathroom much like how Richard does it. It's the newest trend

in modern day bathrooms! LOL, if your million dollar house doesn't have a few of these in

the bathroom... time to get a new interior decorator! :)

 

 

Richard,

 

Why not? It works! And, at the end of the day, that's what really counts! :) I use clothes

pins rather than paper clips but they have the same functionality. Make sure to check your

clips out every so often... just in case it's starting the oxidation-reduction process (rust. :))

 

A small radiating heater (without fan) speeds the drying process up as well... but NOT too

hot. :) Works much better in the middle of winter as opposed to the middle of summer! :)

 

And, "mommy dearest WOULD approve! Oh yes... she would!" :)

 

Cheers