Improved screen drying box

Referring to the post Drying an emulsion-coated screen, the box described there worked well except for one thing: the front flaps need to be taped closed after the screen is put inside, before the box is covered with heavy cloth. The trouble is, the tape didn't stick to the cardboard for long. A good deal of new tape was needed each time. So I've modified the box, as follows:

Photo 1: Sticky Back Velcro

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I cut some small tabs of canvas and glued them to the box with white glue and let it dry overnight. Then I cut a strip of self-adhesive Velcro (Photo 1) and applied one side to the canvas tab and the other side to the corresponding position on the box when the flap is closed. Photo 2 shows the tabs folded back, with one half of the Velcro adhered. Photo 3 shows the tabs closed. They secure the front flaps neatly and quickly. They don't exclude all light however so the front of the box still needs to be covered with a heavy dark cloth.

Photo 2: Tabs folded back showing Velcro strips in place

Photo 3: Showing how the tabs close the front flaps

Drying an emulsion-coated screen

After coating a screen with light-sensitive emulsion, the next thing is to let it dry which can take a few hours or overnight. The place where it dries needs to be pitch dark. Any pinpoint of light getting in will send all the timings off and will make the screen much harder to wash out after exposure. My solution is a cardboard box with the chinks well sealed off. I put my head into the box and hold it towards the light to ensure I've got all the chinks. However you can't seal the front in this way, so after closing the flaps with tape, I put a heavy dark cloth over the box, making sure the front is well covered.

Another thing is that the screen should be dried with the screen side down. Therefore it needs to be raised so that the wet emulsion doesn't touch the floor of the box. You could put some blocks at the sides, but that's unsatisfactory because they can be pushed out of place as you are putting the screen in. So I add "risers" made out of cardboard and glued to the box, as shown in the photo below. It's rough and ready method but very effective.

A box for drying screens with "risers" on two sides