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BHuij

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My quest for an inexpensive, pre-assembled print drying system might have found its destination in the range of synthetic mesh clothes drying systems.

I found a foldable one that's designed to lay sweaters flat to dry. It's big enough for three 16 x 20, and cost me about 20$. When I'm done, I fold it back and it's no bigger than a book.

There are more elaborate ones that can be stacked up too.

Gonna need a link for that. One of my biggest problems with small space is that 16x20 window screens aren't storage-friendly and only get used like 1 day out of the month.

Lately I've found 3D printing to be the ultimate companion for making random niche stuff for the darkroom. 120 film clips, custom burn cards, a very overengineered test strip making tool, filter trays for my MG filters, wall mounting brackets to hold my Speed Ez-El's out of the way when they're not being used, custom masks for printing stereo photos on the same piece of paper... all of it costs between pennies and a few bucks.
 

cramej

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Gonna need a link for that. One of my biggest problems with small space is that 16x20 window screens aren't storage-friendly and only get used like 1 day out of the month.

Lately I've found 3D printing to be the ultimate companion for making random niche stuff for the darkroom. 120 film clips, custom burn cards, a very overengineered test strip making tool, filter trays for my MG filters, wall mounting brackets to hold my Speed Ez-El's out of the way when they're not being used, custom masks for printing stereo photos on the same piece of paper... all of it costs between pennies and a few bucks.

Something like this would work: Amazon.com: Whitmor Stackable Sweater Drying Rack White : Home & Kitchen

Edited: wrong link
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Yes, the magic word is "sweater drying rack". You get all sorts of options for drying big stuff flat without worrying about marks on prints. There are stackable options which look like they would be less expensive than racks designed to dry prints or paintings.

For example:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sweater+drying+rack&crid=1SIPGV8DEEPE7&sprefix=sweater+drying+rack,aps,203&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

If you compare that to the "art drying racks", this is a much cheaper, much more flexible option.

I bought a foldable option because I don't have a big volume of large prints, and can spare the space, but needed something to cover 16 x 20.

Gonna need a link for that. One of my biggest problems with small space is that 16x20 window screens aren't storage-friendly and only get used like 1 day out of the month.

Lately I've found 3D printing to be the ultimate companion for making random niche stuff for the darkroom. 120 film clips, custom burn cards, a very overengineered test strip making tool, filter trays for my MG filters, wall mounting brackets to hold my Speed Ez-El's out of the way when they're not being used, custom masks for printing stereo photos on the same piece of paper... all of it costs between pennies and a few bucks.
 

Donald Qualls

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I doubt it would be safe, there's just too much pressure from any compressor to do a respectable job of dusting.

I think he was talking about using the pump in the duster or sprayer to store that device's level of pressure for blowing dust off his negatives, not trying to fill one from a regular compressor (though most if not all shop compressors have a regulator; it's pretty easy to set them as low as about 20 psi).
 

gone

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I've been using an $8 safelight bulb and $4 thermometer from Freestyle for years. The 8x10 print trays are plastic tubs from Walmart, as are the plastic tipped tongs. The 11x14 trays are paint roller trays from Home Depot. My water holding tank is a large plastic storage bin, and a 100'x20' roll of heavy duty black plastic for blocking out light cost only $20 from Ace Hardware. The timer is a simple Time O Lite, and the easels and bench to hold everything were built from scrap wood from behind the garage. Before I made the easels, I was using stacks of coins at the 4 corners of the prints to hold them down.

There's probably $250 invested total in all that, along w/ the the enlarger, filters, a good lens, focusing aid, etc. It was all bought piece by piece as deals came up. Not too bad.
 

eli griggs

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One option I have considered for large drying screen racks is to pierce narrow wooden frames or plastic frames with enough material on them, with corner holes large enough to thread Paracord or slightly larger nylon cord through each hole, with the top of each cord hanging straight down from a celling eye bolt or hook or gig, and using small but strong one inch plastic spring clamps, starting at the top screen lower the screen down about an inch or two, and clamp in place, with a clamp beneath each frame hole, so it can dry hovering out of the way, above the limited floor/fixture/benches.

Simply place each screen in a similar way, and underneath the last batch of prints, so no water is dripping onto partly dried prints.

When no needed, the screens can be raised up in a stack, without clamps or spaces between each rack.

The cords, when clamped just below the bottom frame, can be likewise coiled up and clamped high up on the stored frames.

