Camera case alternative dessicant idea?

riecket13 · 03-01-2011, 04:22 PM

Dear All,

So this is probably a stupid idea . . . . anyway, I'm going to be going on some bicycle tours/photography trips this fall and maybe a couple of quick ones this spring if I can get everything together. They'll be in east Texas, average rainfall is ~40, and higher on the coast, where I work, I was concerned about lens fungus developing on these trips, and thought socks full of rice and zip-tied off might serve as

a) a sort of poor man's silica dessicant, just use more rice when water is absorbed, perhaps mixed with rock salt, but concerned about that substance's abrasive qualities
b) additional padding inside my Pelican cases, rice-filled socks could be sized to fill additional loose space within case compartments.

Questions

Will the socks serve as a vehicle for moisture absorption and cancel out the rice's dehydrating effects? Would an alternative material work better? Pillowcase cloth or pantyhose?
Would rock salt potentially scratch lenses through socks? Should it be crushed first?

Requests

Please don't tell me to just spend the money and get the dessicants, I'll have trouble oven dehydrating them on the road, I don't have any money, and I do have lots of rice, also socks. If that's your opinion, give me a reason why I should do it that way. Also, feel free to be as condescending as possible, I'm just trying to avoid writing my thesis proposal.

Thanks,

Thomas

KxBlaze · 03-01-2011, 04:41 PM

Socks would probably not be a vehicle for moisture absorption but just to be safe I think rice in pantyhose would work the best. As for the rock salt, as long as you have caps on your lenses this will be of zero concern plus if you crush the salt, it will make it easier for the salt to leak and maybe even leak into your lenses.

*Kitty litter will also work.

Wheatfield · 03-01-2011, 05:03 PM

I'd stay clear of the salt. It'll wreck a lens so why take the chance? The rice will work fine all by itself.
I think your idea of putting socks of rice in the case is brilliant, and I think that will be enough to keep things dry.
I believe if you use lightweight cotton socks that have been washed enough to have any sizing washed out of the fabric, you will get plenty of absorption and things will stay nice and dry.
Moisture will be absorbed through the fabric and into the rice.

**Kerrowdown** · 03-01-2011, 05:06 PM

Are the Pelican cases not moisture/waterproof anyway?

Think I would stay away from the salt idea, I can't imagine any camera equipment and salt in any form being a good combo, however, dry rice and pantyhose I guess would work.

You may still get a few strange looks when buying loads of pairs of pantyhose, cos we can't have any runs or ladders in our desiccant bags can we.

riecket13 · 03-01-2011, 05:20 PM

Thanks for the comments ya'll, correct, the cases are waterproof, but I'm going to be opening and shutting them in wet conditions, in the coastal marshes we have waves of fog that come in at night, it's almost static rain. I'm glad this wasn't a completely insane idea, will follow up and let people know how it works. My final concern was rice releasing absorbed moisture on warm days and opening my waterproof case to find it had become a sauna inside . . . Thanks again for the help.

**dadipentak** · 03-01-2011, 07:27 PM

I agree with those who advise against salt--very bad idea, IMHO.

Adam · 03-01-2011, 07:54 PM

This doesn't sound like a technical problem to me- moving.

Adam
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openyourap · 03-02-2011, 01:08 AM

You're going to have to re-dehydrate your rice every now and then, just as you would the silica gel.
North Vietnamese Photogs apparently used to do this by dry frying it every few days.

I'd be concerned that rice dust=fungus food, but it's gotta be less bad than salt.

older not wiser · 03-02-2011, 07:51 AM

My Mother used to swear by rice to keep things dry. She used to make little cloth bags for it.
The point is that you do not have to dry it out every few days you just put new in. Rice is really cheep. At least it used to be.
A good point about fungus though.
Silica gel can also be dried out in a warm oven. put it in for about 10 to 15 minutes. NB only use the silica gel in paper sachets for obvious reasons.

Entropy · 03-04-2011, 09:33 AM

As far as a sock - you probably want to use a thin non-absorbent synthetic. NOT cotton, probably not wool either.

Ira · 03-04-2011, 10:01 AM

Home Depot:

DampRid.

