DIY Dry Box


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thirtyone

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Dec 13, 2008
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When I bought a slr, I asked the staff if there's anyway I could get a cheap dry box and he recommend me to get the "lock n lock" box (from normal supermarkets/departmental stores) along with some gel squeezed in a small packet and place it inside the box...

Problem is..
1. I forgot the name of the gel and where to get it.. Anyone out there knows what's the gel about?

2. Any other methods of coming up with your own dry box without having to spend too much $ on one?

Thanks in advance!
 

i use thirsty hippo plus lock&lock container haha
i dont know whether it suitable
i also looking see what better way haha
at least lock&lock can be carry to malaysia if goin on a trip to malaysia
that my opinion
correct me if i wrong :)
 

Problem is..
1. I forgot the name of the gel and where to get it.. Anyone out there knows what's the gel about?

2. Any other methods of coming up with your own dry box without having to spend too much $ on one?

Thanks in advance!
silica gel, you can get it from most camera shops

an alternative is to use those dehumidifying thingies, like previous poster has mentioned, hungry hippo will work, but get the smaller pack, else the humidity will be likely to be too low unless you open the box frequently.

another alternative is to just BUY a dry box with a hygrometer so you can tell what the humidity should be. too low is no good, too high is good, between 40-50% is the best, if i do not remember wrong. there is so much literature on the correct humidity on the net anyways, do a check and don't trust my word for it.
 

a cheap effective way is to actually use ziplock bags.
 

carrefour sell cheap thirsty hippo like silca gel box. they come in a pack of 3, very cheap think less than $5 for 3. u can get a big lock n lock box and just throw 1 of this in with your camera and stuff
 

carrefour sell cheap thirsty hippo like silca gel box. they come in a pack of 3, very cheap think less than $5 for 3. u can get a big lock n lock box and just throw 1 of this in with your camera and stuff

how long will you think 1 pack will last? Any idea how much does the silca gel cost?
 

mine thirsty hippo last very long
4month liao also dont need change it
 

And how do you guys check the real humidity inside the box? I don't mind DIY and I know that it can be an usable option for the beginning. But this hippo is damn thirsty. My suggestion: Get a small RH meter that you put next to the camera inside the box. Available at small hardware shops. Even when upgrading to any electric dry cabinet the RH meter still can serve as verification. +/-5% doen't make any difference, but RH of 20% is too low.
 

Usually can put lens and filters inside the box. Cam body i do not really see the need. Most important thing is still to use the camera and lens often, say touch them at least once a week.

Getting a dry cabiniet also okay. They are usually rated at 5watts/hr so if you switch it on for 24 hours per day 365 days a year at an average of 0.23 cents per kilowatt hour:

5/1000 x 24 x 365 x 0.23 = S$10.074 per year (or approx S$0.839 per month)

Its a small investment if you have lens and equipment costing several thousands of dollars prone to fungus assault
 

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