DIY dry box
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Relative himidity. The ratio of how much moisture is in the air to how much moisture the air can hold (saturation). Most prefer to keep RH at 50%, as anything less (drier) may result in rubber components cracking or becoming sticky. If you just use silicon gels, it'll be a little trickier controlling RH..
Buy dry cab.
Blue silica gel contain cobalt chloride, which is known as carcinogen. It is better safe than sorry.
YMMV.
Regards,
Arto.
Blue silica gel contain cobalt chloride, which is known as carcinogen. It is better safe than sorry.
YMMV.
Regards,
Arto.
dry boxes cost only $20 to $35 and are not worth DIY-ing. and there aren't containers that are as air-tight as properly-designed dry boxes. in the long run you are much better off investing in a dry cabinet. the analog hygrometer versions don't cost too much more than a dry box, but the digital ones can be costlier. silica gel is also toxic.
Errr..., do you mind a little correction:
Silica gel itself is safe. Only those blue silica gel contain cobalt chloride for blue humidity indicator. Cobalt chloride is known as carcinogen. That's why we can found colorless silica gel inside paper package inside food or medicine container.
There IS replacement for blue silica gel, called yellow/orange silica gel, which is the humidity indicator is non-carcinogen. But, it is more expensive than blue silica gel.
Regards,
Arto.
just get a small zip lock back and poke little holes into them... one small packet should do just fine.. and remember to place the drybox in your cabinet or sth.. somewhere dry and enclosed..
your RH value will fluctuate according the the weather (so much for an air tight box :bsmilie: ) so check on it every now and then (I check mine every 2-3 days)
I usually only use my camera about 4 times a month, so I usually change my silica gels at least once every 2 weeks.. one bottle of silica gel can last me 3-4 month at least...
But if you use your camera often, its more economical to get a dry cabi in the long run because everytime you open that box, you're letting in all the damp air into the box. The silica gels ROD faster. :bsmilie: :bsmilie:
just a little newbie input from me. I am using a DIY dry box also. But i use thirsty hippo. I bought a 10L "airtight" (lock and lock wannabe) box from one of those plasticware wholesaler at $8 (I got mine from the one next to MSC). I will then lay the inner faces with bubble wrappers. I get those big plastic tub of thirsty hippo and open them all up to get the dessicator on the inside. Then i will use a plastic box, underlay with tissue to suck the water, and put in the dessicators. I don put all the dessicator from one tub. I store the rest in a good ziplock bag for future use. I also mount a hygrometer in my dry box (cost about $7-$10 from Homefix, goto car section).
U will have to play around with the amount of dessicator to be placed to get the right RH. Mine worked well and stayed in 40-50% RH, i only need to change the dessicator and tissue about once every month. I open my box about 8-10x a month. My pack of 3 thirsty hippo tubs bought a year ago, and i am still using the dessicators from the first tub.
To be honest, the only reason why i still use a dry box is because i stay in a hostel. Not convi to have a dry cabi around. If u are not limited by circumstances, get a dry cabinet anytime. U can also keep your certificates and other stuff in them. U will not go wrong with it.
Hope this helps.
U will have to play around with the amount of dessicator to be placed to get the right RH. Mine worked well and stayed in 40-50% RH, i only need to change the dessicator and tissue about once every month. I open my box about 8-10x a month. My pack of 3 thirsty hippo tubs bought a year ago, and i am still using the dessicators from the first tub.
To be honest, the only reason why i still use a dry box is because i stay in a hostel. Not convi to have a dry cabi around. If u are not limited by circumstances, get a dry cabinet anytime. U can also keep your certificates and other stuff in them. U will not go wrong with it.
Hope this helps.just a little newbie input from me. I am using a DIY dry box also. But i use thirsty hippo. I bought a 10L "airtight" (lock and lock wannabe) box from one of those plasticware wholesaler at $8 (I got mine from the one next to MSC). I will then lay the inner faces with bubble wrappers. I get those big plastic tub of thirsty hippo and open them all up to get the dessicator on the inside. Then i will use a plastic box, underlay with tissue to suck the water, and put in the dessicators. I don put all the dessicator from one tub. I store the rest in a good ziplock bag for future use. I also mount a hygrometer in my dry box (cost about $7-$10 from Homefix, goto car section).
U will have to play around with the amount of dessicator to be placed to get the right RH. Mine worked well and stayed in 40-50% RH, i only need to change the dessicator and tissue about once every month. I open my box about 8-10x a month. My pack of 3 thirsty hippo tubs bought a year ago, and i am still using the dessicators from the first tub.
To be honest, the only reason why i still use a dry box is because i stay in a hostel. Not convi to have a dry cabi around. If u are not limited by circumstances, get a dry cabinet anytime. U can also keep your certificates and other stuff in them. U will not go wrong with it.
wow :bigeyes: innovation
Uhh... Time to set the record straight.... Cobalt Chloride is classified under IARC category 2B meaning that there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans but evidence of carcinogenicity in animals. As of now, no country in the world has banned the use of cobalt chloride. Cobalt Chloride paper are still being used in school for lab experiments.
If you think that inadequate evidence does not mean it won't cause cancer then consider this:
1/ cobalt chloride has been used for more than 60 years and still there are inadequate evidence
2/ blue silica gel only contains 0.5% to 1% of cobalt chloride
3/ the cobalt chloride in silica gel is trapped in gel form and is not released in to the environment.
If you are tight on budget a dry box with silica gel is perfectly fine for use. You can get a 500gm bottle from CP for only $5 and that 1 bottle can possibly last you 1-2 years depending how often you open your drybox. A dry cabinet is better but remember, they cost more, require electricity to run and will breakdown eventually (electrical stuff never last forever). As to why you need to change the silica gel once every 2 weeks my guess is your dry box is leaking since an air tight drybox will not allow any humidity in.
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/C4928.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IARC_Group_2B_carcinogens
http://www.geejaychemicals.co.uk/cobaltchloride.htm
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