A beginner's question: What do people use to hold water at 100 degrees F or so? I have heard an food tray warmer or an electric fry pan/skillet. I may be one of the only persons in the USA w/o either of these appliances and trips to the local thrift shops don't currently turn them up. An electric skillet at Kmart is about $30, but the dial is OFF, Warm, then 250F up. Will an e-skillet go DOWN to around 100F? Food tray warmers are more expensive via Service Merc. or similar. What do you use to hold water temperature constant?

Thanks.

-- John Abbott (abbottjp@appstate.edu), July 20, 2001

Answers

If you're willing to try pseudo-dry transfers, use a blow dryer (not too close, though!) -- the negative should just be warm, not hot. Just put a slightly damp hand towel over the negative and heat with the hand dryer. I've tried this a couple of times in hotels with good results. Hope this helps!

-- Glenna Butts (artsyphoto@msn.com), July 26, 2001.

You can try finding an electric skillet on eBay--that's where I found the one I use. It will heat the water to 100 degrees.

-- Martha Wood (martha@en.com), July 30, 2001.

I would keep trying the goodwills and salvation armys. What you want is called a "Heating Tray", and they have adjustable temp controls. I just use warm water from the tap in a spray bottle and mist the paper with it. Sort of a technique I made up. I cant be bothered with the heating tray thing, but if thats what you want I dont think they make them anymore in retail, but I always see them at the Goodwill. Try it in the store first to make sure it works. :-) Alisa

-- Alisa (alisa@softarc.com), August 02, 2001.

I recently took a class in emulsion transfer at a local university. We were taught to heat the water to 250 and to remove the print the moment it looks like sand paper. Seems that the film has changed over the years and the 160 doesn't work well with films produced now.

I couldn't find an electric skillet at the thrift stores so bought one at Wal-mart for $20. Temps start at 180 or 200, but I don't think they hold the heat like the old ones.

-- Betty Markham (btmarkham@aol.com), August 25, 2001.

I'm new to transfers myself, but I saw suggested somewhere that you use a coffee pot to heat the water. I tried it the other day, and it worked great! It doesn't stay constant like a heating tray or skillet, but it's long enough to do one print at a time...if you have two batches of water, you have one percolating while you're using the other. I haven't measured the temperature but the print begins to bubble at about 3 minutes and the emulsion slides off great.

-- Kelley (kjwhite10@hotmail.com), April 22, 2002.