The stuff is incredible.

GerryL · 03-04-2011, 10:13 PM

I would stay off the sock since "athletes foot" is fungus..so I think sock is not a good preventer of fungus..

rhodopsin · 03-04-2011, 10:56 PM

Rice-filled socks work as good as silica gel; silica gel may hold more moisture, so use more rice. Dry the rice in the oven to renew it, same as silica gel. Salt works even better, but containing it to prevent corrosion while exposing the moisture absorbing properties is problematic. Daze before the little blue girl with the umbrella "when it rains it pours", people put rice in saltshaker to prevent caking...

Opening and closing Pelican case in humid environment doesn't introduce as much moisture as putting wet gear inside -- dry the gear first -- or opening a cold case in a warm environment -- let the case warm before opening, plan for that!

Save some pennies for National Marine Products Inc. Home, RV & Boat Maintenance Products

**gordon_l34** · 04-21-2011, 09:23 PM

Hi,

I was in our local hardware store, Bunnings, chasing a product called Damp Rid when I found a product that came with its own electrical drying system. When it changes colour you just plug it in with its own supplied lead for approximately ten hours to reactivate the silica-gel.
I am using this to store some old photographic equipment, while my still being used equipment is in a Wonderful storage cabinet.
This would be the type of product that I would be chasing should you have regular access to power.

Regards,
Gordon.

ddsg · 04-21-2011, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Hi,

I was in our local hardware store, Bunnings, chasing a product called Damp Rid when I found a product that came with its own electrical drying system. When it changes colour you just plug it in with its own supplied lead for approximately ten hours to reactivate the silica-gel.
I am using this to store some old photographic equipment, while my still being used equipment is in a Wonderful storage cabinet.
This would be the type of product that I would be chasing should you have regular access to power.

Regards,
Gordon.

Would you happen to have the name of this product? It sounds great.

03-01-2011, 04:22 PM	#1
riecket13 Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nacogdoches Posts: 3	Camera case alternative dessicant idea? Dear All, So this is probably a stupid idea . . . . anyway, I'm going to be going on some bicycle tours/photography trips this fall and maybe a couple of quick ones this spring if I can get everything together. They'll be in east Texas, average rainfall is ~40, and higher on the coast, where I work, I was concerned about lens fungus developing on these trips, and thought socks full of rice and zip-tied off might serve as a) a sort of poor man's silica dessicant, just use more rice when water is absorbed, perhaps mixed with rock salt, but concerned about that substance's abrasive qualities b) additional padding inside my Pelican cases, rice-filled socks could be sized to fill additional loose space within case compartments. Questions Will the socks serve as a vehicle for moisture absorption and cancel out the rice's dehydrating effects? Would an alternative material work better? Pillowcase cloth or pantyhose? Would rock salt potentially scratch lenses through socks? Should it be crushed first? Requests Please don't tell me to just spend the money and get the dessicants, I'll have trouble oven dehydrating them on the road, I don't have any money, and I do have lots of rice, also socks. If that's your opinion, give me a reason why I should do it that way. Also, feel free to be as condescending as possible, I'm just trying to avoid writing my thesis proposal. Thanks, Thomas

03-02-2011, 07:51 AM	#9
older not wiser Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: East Yorkshire Posts: 120	My Mother used to swear by rice to keep things dry. She used to make little cloth bags for it. The point is that you do not have to dry it out every few days you just put new in. Rice is really cheep. At least it used to be. A good point about fungus though. Silica gel can also be dried out in a warm oven. put it in for about 10 to 15 minutes. NB only use the silica gel in paper sachets for obvious reasons. Last edited by older not wiser; 03-02-2011 at 07:52 AM. Reason: spelling

03-04-2011, 10:56 PM	#13
rhodopsin Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Deep Forest Posts: 643	Rice-filled socks work as good as silica gel; silica gel may hold more moisture, so use more rice. Dry the rice in the oven to renew it, same as silica gel. Salt works even better, but containing it to prevent corrosion while exposing the moisture absorbing properties is problematic. Daze before the little blue girl with the umbrella "when it rains it pours", people put rice in saltshaker to prevent caking... Opening and closing Pelican case in humid environment doesn't introduce as much moisture as putting wet gear inside -- dry the gear first -- or opening a cold case in a warm environment -- let the case warm before opening, plan for that! Save some pennies for National Marine Products Inc. Home, RV & Boat Maintenance Products Last edited by rhodopsin; 03-04-2011 at 11:07 PM.

