film drying cabinet

Consider also a full-height locker of the type found in changing-rooms. If it has a shelf, remove it by drilling out the rivets. Then, in the bottom put a 100 W lamp - BUT ENSURE IT IS COVERED BY A PIECE OF BENT METAL PLATE. We don't want water dripping on hot electric lamps.

Poly urethane or varnish or paint the inside so it can be cleaned with a tack cloth to pick up dust.

MBF is heavy and chews tools and is not self supporting, sags. Stay with plywood. 1/4 in is fine is you add extra wood to where the hinges attach.

I use a plastic garment storage bag from Target; $12, assembled in 3 minutes, and can be moved out of my darkroom/bathroom in 30 seconds. I do have to let the film dry overnight because of the lack of air flow, but that isn't a problem for me.

I use a "Bridal Gown" bag. It is longer than a garment bag; it has a zipper that seals it tight; it is transparent. No dust spots.

this is good advice and appreciated for sure... hmmmm MDF is heavy stuff totally... so the plywood needs covering to be easier to keep clean

but some questions... poly urathane, expensive as it is.. would a quart be more then suffice?? what's the advantage of it over paint... other then the fact that it's totally waterproof and durable... i'm looking at cost vs effectiveness, plus poly urathane arggg... has a heck of a nasty fume though unlike a bathtub you could take it outside

isn't the varnish compareble to waterproof bathroom oil paint which really only needs one thick coat in this situation??

100watts of light... wow... makes sense... what kind of heat lamps and bulbs do they use for exotic pets?? would it be cheaper then a space heater attached to the piping??

crazy... using a garment bag... so simple, only how do you get the wet negatives not to stick to the sides?? i'd assume you'd hang the negs from clothes pegs but definately a cool solution if you don't mind the wait or are tight for space

gooday

I'd really rethink the heater in a wooden box - it sounds like a newspaper headline. The computer may be better off being vacuumed out once a year or two since the components inside are sealed and the fan lacks the capacity to draw air through a filter; especially a fine, blocked one.

I have done the same thing Don and Jim have done, with a plastic, hanging garmet bag for years with absolutely no dust. Mine had a hair dryer poked in the top (duct taped) and a few slits in the bottom to let air out. Hair dryer on low and you will have dry, flat negatives in 15 minutes. If you feel the need, add your filtration over the hair dryer but I never had a problem... VERY cheap and you can fold it up and put it away for the next time! When you turn the dryer on, the thing ballons up and I never had any issues because the roll film was always straight down. I did up to 15 rolls of 35mm one time.

Hi

I finally found time and plywood. i tried cardboard but figured vanishing it myself would be brutal... not to mention smelly. I'll just paint the plywood with bathroom latex ($10 for a quart)

Didn't even bother with the piping, filter or whether it's completely dust free. i pounded the plywood together.. it's ugly but i'm not a pro cabinet maker. It stands 4ft high and is 6" square... holds four rolls of film together nicely.

I put my space heater next to it and left a hole in the bottom. It dries film in about 15minutes.. and really only cost me a couple hours with a hand saw and hammer and nails. Saved $1000 i can use to get a digital camera. now there's a paradox for you... thanks for all the help

cheers

not only will i vanish that cardboard... i decided not to varnish it as suggested... sorri