Build your own film and paper dryer

You spent days finding good subjects. Used good technique to take pictures and were extra careful with processing. Before you cut your negatives or mount your slides, or if you made prints, take extra care drying your work. Water marks and dust are not acceptable. You can hang your films and prints to dry. This however, increases the chance of leaving water marks. You can spend on expensive film and print dryers which is a good investment if you do a lot of processing. You can also make your own drying cabinet for less than twenty dollars. All you need is a clear vinyl garment cover with zipper, available at most department stores, and a hair dryer. Durst and Jobo make film dryers  with temperature control heaters which cost well over $400. Believe it or not, the simple design I mentioned works just as good. Buy a vinyl garment cover that is 6 feet tall and wide enough for the number of films or prints you want to dry at once. Garment covers have a hanger attached on top. Find a place to hang the garment cover. Leave some room at the bottom and make two or three small holes at the base of the cover. This allows the heat to escape. Make a round hole on top of the garment cover for the hair dryer. The diameter should be the size of your hair dryers head. Hang the film or prints inside the garment cover. Close the cover.  For drying films, use the highest setting on the hair dryer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to the medium setting for another 15 minutes followed by  5-10 minutes on the lowest setting which is usually just air with most hair dryers. Turn off the hair dryer and leave film inside the bag for an extra 30 minutes. Your films are ready for cutting, mounting, and printing. You should add wetting agent or stabilizer prior to drying films. This helps more even drying and reduces the risk of water marks. For prints, a low or medium setting on the hair dryer should be enough. Refer to the paper manufacturers recommendation for drying time.