Drying your film should be the simple part! But it's not.
We've been experimenting with different approaches to getting our film dry and, more importantly, keeping it dust free, for some time. Here's a rendering of our latest design:
The base unit contains the controller, fan, heater and electrostatic air filter.The "tower" holds up to six sheets of 4x5 film. The operation is pretty simple: the fan draws air through the electrostatic filter and heating element; then pushes it into the tower.
Here's an top view with the lid removed:
Just slide your film into the slots, select the time, desired heat setting and fan speed; then press start.
Note: our goal is dust free negatives, not speed. The plan is to dry six sheets in around an hour.
The basic functions are:
- Heat: off - low - medium - high
- Fan: off - low - medium - high
- Timer: 0-90 minutes
- It will use an electrostatic filter rated at MERV 8. This will capture most household dust that's large enough to show up on a negative. While it's washable, you'll probably want to replace it every year or two. Replacements will be available and affordable.
We're still sorting out the features and want to keep it as simple as practical. However, suggestions are always welcome.
We are also aware that some of you shoot 35mm and 120 film. Just switch out the tower for the "silo":
It holds two 120 reels or four 35mm reels. Here's rendering with the silo and lid removed.
A lots of details still need to be resolved (in fact, almost all of them)!
But we have answers for the three biggest questions:
- How much? The target retail price is $175
- How soon? If all goes well, June '26.
- How do I get one? We are going to launch a "crowd funder" campaign in early March. Details will be released soon.
Comments and suggestions: editor@stearmanpress.com