How Long Should I Dry Negatives?

rpavich · Dec 14, 2017

BAC1967 said:
So you leave the film on the reel until it’s dry?

Yes.

Is there any disadvantage to this? I know with plastic reels you don’t want to us photo-flo but I use stainless steel.

Nothing except you cannot use the same reel for 50 minutes and the negatives have a long-ways curl to them but putting them in the sleeves and putting a weight on them for a day straightens them right out.

I don't use photo flo at all, no need with this system but you're right, I won't use it on plastic reels, I use steel also.

I always take the film off the reel, dip it in photo-flo then hang it from a clip to dry lengthwise.

Photoflo won't hurt steel reels at all...they won't get sticky. Just clean them after use but as I said...with this method...no need.

I would consider making a dryer with a fan and filter if it didn’t need to be 5 feet tall. I could easily make a small table top one that I drop the reel into.

It's about 18" long. Here's a diagram.
Picture in this post:
#18

Gerald C Koch · Dec 14, 2017

Just because a negative is dry to the touch does not mean it is completely dry. It takes longer for the emulsion to dry than the film surface. In such a state it can still be easily damaged. I dry my negatives overnight.

Louis Nargi · Dec 14, 2017

AA recommends 24 hours he had said evan though they look try the emulsion could still have moisture

daliborwalk · May 16, 2019

I dry hang 120 or 35mm film strips for at least 3 hours in closed wardrope in a normal home temperature (about 23°C) but let them dry usualy 5hours. I have no problem to pull negatives out of the sleeves after a month or year.

Andrew O'Neill · May 16, 2019

Depends on the humidity. Mine can sometimes take three hours or longer. I usually develop in the evening and sleeve in the morning. I'm in no hurry.

Sirius Glass · May 16, 2019

Usually leave the film dry for 24 hours.

Tom Kershaw · May 16, 2019

I often give the film 24 hours hanging in a drying cabinet, but at least several hours. In the past I've had problems when sleeving apparently dry film only to find it sticking in the negative page. I'm generally using the PrintFile products.

RalphLambrecht · May 16, 2019

Masuro said:
I hang up developed film in a spare bathroom that is rarely used and thus fairly dry. How long should I leave my negatives hanging? I've been developing in the evening and putting them in plastic sheets in the morning. Will a few hours of drying do? Do I simply just have to wait until I don't see water?

Drying overnight does the trick for me but theere should be no water left before bagging the film strips into sleeves.

Patrick Robert James · May 16, 2019

If you are in a hurry, you can dunk your negs in alcohol for a bit then hang them up. They will dry a lot faster. Just don't apply heat to them if you do it.

tezzasmall · May 20, 2019

Patrick Robert James said:
If you are in a hurry, you can dunk your negs in alcohol for a bit then hang them up. They will dry a lot faster. Just don't apply heat to them if you do it.

I have sometime ago read a book about film using London Fleet Street newspaper photographers, who when in a hurry did soak their negatives in alcohol AND then set light to them! This would of course only be used rarely, and even then only for REALLY quick printing of important and probably front page pictures! How they put the flame out after a very short time I can't remember though. It's NOT something one should try at home!!!

Terry S

PS I'm not sure if this is the case, but some of Robert Capa's war negatives were destroyed by a darkroom 'technician', who I half remember did the above. There were some wanted films that had to hurriedly be processed and then dried. After a quick google search, most links say 'excessive heat' was applied to the films, which ruined most of them, but I'm sure I read somewhere once that it was in fact the alcohol root that ruined them.

Pat Erson · May 20, 2019

tezzasmall said:
I have sometime ago read a book about film using London Fleet Street newspaper photographers, who when in a hurry did soak their negatives in alcohol AND then set light to them!
Terry S

PS I'm not sure if this is the case, but some of Robert Capa's war negatives were destroyed by a darkroom 'technician', who I half remember did the above. There were some wanted films that had to hurriedly be processed and then dried. .

No the tech just set the film drying cabinet at the wrong settings. And btw the person in question was NOT the late great Larry Burrows as the rumour went for years...

jim appleyard · May 20, 2019

Generally, it's overnight. however, weather permitting (atmospheric humidity), sometimes there fully dry in 2-3 hours. BTW, I would never use a squeegee on my negs. MHO.

Patrick Robert James · May 20, 2019

Pat Erson said:
No the tech just set the film drying cabinet at the wrong settings. And btw the person in question was NOT the late great Larry Burrows as the rumour went for years...

Actually the "ruined photos" never existed. The ones that he actually took were blurry from camera shake, not heat.

John Morris basically admitted on Amanpour that the whole story was bullsheet.

The whole convoluted story is covered on A.D. Coleman's blog.

How Long Should I Dry Negatives?

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