DIY film dryer

[philipus]

I had the same fear when I tried the dryer but I didn't get curly negs. They were moderately bent but not so bad that I couldn't scan them straight away. But I realise the extent of the curl depends on many factors, like the film used, humidity, whether heat was used to dry the film etc. I also saw those garment bag dryers and was tempted by the idea but I don't have space for that which is why I wanted a more compact solution.

My biggest comment is drying the film on reels means it's going to have the curl just baked in and may be hard to flatten the film - the film at the center of the reel seems like it would have a very extreme and tight curl after drying. I've seen some cool DIY dryers that use those plastic hanging wardrobe storage bags and allow you to hang rolls of film - that does take more space, but they can be folded flat when stored.

Thank you for posting back. I'll see if I can come across such a filter to try.

The fan you are going for is actually quite weak, I did not see that in the first place. The filter is used in home ventilation systems which do not allow for much pressure loss. I guess it should work, but you can only be sure if you try.

 

[philipus]

Hello again
I have now made version 2 of the film dryer.
br
Philip

 

[peoplemerge]

Regarding v1 and v2 of your dryer, most dryers I've used require removing the film from the roll.

There was one exception. I did use one once that was provided by a college photography teacher which was basically a large hair dryer. Imagine a hair dryer about 2-3 times the size of a regular one, and made in the 1970s. There was a note taped on that said the recommended amount of heat, which I think was either a very low setting or heat completely off. It really did look like a product produced specifically for drying film, not a home made garage project. I don't recall if there was a filter or not on the inlet, but I never saw dust, it was at least as effective as the dryer at producing dust free negs as the cabinet. They also had a traditional film dryer that students used when they weren't in a rush, wherein they would leave it overnight. I sometimes had dust from the cabinet because after I hung my film, other students would open the cabinet to put in their film, so you were somewhat at the mercy of how careful they are.

However, the quick dryer didn't do as good a job at flatten the film so it had less of a curl. Not sure if that was due to the shortened speed of the drying (emulsion shrinks and causes a curl) or the fact that the film was still on a roll, possibly both, depending on the film.

For a photography class, it was handy to have your film totally dried in 5-10 minutes so you can process and print all in a 2 1/2 hour class and take your negatives home. The teacher used some judgement to nudge students to use the quick dryer or not, possibly some film emulsions withstand the heat dryer better.

 

[philipus]

Thanks, that's interesting. You're possibly thinking of the Senrac dryer.

I opted against heat because I have read that it increases the likelihood of curled film when drying on the reels. My dryer does not result in any curls on the films I have tried even though they are rolled when drying. It simply moves room-temperature air to dry the films faster.

br
Philip

Regarding v1 and v2 of your dryer, most dryers I've used require removing the film from the roll.

There was one exception. I did use one once that was provided by a college photography teacher which was basically a large hair dryer. Imagine a hair dryer about 2-3 times the size of a regular one, and made in the 1970s. There was a note taped on that said the recommended amount of heat, which I think was either a very low setting or heat completely off. It really did look like a product produced specifically for drying film, not a home made garage project. I don't recall if there was a filter or not on the inlet, but I never saw dust, it was at least as effective as the dryer at producing dust free negs as the cabinet. They also had a traditional film dryer that students used when they weren't in a rush, wherein they would leave it overnight. I sometimes had dust from the cabinet because after I hung my film, other students would open the cabinet to put in their film, so you were somewhat at the mercy of how careful they are.

However, the quick dryer didn't do as good a job at flatten the film so it had less of a curl. Not sure if that was due to the shortened speed of the drying (emulsion shrinks and causes a curl) or the fact that the film was still on a roll, possibly both, depending on the film.

For a photography class, it was handy to have your film totally dried in 5-10 minutes so you can process and print all in a 2 1/2 hour class and take your negatives home. The teacher used some judgement to nudge students to use the quick dryer or not, possibly some film emulsions withstand the heat dryer better.

 

[peoplemerge]

Googling for photos, it's possible that's the dryer. The main unit doesn't look familiar, but the latch that holds in reels suddenly makes me think that's it.

There are some films that curl like crazy. IIRC, Adox CMS 20 curls like crazy, but is worth it. I've seen youtubers who rate film give it a rating on "scannability" which mostly refers to how easily it lays flat enough to fit into plastic holders.

 

[Arklatexian]

My biggest comment is drying the film on reels means it's going to have the curl just baked in and may be hard to flatten the film - the film at the center of the reel seems like it would have a very extreme and tight curl after drying. I've seen some cool DIY dryers that use those plastic hanging wardrobe storage bags and allow you to hang rolls of film - that does take more space, but they can be folded flat when stored.

I made a stainless steel dryer that would dry as many as eight 120 reels at a time complete with a filter, heater, and blower. I did not need to use photo-flo. Used it once with heat. Never used heat again as it dried fast enough with room temperature. Used a very slow air-flow. Did not like the curl in the dried negatives so quit using it altogether. Hang my negatives in the darkroom. Air from outside is filtered and am very careful regarding dust so now I am happy with my films but I do leave them in the darkroom overnight. I still have the dryer in case I get in a hurry which I never intend to ever do........Regards!