The Stick

For the stick I chose a 1 metre long brass rod, ca 5 millimetre in diameter. There is no particular reason I picked brass except that it was only metal rod I could find that was thin enough to fit through the hole in the core of my reels.

I also tried with a 5 millimetre wooden stick first and while that worked I had doubts about the longevity of the design.

I cut the brass rod to a length that is almost the height of the tube, from the bottom mesh to the underside of the fan. For this I used an simple metal saw.

I used a 3mm metal drill bit (and a power drill, of course) to make the holes. The right-most hole in fig. 2 (top) is 1-1,5cm from the end of the stick and is used for hanging the stick on the horizontal bar (see below).

My original idea was to re-use the 2 millimetre nails I had used for the prototype, but my 2 millimetre metal drill broke when I drilled the second hole (oh well) so I had to use the 3 millimetre drill.

This turned out to be a good thing because the plated copper wire I now use for “reel stoppers” is more sturdy and less fiddly to put into the holes than the nails.

As you can see in fig. 2 (bottom), I just cut suitable lengths of the copper wire and bent the pieces 90 degrees.

The other holes are also 3mm in diameter and spaced such that I can dry five 35mm reels at the same time (since I have a five-reel tank). As fig. 3 shows, the stick fits two 120 reels and one 35mm reel which is another combination I sometimes develop.

The Bar

Fig. 4 shows how the stick hangs on the 3mm bar, which is also made from the same plated copper wire I have used for the reel stoppers.

This is probably not a long-term solution for the bar because the wire is a little bit too soft and bends slightly due to the weight of the stick and the reels. But it is good enough for now.

The Filter

I looked at several filters and tried this one intended for Dyson vacuum cleaners and this filter cloth which filters out 50% of ePM10 but both were too thick to work with the fan I have.

One of the always friendly chaps over at photrio.com suggested to use a filter for a cooking hood so I bought that (fig. 5). I’m happy to say it works like a charm. It’s easy for the fan to pull air through it. Even on the lowest speed I can feel that air is sucked in from the bottom at a sufficient rate.

The filter is pressed against the bottom of the tube by a ring I cannibalised from the Dyson filter (fig. 6). There are other ways to hold it in place, such as using metal wire or the always-useful duct tape. Speaking of which, I use duct tape to hold the yellow ring in place (not shown in fig. 6) which works well enough.

This is the most important thing, of course. I am pleased to say that it works really well and will dry a set of reels in around 30 minutes.

One thing I need to decide on is how it should be used. There are a few options, for instance affixing a hook or something to the tube so that it can easily be hung while running, or to build a little stand. It quickly becomes tedious to hand-hold it for a half-hour :D

As for the results, click on fig. 7 to see the full 2700x4000px scan on Flickr. This scan has not been processed in any way. There are a few spots but it is truly a night and day difference compared to my past results. Night and Day.

Summing up

I hope this little guide may be of use to other photographers who are struggling with dust and crud on their films. Nothing beats having clean chemicals and doing the last wash in distilled water with a bit of wetting agent, but it doesn’t end there, at least it did not for me.

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to contact me. I’d be very interested to see what designs you come up with.