Author Topic: Drying Cabinet input  (Read 2287 times)

Offline Spreading Ink

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Drying Cabinet input
« on: July 30, 2013, 01:12:48 AM »
I don't know if this is better posted here or under equipment, so mod's feel free to move this if you think this needs it.

Has anyone ever built a screen drying cabinet large enough to just roll racks of screens into?   I am thinking about building something similar that would allow us to roll up to three full rolling racks of screens into at a time and using a blower like what is used to blow up the kid's jumper toys (like you see at birthday parties) to move air through it with a heater at the intake of the blower and exhausting it through a false ceiling in a spare office I want to convert into a drying room for screens and isolate freshly emulsed screens from those that are already dry.

Just wondering if this is a waste of time as all the drying cabinets I have ever seen only work on a much smaller number of screens and was hoping to see if anyone had any experience or input on this before I get too far along in the process?

Spreading Ink
3031 E Cherry St.
Springfield, MO 65802
417-771-3855
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Offline Binkspot

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2013, 03:56:35 AM »
Our whole screen process is done with essentially a large drying cabinet. All the screens are put into a large closet 16'w x 4'd x 6'h with sliding doors across the front. I have a dehumidifier, box fan and a heater that we only use when it gets cold in there along with four drying racks.

Offline kingscreen

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2013, 12:36:57 PM »
I built exactly what you're taking about. It's a cabinet that I can just roll an aluminum rack into. It has a heater at the bottom and a vent on the top of the opposite side. In the winter it works really well but we stopped using it when it warmed up as we've found just open air and a high velocity fan works faster (and with less electricity use). I have some photos I can upload tonight.
Scott Garnett
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Offline mk162

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2013, 12:44:53 PM »
slap a dehumidifier in there and you are set...works better than a heater(and it heats the cabinet as well.  mine is about 90 with no heater, just a dehumidifier.

Offline Grumpy Ole Artist

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2013, 01:19:34 PM »
A dehumidifier, a box fan, a dozen or so 1" x 4" firring strips, a roll of sheet plastic, box of screws, a couple of small hinges, an hour or so playing with the DeWalt, and presto, one enclosed screen rack! (Ya would not believe how hard I had to try, to convince bosses of necessity for this!) Stacked dehumidifiers are just to jack the new one up (for lower back reasons!)  Freshly coated screens ready to shoot in an hour or so. Reclaimed screens, I leave overnight on principle, (Newman square bars kinda hold water sometimes, dripping in the absolute worst places!) but realistically, I probably could re-coat in about the same amount of time...Kinda fugly, but works great! Necessity is a mother!
Humor is the unexpected juxtaposition of incongruities.

Offline Binkspot

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2013, 01:40:11 PM »
The dehumidifier keeps the room between 90-100, wheat the temp dips into the 40's we turn the heater on.

Ours has a guide rail along the bottom but easy enough to remove to handle rolling racks. 

Offline tonypep

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2013, 02:40:41 PM »
Our "cabinet" is a room with two restaurant style 2-way doors. It can hold 160 screens all on portable racks so they can proceed to coated storage. Industrial grade air filtration, heat, dehumidifying, etc. The whole screen dept is is catacomb of eight connecting rooms each with its own atmospheric and light conditions. The screens travel through it as they proceed from one stage to another.

Offline Parker 1

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2013, 06:20:56 PM »
This is ours.  We inclosed a portion of our dark room. 

Offline Spreading Ink

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Re: Drying Cabinet input
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2013, 11:23:26 PM »
Thanks guys!  After seeing all of the pictures I think what I want to build is going to work out just fine!  Thanks for sharing!
Spreading Ink
3031 E Cherry St.
Springfield, MO 65802
417-771-3855
Vist us on Facebook!