Some years ago, tired of getting dust on my negatives while they were drying, I cobbled together a simple negative drying setup for a few dollars and less than an hour's work. Other people have often commented on the simplicity of this system, so I thought I would make the design available.
Start with plastic pipe. Pick the length so that it's at least a foot longer than the longest reel of film you develop, and the diameter so that you can suspend as many reels of film as you're likely to develop at once without their touching the walls of the pipe.
You'll want to mount the pipe to the wall for stability. I found a single drywall screw at the top end secure enough for seven feet of 6-inch pipe. Just drill a hole in the pipe near the top and run the screw through it.
Next you need a metal rod longer than the diameter of the pipe. I used a stainless steel bicycle spoke because I had it available, but you could just cut up an old coathanger. Drill a pair of holes across the diameter of the pipe, a few inches down from the top, so that you can stick the rod through the pipe.
Next, take a cheap clamp-on light and take off the clamp and the shade. Put in a low-wattage bulb, I use a 15W/130V bulb. Dangle the lamp down into the pipe by its cord until it's just a few inches above the bottom of the pipe. Secure the cord with duct tape at the top of the pipe, and in a few spots along the inside of the pipe so that it stays out of the way.
Cut a couple of circles of cheesecloth large enough to wrap over the ends of the pipe. The one on the bottom can be put on with duct tape, the one at the top should be removable, so stick it on with a rubber band or, if you want to get fancy, stitch a ring of fishing weights around the edge of it so that it hangs there securely.
Now, when you're going to develop film, plug in the light ahead of time to start warming the air in the tube. Take your wet film and put a film clip on one end and a clip-on weight at the other end. Lower it carefully into the tube without bumping the walls, and hang the film clip over the metal rod. Put the cheesecloth back on the top and the film will dry dust-free.
This page written by Josh Putnam. Please feel free to email questions, comments, corrections, suggestions, etc.
© Joshua Putnam