After a long time away from it, I'm finally using my darkroom again--and am finding little problems that have cropped up due to lack of use. I have a Technal 11x14 flat print dryer which I fired up yesterday. It heated up fine, but unfortunately the canvass covers, which hold the prints flat against the metal surface, have dark brown stains which to my horror easily transferred to my prints!

I removed the canvas with their holders (they can't be separated) and soaked them overnight in a stain remover, but this didn't seem to make a difference. Any suggestions on how to clean this stuff off?

And---if it's a lost cause--does anyone know of a source for replacement parts for Technal dryers--or a good source for new dryers? What's available today, and what is the price range? (I bought the Technal at least 20 years ago.)

~mason

-- Mason Resnick (bwworld@mindspring.com), February 05, 1999

Answers

I've got two clean ones you can have for the cost of shipping. Honestly, I don't think they're worth a good-g*d-D***. Whenever I used them, clean and untouched by human hands, the left cross-hatch patterns on the prints, or worse, they seemed to attract and imbed dust on the fiber based paper.

I gave up on 'em and, when I used RC, I let it air dry by hanging, like I did my negatives. That seemed to work in sizes up to 16 X 20.

For fiber, I air dry face down on window screens purchased at the hardware store and used for nothing else. Then to reduce curl a little time in the dry-mount press on a low setting.

Seriously, if you want 'em, they're yours.

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), February 05, 1999.

I LOVE the Internet!

(grin)

-- Mason Resnick (bwworld@mindspring.com), February 07, 1999.

The dryers are still marketed under the Premiere brand. Calumet and Freestyle handle them. The distributor is Doran Enterprises Inc in Milwaukee. 414 645 0109 for Doran, Premiere, Yankee and Dev-Tec products.

Im trying to remember if we ever tried to wash the canvas aprons on the big Pako drum dryers we used to have in the Navy photo labs or if we just tossed them when they got ugly.

-- Tony Brent (ajbrent@mich.com), February 09, 1999.

Mason:

Sean's advice is good. Forget the dryer, they are just too much trouble these days. RC papers are very good these days and hanging them up like negatives to dry works great and they dry in 15 to 20 minutes! If you like the ferrotype look use glossy RC papers. I use to ferrotype prints, but the process was hit-or-miss as to getting an even gloss.

For FB paper use the drying screens and then flatten the prints either between mat boards and weights (after slight moistening) or with a dry mount press. IMHO, FB prints of any size over 8x10 really need to be drymounted for the best presentation. Unferrotyped glossy FB papers are the only really acceptable medium for fine exhibition B&W prints.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@emji.net), February 13, 1999.