Using six frames, with a spacing of two inches between each top drying surface you should be able to keep six frames in 12 inches, plus your support hardware distance, from the celling, which could be more than enough drying surface for most darkroom work, but, of course, you can use larger frames or more frames than the six I suggested.

After considering and rejecting the use of the limited space beneath my eight foot long enlarging bench, I decided to use more of the unclaimed celling space for the drying task, with my Thomas Sodium safelight and my fabric clothes closet that draws up to the celling when no in use, already up there.

Harbor Freight sells micro spring plastic clamps, as well as small, medium, large and extra large clamps, at good prices.

If micro or mini clamps do no hold loaded frames well enough, just move up to the next size, until you find what works for you.

Cheers,
Eli
 

eli griggs

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Thanks, Donald, I lost the thread of that conversation, somewhere.

I think he was talking about using the pump in the duster or sprayer to store that device's level of pressure for blowing dust off his negatives, not trying to fill one from a regular compressor (though most if not all shop compressors have a regulator; it's pretty easy to set them as low as about 20 psi).
 

snusmumriken

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  • Several large sheets of safety glass. They probably came from old window units, but we found them in our garden when we moved in. I use some as splash-backs, and one covers my dry-bench, acting as a cutting surface and as a weight to flatten FB prints.
  • Paterson filters, for filtering chemicals in and out of bottles. I have two, would like more.
  • Hooks. Just a few, two for hanging films to dry, and one for hanging a pair of rubber gloves in easy reach via a film clip.
  • A towel rail, immediately below the wet bench.
  • Rocket blower brush.
  • Sharpie.
  • A sheet of brown cardboard with strategic holes cut in it, for dodging prints. I've had the same piece for at least 20 years.
  • A Y-shaped garden hose splitter, as mentioned by the OP.
  • A kettle. The water supply is otherwise cold only. I used to carry in a bucket of hot water from the house, but having a kettle in the darkroom makes me independent.
  • Another vote for a windscreen wiper to squeegee prints.
  • Buckets and a washing-up bowl. Save a lot of mess.
  • A stainless steel 1 litre beaker. If a tray of chemical cools below operating temperature, I pour it into the beaker, stand the beaker in a hot water bath, and stir constantly with a thermometer. Better than balancing the tray on the room heater, although I have done that too.
  • A domestic under-sink water filter with replaceable cartridge, which I can connect between the water supply and a developing tank via garden hose connectors. All water used in film processing goes through this filter.
  • A radio.
  • Record sheets, to record the details of every print I make.
  • Paper kitchen roll and other ways of mopping up minor spills.
  • Glass marbles, to reduce the overhead air space in bottles of chemicals. I'm not a huge fan, but they can be useful.
  • Matt cutter.
  • A huge dry mounting press, acquired from a professional darkroom in London that was closing down. It's so big and heavy that it's a serous nuisance in the house (and unlikely to be stolen!), but it does a fantastic job. The difference in appearance between a flat print and a really flat print is huge.
 

samcomet

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Hi all! Although I posted previously, I forgot to mention a reverse air pump that I bought at my favourite wine shop. It's used to remove air from partially emptied wine bottles (mine are NEVER partially emptied) for later consumption. I use them for removing air from developer containers and they seem to work really well for weeks at a time with the rubber stoppers that come with the product. Although one must use a container with a neck size that can hold these stoppers (such as an empty wine bottle!). It looks like this. Also some of my garden fertiliser and pond algae twin chamber treatment containers have a built-in neck that measures millilitres into by squeezing the body of the bottle. The liquid squirts up into an enclosed measure and simply tipped over once the required measure is in the neck. It's great for photo flo or wash aid or stop bath when mixing working solutions from stock. It looks like this. Cheers.
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Michel, How do you eliminate reflections when you do this? I have been totally beaten by the problem so far.

I try to do my best and ensure that the angle of light minimizes reflections. It's not perfect (so photoshop comes in handy), but not having a pane of glass between photo and digicam sure helps.
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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OK, thanks. I've been meaning to start a thread on this, so now I think I'll do that.

Glossy fibre prints, because of the surface finish, produce less clear reflections than glossy RC prints. You might want to use pearl finish in RC. I've also tried a polarizer, which can help a little bit as well.

