drying negitivies

[pete1606]

For the past few years I have developed my 220 film at school. I was wondering how I can dry them at home as I would like devlope my film at home

 

[christopher walrath]

I bought a small roll of mechanics wire, available at your local auto parts store, and a bag of wooden clothespins. I strung the wire high near the ceiling about two-three inches from the wall. Pin on the wire and put the top of the film into it. Pin on the bottom to hold it straight. Turn on the fan.

 

[Garbz]

Chris you use photo-flo don't you? Do you ever do more than shake off the film when you put it to dry? I know some people sponge it, some squeegee it too.

 

[pete1606]

I use photoflo also. Should I be worried about dust drying on the negative, if it is not enclosed in dryer

 

[Ben-71]

I use photoflo also.
Should I be worried about dust drying on the negative,
if it is not enclosed in dryer.

To avoid dust, I made a narrow box (laquerred wood, door at
the front), with 2mm wires for hanging the films on.
At the sides (top & bottom), there were openings, covered with
dust filters.

To speed up the drying, I later added a computer cooling fan
that pushed air in, through the top dust filter.

When the fan quit working, I attached two 100Watt bulbs at the
bottom-side, plus a hood above them, so they don't get dripped
on.
The bulbs were connected in series, so each gets half the voltage
and never burns out.
The warm air, going upwards from the bulbs, speeds up the drying.

 

[Helen B]

It's good to hear of another 220 user. Keep using it, and thank you Kodak for still making it after all the other manufacturers have abandoned B&W 220 film altogether.

When I used to use Photo-Flo with a tap water final rinse I just ran the film between my clean fingers after it had been hung to dry. Squeegees and sponges have more of a potential for scratching film.

When I used Photo-Flo with a distilled water final rinse, I found that there was no need to wipe the film, so long as the Photo-Flo was sufficiently well diluted.

I have always hung my film to dry in the bathroom in places where I didn't have a cabinet or on-reel dryer available. Some people run the shower before hanging their films up to reduce the amount of dust in the air. I find that it usually isn't necessary in a bathroom.

On-reel and cabinet dryers are easy to make, and I think that they are worth using if you develop a lot of film. For space reasons I use an on-reel dryer at the moment. You can make one from a computer cooling fan and some filter material from a hardware store. If I use distilled or deionised water as the final rinse I just shake the water off the reel - you can be quite violent about it - and don't use Photo-Flo. Heated air is not necessary - films dry very quickly in a stream of moving air.

Cabinet film dryers, like most darkroom equipment, are cheap or free these days (and easy enough to make) and if you have space, I suggest that you look around for one. They make life very easy.

Best,
Helen

 

[usayit]

Enclosed shower hanging in the middle by wire with the shower door closed. Does a pretty good job keeping dust off. The other end of the negative is weighted down by a small binder clip.

I use photoflo and a squeegee.

 

[christopher walrath]

Yes, I do use Photo-Flo. But you can also use a drop or two of dish soap in its stead.

 

[Ben-71]

"Enclosed shower hanging in the middle by wire with the
shower door closed. Does a pretty good job keeping dust off."

This can work where there's little dust all year long.
Where I live, there're a few sand storms per year, so a drying
cabinet with filtered openings at the top & bottom is a necessity.

Once it's a closed cabinet, and air movement is quite restricted
by the air filters, if you cannot wait for too many hours, the air
should be moved & replaced somehow - typically by a small fan,
or by heating the air at the bottom a bit.

"I use photoflo and a squeegee."
​

I've always wiped films between two fingers, which are first
wetted with photoflow.

 

[Rhys]

Tie a piece of string to your shower head and another to something on the other side of the shower - a pipe or the window or whatever. Turn all fans off - we don't want dust. Dust settling on drying emulsion will stick and be there forever.

Use a clothes peg to clip the end of the negative to the piece of string. Put another peg at the bottom for weight. Close the door. Do not enter the shower. Do nothing to make dust. Your film should be dry fairly soon.

Don't use a hairdryer - they will chuck dust everywhere. Also you could well do a Capa and melt your emulsion.

If you wash the developed film in methylated spirits then the meths should evaporate faster but the additives might make the film look a bit gunky.

I do squeegee the film - between my fingers.

 

[christopher walrath]

Turn all fans off - we don't want dust. Dust settling on drying emulsion will stick and be there forever.

I just might try that next time in the dark.

 

[sunshinedaydream]

I use photoflo, then let the excess water drip off into the sink for a second. Then, I just take two clips (you can use clothespins as well), and attach one to the top, and one to the bottom, then use a hair dryer for a few minutes. It's much faster than letting it drip dry, if you're impatient like I am. Good luck!

 

[christopher walrath]

I made a Polaroid P/N 55 4x5 shot at work the other day and I decided to forego the chemicals necessary to do them so I went into the men's room at work, rinsed the print to halt developing, rinsed the paste from the negative and cleared it. All with tap water in an automotive parts store. And then I propped them against a cardboard box to dry. No moving air. NO DUST. Amazing how the most half a**ed schemes come out smelling like roses. Best looking neg I've had ever.