Ideas on how to dry 5x4 negs (NEWBIE)

dustym · Feb 6, 2006

Im about to develop my first 5x4 negs and had not thought how dry them , what do you use ?

rgds
Dusty

fschifano · Feb 6, 2006

I have a string suspended between two wall of my darkroom. From that string, I use wooden closthespins to hang all manner of film. Rollfilm gets an extra one clipped to the bottom for weight. Sheet film doesn't need that, so I just clip it from 1 corner and leave it to dry. No different really than rollfilm. The usual caveats about dust control apply just the same.

reellis67 · Feb 6, 2006

I do the same thing as fschifano. I clip just the corners where the notches are. Work like a charm!

- Randy

Donald Miller · Feb 6, 2006

I have found that small binder clips (metal from Walmart or office supply store) work better then clothspins. They are more positive.

dschneller · Feb 6, 2006

Platic clips from the dollar store and a coat hanger. Seems to work for me but I'm a 4x5 beginner.

BradS · Feb 6, 2006

Ordinary clothes pins suspended from a string stretched across the bath tub.

jp80874 · Feb 6, 2006

Dusty,

Forgive me the play on your name. I posted this quote in an earlier thread when the question dealt with how to avoid dust on drying film. I also use the small metal clips that Donald Miller mentioned.

" Here is an item you can collapse or roll away that will help clean the film drying process. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/pro...11678653&RN=303 It is a canvas storage box on casters that can roll away or collapse. The canvas keeps the dust out, but allows the water to evaporate off sheet or roll film hanging from the coat hanger bar. I dont know if this store is international, but I imagine some other company is selling a similar product there." I use wire hangers bent to fit and then hang ten sheets of 4x5 film or five sheets of 8x10 with the little metal clips attached to the bent hangers. I use a Jobo with Expert (drums) tanks to develop film. As you may know, one tank develops ten sheets of 4x5 film, the other five sheets of 8x10.

John Powers

John Bartley · Feb 6, 2006

Well, for both 4x5, 8x10 and roll film I use wooden clothes pins and a line across the bathtub ....

cheers

agGNOME · Feb 6, 2006

Jobo and Patterson have some really nice, but expensive film clips. They have a spike that punctures the film. Nice because the clips do not intrude into the image area, and the film dries around this puncture. You don't have to move the clip from it's original position to dry under that area.
But, here's an alternative that works just as well: miniature A-clamps from Home Depot (or most hardware stores). They cost about .40 cents each, hold the film firmly, no punctures, and no image intrusion. The ones I have are about 2 inches long and about a 1/2 inch wide. Underneath the rubber cover you'll find a circular hole in the metal frame...use a small screwdriver to punch a hole through the rubber. Now they're ready to hang.
ps. I squeegee the edge of the film where I intend to use the clamps; this secures the hold even better.

Mongo · Feb 6, 2006

I hang my film inside of one of those box-shaped bags that's meant to protect clothing in a closet. It's made of fabric, with a zipper up the front and a thin rail inside for clothes hangars. I use plastic clothes hangers on the rail with the small clamps that are used to hold skirts on hangars. The whole arrangement (hanging bag and clothes hangers with clips) set me back about $20 total, and I can dry 10 sheets of 4x5 comfortably or 20 sheets if I'm careful when I place them in. Zip up the bag and it both keeps the dust out and keeps any air movement from moving the negatives around (so they don't touch). I hang the whole thing in a doorframe...works like a charm.

It wouldn't be difficult to modify the bag so that you could hang more negatives vertically, but I've never bothered as I rarely need to dry more than 10 negatives in an evening.

Papa Tango · Feb 6, 2006

There is a metal hanging rack made to hang up to six skirts one layered above the other. You can find them at most large variety stores. Each bar of the rack has two clips. These work great, and will hang 12 negs. Take off the black plastic dip covering on the ends of the clips, as it will cause the film to creep when wet and drop out of the clip. Kick each clip out at a slight angle from vertical, load and dry!

DeanC · Feb 6, 2006

I've got one of Dead Link Removed standing in my garage/darkroom. It's free standing and keeps the dust of the 8x10s. Haven't tried hanging 35mm in it yet so I'm not sure that it's quite tall enough (looks like it's going to be close).

Dean

raucousimages · Feb 7, 2006

I use film hangers and tank develop my 4x5 and dry them in the hangers. I tray develop 8x10 and use plastic clothes pins. I use plastic to eliminate the chance of wood soaking up chemicals, not a big problem though. When wood or plastic clothes pins become dirty throw them out.

Maine-iac · Feb 8, 2006

fschifano said:
I have a string suspended between two wall of my darkroom. From that string, I use wooden closthespins to hang all manner of film. Rollfilm gets an extra one clipped to the bottom for weight. Sheet film doesn't need that, so I just clip it from 1 corner and leave it to dry. No different really than rollfilm. The usual caveats about dust control apply just the same.

Me too, except that I give the film a dunking in water with a few drops of Photo-Flo before hanging it, to eliminate water spots on the dried film.

Larry

jovo · Feb 8, 2006

Since my darkroom is only about six feet wide I'm able to use one of the retractable clothes lines that people sometimes have over their tub. It consists of a spring loaded container for the string and a fixture to attach it to when pulled out. As others have noted, clothespins work quite well for the actual film.

Ideas on how to dry 5x4 negs (NEWBIE)

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