Homemade drying cabinet

[Sigurd Veronetta]

I thought I'd show my recently completed drying cabinet, in case anyone is looking for ideas.
It's basically four slabs of thin MDF glued and screwed to four lengths of 30mm square PSE. The MDF only cost me £4 as it was some offcuts at B&Q's giant panel saw.
There is a USB PC fan at the top front which draws air in through the filter at the bottom rear. The filter is from a Daewoo Getz, chosen because it had dimensions listed on eBay.
A length of draught excluder around the opening and a couple of adjustable tension catches ensure that the door is sealed and air only enters through the filter. So far (after 12 films) it seems to be doing a decent job of drying without any dust sticking to the emulsion. That's quite a miracle as I have a hairy dog and live near a main road.
Total cost is about £30.
It's only tall enough for 120 film but as that's all I use it's not a problem.

Sig.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Thanks for sharing the idea. I've thought of building one of those for some time.


Thanks and it looks great.

Marcelo

 

[Neal]

Can't let my wife see that. She won't let me use the shower anymore.

 

[Jim Jones]

Gee, she won't let you use the shower for ANYTHING?

 

[wiltw]

Only thing I could suggest as an addition is to put an incandescent light bulb near the bottom (and shielded from water dripping down to it) , to generate some heat which aids in drying negatives or prints faster

 

[logan2z]

Nice job.

I recently stumbled upon this DIY film drying cabinet that looked pretty cool. It was made with the help of TAP plastics (no affiliation )...

Film Drying Cabinet : TAP Plastics

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www.tapplastics.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

These are some really cleaver ideas. For now I will stick to using the shower as that works well for me.

 

[gone]

For now I will stick to using the shower as that works well for me.

I've done that from day one. It's down to a science now: before I do the final wash w/ wash aid, I run the shower on hot w/ the door closed. By the time I've taken the negs out of the tank, the bathroom is all steamy. Then I quickly hang the negs and get out, resisting the temptation to "ck on things" for at least an hour. At that point I open the door a little, and a half hour later I'm cutting the negs to go into the folders.

This is what works in the desert. I believe there was a slightly different protocol in humid Florida. But these drying cabinets look so cool, I might try that sometime. I've never had an issue w/ dust in the shower because the door is closed.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I thought I'd show my recently completed drying cabinet, in case anyone is looking for ideas.
It's basically four slabs of thin MDF glued and screwed to four lengths of 30mm square PSE. The MDF only cost me £4 as it was some offcuts at B&Q's giant panel saw.
There is a USB PC fan at the top front which draws air in through the filter at the bottom rear. The filter is from a Daewoo Getz, chosen because it had dimensions listed on eBay.
A length of draught excluder around the opening and a couple of adjustable tension catches ensure that the door is sealed and air only enters through the filter. So far (after 12 films) it seems to be doing a decent job of drying without any dust sticking to the emulsion. That's quite a miracle as I have a hairy dog and live near a main road.
Total cost is about £30.
It's only tall enough for 120 film but as that's all I use it's not a problem.

Sig.

Does it not need some kind of a heat source?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Does it not need some kind of a heat source?

No. the lower vapor pressure in the moving air will cause even drying.

 

[Sigurd Veronetta]

I can confirm that it dries a film within a few hours as it is.

My house is well-insulated and maintains a fairly steady temperature of around 18-20º C all year round.

 

[ic-racer]

I built my. Dying cabinet in 2001 without additional heat. Never any issues.

 

[AgX]

There is a USB PC fan at the top front which draws air in through the filter at the bottom rear.

Typically it is advised to let instead the air stream downwards to pick up less dust. Im an not sure if this would be an issue even without a filter. Unless a smooth floor has not been wiped for ages and one is going around the dryer during operation. Anyway, if necessary one just could flip the fan...

 

[henryyjjames]

wow i think i needed this inspiration so I make my own !

 

[AgX]

Anyway, if necessary one just could flip the fan...

And reposition the filter.