[APML] Cheap Dessicant to store film with

["Lane, Jason R" <jason.lane@navy.mil>]

Hello all,

One of the objectives of hypering film is to remove moisture from the film.  From my limited knowledge of how hypering works, the removal of moisture is one of the reasons hypered film has greater sensitivity and/or less reciprocity failure.  Since I don't have access to a hypering system nor will I have one anytime in the near future, I've always wondered if storing film long-term with dessicant would be of any benefit.  Naturally it wouldn't be as helpful as hypering, but maybe it helps a little bit without the large investment that hypering requires.

I recently discovered that Wal-Mart sells a product called "Damp Rid" in their cleaning supplies section.  This is 18oz of calcium chloride, and the product is designed for use in damp areas of the house to reduce musty odors and humidity.  The package is relatively inexpensive...less than $10.  The container has an insert which divides it into upper and lower sections.  Normally you would put the calcium chloride in the upper section to let the water drain down to the lower section, but for this I put the calcium chloride in the lower section, 5 or 6 rolls of film in the upper section and sealed it in a Ziploc bag and stored it in the fridge.  The ziploc is going to be temporary until I find something that gives a better seal (I was thinking a big Mason jar).  Through normal use, some of the rolls will be stored in there over the course of several months, so I believe I'll get a good set of data points from a few weeks' storage to a few months' storage.  I can then compare these to photographs I've already taken of deep sky objects and see if there was any effect.   I can also try variations on this theme, like baking at low temperatures to help the process along.

Thoughts?   

Cheers,
Jason
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