04-21-2011, 09:23 PM	#14
gordon_l34 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 779	Dessicant Hi, I was in our local hardware store, Bunnings, chasing a product called Damp Rid when I found a product that came with its own electrical drying system. When it changes colour you just plug it in with its own supplied lead for approximately ten hours to reactivate the silica-gel. I am using this to store some old photographic equipment, while my still being used equipment is in a Wonderful storage cabinet. This would be the type of product that I would be chasing should you have regular access to power. Regards, Gordon.

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03-01-2011, 04:41 PM	#2
KxBlaze Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,602	Socks would probably not be a vehicle for moisture absorption but just to be safe I think rice in pantyhose would work the best. As for the rock salt, as long as you have caps on your lenses this will be of zero concern plus if you crush the salt, it will make it easier for the salt to leak and maybe even leak into your lenses. *Kitty litter will also work.

03-01-2011, 05:03 PM	#3
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	I'd stay clear of the salt. It'll wreck a lens so why take the chance? The rice will work fine all by itself. I think your idea of putting socks of rice in the case is brilliant, and I think that will be enough to keep things dry. I believe if you use lightweight cotton socks that have been washed enough to have any sizing washed out of the fabric, you will get plenty of absorption and things will stay nice and dry. Moisture will be absorbed through the fabric and into the rice.

03-01-2011, 05:06 PM	#4
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,816	Are the Pelican cases not moisture/waterproof anyway? Think I would stay away from the salt idea, I can't imagine any camera equipment and salt in any form being a good combo, however, dry rice and pantyhose I guess would work. You may still get a few strange looks when buying loads of pairs of pantyhose, cos we can't have any runs or ladders in our desiccant bags can we.

03-01-2011, 05:20 PM	#5
riecket13 Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Nacogdoches Posts: 3 Original Poster	Thanks for the comments ya'll, correct, the cases are waterproof, but I'm going to be opening and shutting them in wet conditions, in the coastal marshes we have waves of fog that come in at night, it's almost static rain. I'm glad this wasn't a completely insane idea, will follow up and let people know how it works. My final concern was rice releasing absorbed moisture on warm days and opening my waterproof case to find it had become a sauna inside . . . Thanks again for the help.

03-01-2011, 07:27 PM	#6
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	I agree with those who advise against salt--very bad idea, IMHO.

03-01-2011, 07:54 PM	#7
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,594	This doesn't sound like a technical problem to me- moving. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

03-02-2011, 01:08 AM	#8
openyourap Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 171	You're going to have to re-dehydrate your rice every now and then, just as you would the silica gel. North Vietnamese Photogs apparently used to do this by dry frying it every few days. I'd be concerned that rice dust=fungus food, but it's gotta be less bad than salt.

03-04-2011, 09:33 AM	#10
Entropy Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 976	As far as a sock - you probably want to use a thin non-absorbent synthetic. NOT cotton, probably not wool either.

03-04-2011, 10:01 AM	#11
Ira Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,216	Home Depot: DampRid. The stuff is incredible.

03-04-2011, 10:13 PM	#12
GerryL Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: CA Posts: 2,731	I would stay off the sock since "athletes foot" is fungus..so I think sock is not a good preventer of fungus..

04-21-2011, 10:22 PM	#15
ddsg Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 44	Quote: Hi, I was in our local hardware store, Bunnings, chasing a product called Damp Rid when I found a product that came with its own electrical drying system. When it changes colour you just plug it in with its own supplied lead for approximately ten hours to reactivate the silica-gel. I am using this to store some old photographic equipment, while my still being used equipment is in a Wonderful storage cabinet. This would be the type of product that I would be chasing should you have regular access to power. Regards, Gordon. Would you happen to have the name of this product? It sounds great.