In a message dated 1/20/04 5:15:48 PM, d1956m198d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
<< All this talk of developer and HP5 and Tri-X has got me all fired up, dug
out my developing gear and ordered up some chemicals.
However, I remember my main problem being drying the films. This is a
pretty dusty environment. How do you regular 'soupers' dry the film?
>>
When I started developing my own B&W film about 4 years ago, I was hanging
them in a dusty area, too, and quickly realized that I needed something better.
I looked at the commercially available film dryers--the tall ones that hang
on the wall that have a heating element, and perhaps a fan too, at the top--and
found them to be way too expensive. So I decided to make one myself,
although without any heating element or fan. I'll do my best to describe how I
made
my 'drying closet', in case you'd like to make one.
You'll need:
-a shower curtain (I used a clear one from Target)
-some 1x2" wood
-velcro
-furnace air filter
-wire
-screw eyes
First, cut the height of the shower curtain so it is slightly more than the
length of a roll of film. Then make 2 identical frames with the wood. Mine are
8 x 12", but you could make yours another size if you like. The perimeter of
these frames is 40", so cut the length of the shower curtain to 1" or 1 1/2"
more than that measurement, so to about 41 1/2". Now, imagine that you had a
cylinder that was 40" in diameter, and the height of your shower curtain. If
you wrapped this cylinder in the shower curtain, the ends of the curtain should
overlap by that extra 1 1/2". So place long strips of velcro at each end of
the shower curtain so that they would meet if the curtain were rolled around
such a cylinder. Now, instead of the cylinder, you have rectangular frames that
each end of the shower curtain will "roll" around. Staple the curtain using a
staple gun on 3 sides of each frame, with that extra 1 1/2" on the 4th side,
where one strip of velcro is facing out. Then what you have left is the
remainder of the shower curtain to act as a flap to close the open fourth side,
with
velcro on the inside edge of that piece. Also put velcro on each frame's open
4th side, plus on that flap of curtain, so that that it can be sealed at top
and bottom as well as along the long side.
Then string a few lengths of wire across the inside width of the top frame,
attached with the screw eyes. This is what you will hang your film from. Then
cut 8 x 12" pieces of the furnace filter to fit over the open sides of each
frame, and staple into place. These will let air pass through, but will keep
out dust--at least most of it. Finally, using screw eyes, attach a length of
picture wire to the outside of the top frame so you can hang it from something.
There it is, a long rectangular closet made from a shower curtain. It can be
rolled up loosely when not in use for out of the way storage as well.
I hope this description is not too difficult to understand. My execution of
this 'drying closet' is not the prettiest, but it works. It's a bit
cumbersome opening and closing the long velcro strips, because the whole thing
swings
around a bit from the hook that it is hanging on. But my films dry very
cleanly. Much, much better than before, when I was hanging them in the open.
Also,
seal the wood with some kind of sealer so it lasts.
If anyone has any further questions about this. Email me offline and I'll do
my best to answer them.
Coming out of lurk mode,
John Meyers
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