But if I were more serious about repro, I would invest in a set of matched lights to ensure even illumination, and less reflections. I've seen some decently cheap LED sets, so maybe that's next.
 

snusmumriken

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Glossy fibre prints, because of the surface finish, produce less clear reflections than glossy RC prints. You might want to use pearl finish in RC. I've also tried a polarizer, which can help a little bit as well.

But if I were more serious about repro, I would invest in a set of matched lights to ensure even illumination, and less reflections. I've seen some decently cheap LED sets, so maybe that's next.
Thanks, Michel, appreciated. As it happens, I only use fibre paper. The worst problems of course are prints with large areas of deep shadow (i.e. lots of silver). I did start a separate thread on this here.
 

MattKing

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In RC, Satin finish seems to scan really well for me and a few others I know.
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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I have put an end to all (most?) of my processing anxieties with the use of some relatively inexpensive precision tools.

- The ubiquitous "jewels" balance is good enough for measuring chemicals by the half-gram. Gee, I wonder why so many people need to weigh their spices.
- I had one bad dial thermometer once, and I regret it to this day because it ruined my film. So the ThermoWorks line of products has great options for thermometers. You can spend as much as you want to have the accuracy you need in the format you want. But it's cheap to have something with an accuracy of 0.5C, which is plenty enough (don't confuse this with resolution! thermometers can have super-fine resolution, but if they don't have accuracy, it's useless data).
- Ditto the same company for their pH meters. Again, it helped me sort out any anxiety about developer activity. My municipal tap water is strikingly neutral, so I don't hesitate anymore using it for photo. Plus it's really great when you're making kosher pickles (lacto-fermented) because you can track progress, but I digress. I use it to control the pH of my from-scratch solutions. That way if I mess up, it's a quick red flag.
- A cheap hydrometer (the floating kind) to measure the specific gravity of heavier-than-water liquids (1.000 and above), and a cheap plastic 10 oz cylinder to use it. I started measuring SG initially just for fun (Kodak and Ilford provide these numbers, so why not validate them?), but like pH, I add it to my regimen when I mix from formulas. That way I have pretty good indicators of consistency.
 

Sirius Glass

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I
- The ubiquitous "jewels" balance is good enough for measuring chemicals by the half-gram. Gee, I wonder why so many people need to weigh their spices.

Because metric recipes specify grams not spoons or fractional spoons. One has to do with what we are given or have to work with.
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Because metric recipes specify grams not spoons or fractional spoons. One has to do with what we are given or have to work with.

I wasn't thinking about that kind of "cooking"...
 

Sirius Glass

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Pieter12

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I think he was talking about using the pump in the duster or sprayer to store that device's level of pressure for blowing dust off his negatives, not trying to fill one from a regular compressor (though most if not all shop compressors have a regulator; it's pretty easy to set them as low as about 20 psi).
Careful. Most compressors will spit out some liquid along with the air. You can add a filter, but I have found that doesn't always do a good job.
 

Donald Qualls

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Careful. Most compressors will spit out some liquid along with the air. You can add a filter, but I have found that doesn't always do a good job.

While that's true of the kind used in shops (compressing the air to 10 atm forces water vapor to condense and pool in the tank), it's far less of a problem with a sprayer pump that probably only stores 1-2 atm in the tank.

Water expelled with the air is less of a problem if manufacturer's instructions to drain the water from the tank each day of operation are followed (they provide a valve at the bottom to facilitate this operation).
 
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Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Alright, so I have a new best friend, which is a polypropylene felt 5-micron filter bag. That kind of stuff is used in water filtration systems for continuous filtration, but the size is just right for a 2-litre Paterson pitcher.

It's just a thick, sock-adjacent object with a plastic ring that you can put in a container to filter out debris. I used it on my jugs of print developer and it collected a nice amount of dirty stuff at the bottom. Then, because it's plastic, you can quickly rinse it under water, and let it dry for the next time without fear of contamination.

There are finer ones (1 micron and counting down), but they're harder to find and more expensive. From what I cursorily read, even coffee filters are only 10 to 20 micron, and they are way slower than this stuff.
 

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Like PhotoJom, I recommend a nice, comfy surface to stand on (and good music w/ Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey mixed w/ water and a lil lemon).

I ride a bike, and one of the neat things about that is you find all sorts of things on the road. These must have been blown out of a truck bed. They're extremely light, but they're also extremely comfortable to stand on for long periods of time and probably cost peanuts to buy. You can lock them together to make it as big as you wish.

Might do the whole floor like this when I finally move. I'm not proud.

xvH1Gk3.jpg
 
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