Drying - couple of methods available

pbromaghin · Nov 3, 2020

I am preparing to start darkroom printing for the first time since spending a couple nights in a college darkroom in 1975. For now I will be using the new Ilford MGRC for enlarging and Harman Direct Positive Paper (FB) for in-camera 4x5. I have 2 methods for drying available, a Premier canvas-covered heated drier and a Kodak muslin-lined fiberboard rollup style. Any thoughts, tips, comments, etc?

Here they are :

Paul Howell · Nov 3, 2020

I have a canvas dryer, in the past i used it for high gloss finish, I have stashed away for blotter book, last time I used it was a few years ago when out out side temp dropped to the 40s, not that often in the low desert. My current method is us RC for high gloss, FB I dry on screens which can be stacked for a total of 12 11X14 or 24 8X10, The issue with both the dryer and blotter paper is continmation, the canvas can be washed, but use wash in hot water as you dont want the cloth to shrink. With racks all I do is hose them down after the prints are dry.

MattKing · Nov 3, 2020

RC paper is designed to be air dried. Do not try to use the canvas covered dryer for them!
I use old style wire record (LP) racks that I permit me to stand my prints on their side. Clothespins and a drying line work well too.

Paul Howell · Nov 3, 2020

Yeah I should have said that do not use blotter paper or a hot surface.

pentaxuser · Nov 3, 2020

For RC paper a Paterson type of upright drying rack works fine but what I find even better is a dryer with a fan at the back pushing ambient air across the prints on a horizontal set of metal racks. If it was a DIY dryer then a three sided box made of wood with half inch slats on which to place say three racks would be fine. The fan could be attached to a hole on the back to push air through

A heating element in front of the fan might dry the prints faster but isn't really necessary. My prints with just ambient air are dry within minutes and can be taken out faster than I can replace them with new print.

pentaxuser

pbromaghin · Nov 4, 2020

Thanks for all the advice on drying RC paper. How about FB?

Doremus Scudder · Nov 4, 2020

pbromaghin said:
... How about FB?

Face-up on dedicated drying screens that never touch anything but a well-processed and well-washed print to avoid contamination. Fiber-base prints never dry completely flat. They need to be mounted or flattened for display. There's a sticky thread on flattening fiber-base prints here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/getting-fiber-based-paper-flat.44984/

All those blotter books, rolls and heated dryers are just asking for trouble IMHO.

Best,

Doremus

logan2z · Nov 4, 2020

Doremus Scudder said:
Face-up on dedicated drying screens

I used to dry them face up as well, but on a suggestion from Photrio member Greg Davis (of 'The Naked Photographer' Youtube channel) I started to dry them face down on screens and they dry much flatter that way.

I was initially hesitant to dry them face down as I was concerned that the screens might leave an impression in the wet emulsion but I've seen no signs of that. The dried prints are now easier to flatten in my dry mount press.

Doremus Scudder · Nov 5, 2020

logan2z said:
I used to dry them face up as well, but on a suggestion from Photrio member Greg Davis (of 'The Naked Photographer' Youtube channel) I started to dry them face down on screens and they dry much flatter that way.

I was initially hesitant to dry them face down as I was concerned that the screens might leave an impression in the wet emulsion but I've seen no signs of that. The dried prints are now easier to flatten in my dry mount press.

I've had problems with marks and strange areas of reduced density in the screen pattern when drying face down. I don't worry about flatness, though. I press the prints flat enough for storage in archival boxes. Any print that gets displayed is dry mounted to a four-ply cotton rag board.

Doremus

Drying - couple of methods available

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