How does one dry film, without getting a dusty mess?

AutumnJazz

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I'm moving towards doing my own developing at home (right now 135, maybe MF or 4x5 in the future), but one thing that has perplexed me is the prospect of drying film. I have pets, and my home is relatively dusty (as is anyone's). I suppose I could run the shower for a few minutes, and then hang my film up in that nice and steamy room?

Thanks to all...
 

Anscojohn

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*******
Yup.
 

vdonovan

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That hanging wardrobe is a great idea! One could easily modify it to blow filtered air through it for very short dry times.
 

Nathan Potter

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Before I got more sophisticated with dust control I used a cardboard box connected to dryer hose which in turn was connected to the output of a small stand alone HEPA filter from 3M, (all bought from Home Depot). Duct tape sealed everything pretty tight. Crude but very effective.

Nate Potter, Boston MA.
 

Sirius Glass

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I hang the film in the shower and close the shower door. You may want to close the bathroom door, too. Use PhotoFlo for black & white film.

Steve
 

BradS

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Here in California, dust is just a part of life. There is no escaping it. We leave all the windows open almost year 'round and we only get a very little rain (well, none at all after the rainy season).

Despite this, I've never really done anything special to dry negatives. I just hang 'em up in the bathroom, close the nearest windows and try to keep the dog out of the room for a few hours. Seems to work ok.

Now, dust in the dark room is another matter all together...I wage a constant battle against dust while printing.
 
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Anscojohn

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[Despite this, I've never really done anything special to dry negatives. I just hang 'em up in the bathroom, close the nearest windows and try to keep the dog out of the room for a few hours. Seems to work ok.
******
A, c'mon, Brad. Apugers can't do anything that simply. Back when I was a stringer, we souped hundreds of rolls in some pretty grim hotels. Run the shower if the bathroom had one; hang it up; let it dry. No problems. KISS
 

Valerie

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I've used the hanging wardrobe for years with no dust issues whatsoever. Cheap and efficient-- what more can you ask for?
 

WGibsonPhotography

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I run hot water in the shower for a few minutes and then hang the film from the shower curtain rod. I put a fancy wooden clip on the bottom of the film to keep it straight
 

Shawn Dougherty

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I was refering to Steve's comment which I quoted... but yes, those clothespins are indeed top of the line. =)
 

glaiben

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SpotPens - part of the art of analog photography. I love seeing the master's prints and comparing my ability to spot prints compared to theirs <g>.
 

jp80874

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Bed Bath & Beyond has something like this on casters and a frame to roll away out of the darkroom for storage. The difference is that all the panels are canvas. No fan is needed. The moisture goes out through the canvas. The dust and in our case two Labradors’ hair doesn't go in. There is a zipper opening that seems pretty air tight. I use it for 35mm, 120mm, 4x5, 8x10 and 7x17. NO DUST. The floor seems to be cardboard so I put paper towels on the floor to absorb water drops rather than let the cardboard soak it up. I was worried that mold might start. It hasn't in four years.

John Powers
 

BradS

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Anscojohn said:
A, c'mon, Brad. Apugers can't do anything that simply. Back when I was a stringer, we souped hundreds of rolls in some pretty grim hotels. Run the shower if the bathroom had one; hang it up; let it dry. No problems. KISS
Click to expand...

Would be fun to hear some of those stories sometime....for a few years in my early teens, I wanted to be photo journalist...a foreign correspondent type. Traveling and souping film in what ever running water I could find. My uncle was a PJ of some sort in Vietnam during the mid 1960's...but he was loath to talk about it.

Yeah...KISS is the way to go. I get a serious laugh at some of the antics people post and the stuff they worry about.....
 

ChrisC

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I use a spare toilet which is just off my laundry where I have the closest running water to my darkroom, so it's where I do all my rinsing.
I just have a couple of wires hanging just below the ceiling, and I throw in a little 5-bar oil heater on high before I start. By the time the film's ready to hang up, the room's nice and warm, and the film's usually dry by the time I've finished cleaning up. It's such a small toilet there's really nowhere for dust to gather either. It works really well.
 

MattKing

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For those of us who are not Aussies, would I be correct in guessing that when you refer to toilet, you are referring to what many of us would refer to as a bathroom or washroom, and not one of the fixtures contained therein? .

Matt
 

IloveTLRs

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I hang my negs up to dry in a window. A sunny window if possible. I put a clip on top (obviously) and one on the bottom. I haven't had any major curling nor dust problems.
 

Sirius Glass

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Sirius Glass said:
I hang the film in the shower and close the shower door. You may want to close the bathroom door, too. Use PhotoFlo for black & white film.

Steve
Click to expand...

I have fishing line [nylon] that I loop around the shower head and then drape it over the edge of the shower stall. The end is looped around a three pound barbell.

Steve
 

Marcus S

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I have used the shower method with the addition of a small heppa filter on the counter.

Marcus
 

rst

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For 4x5" and 8x10" I also use just clothespins although I use wooden ones, in photography I am kind of traditional But for 35mm and 120 I use the Bounty method of film drying. That gives me dry film within 10 minutes. The faster the film is dry the lower is the chance that it catches up dust.

Cheers
Ruediger
 
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