You could. I think it would kill the hair dryer very quickly though and take a lot of time. I block out any light in my bathroom, take some paint sticks and lay them down in my shower, then place my emulsioned screen on the paint sticks to get air under it. I can then stack the screens, with sticks between them, and aim a small fan in their direction to speed up the air flow and drying time. Takes a few hours but they dry. I also have a drying cabinet. The shower method is used during daylight hours or when my cabinet is full. I can send you a PDF of some plans for a drying cabinet if you like, just PM me with an e-mail address.
My son built a screen drying rack out of basic plywood and some frame work. He added a hinged door, an extraction fan on the bottom, and a ceramic heater on top. It holds 9 screens.
Of course, on nice days, he just lines them up in the back of the shop near the open doors, and runs an air mover across them.
i just use shelves in my dark room with spacers between each screen and they come out just fine. The air flow speeds up dry time, I still like to give at least 12 hours if not 24 to let the emulsion set up properly.
It may seem dry on the outside, but the integrity may not be so setup if you are just doing a feel test on the surface of the screen.
In 15 minutes you will know if it is possible. Try it.
Science
Heat is bad for stencils. Exposing the stencil to heat above 105°F can have the same effect as exposure to UV energy. Heat will also relax the polyester threads and you will loose tension.
The best way to promote drying is to make the AIR dry, and the dry air will pull the moisture out of the stencil. Mother Nature likes equilibrium.
This is done better with a dehumidifier, rather than heat. In the summer when the relative humidity is 70%, there is no reason for the water to come out of the stencil. When you get bored with the hobby methods, you will buy a dehumidifier.
Yes - Raising room temperature, raises the amount of moisture the air can hold because the gas (air), expands with heat. This is the relative part of relative humidity.
The best screens are coated the day before, but when you need a screen in a hurry - drastic measures must be taken by any means 'possible'.
References problem with emulsion washing out Pictures of Mr. Dehumidifier ..... and a relative humidity gauge you should buy so you stop guessing if the screens are dry.
Hey guys, i have been using a space heater to dry my emulsion and its usually done in 10 minutes. lately i havent been able to fully get the emulsion off the screens and i think it might have to do with that. Any thoughts or tips?
I use a hair dryer to dry every screen I ever coat because I am a low-production small shop. It takes about 10 minutes (bout the same as to dry my hair), and as long as you keep the hair dryer moving, it will not get too hot.
I knew it was dry because it didn't feel sticky or tacky anymore.
Heat did work but until lately i cant get the emulsion out after im done with the screen. Im fairly new to this but i havent been doing anything diffferent then usual. Any thoughts?
I know it is dry because I can see the spots that are still wet internally by holding the frame up to a light. After a little practice, it's pretty easy to spot. In addition, the wet edges from the coater are the thickest and will dry last, so if they are dry, I can be confident the print area is plenty dry.
I did some testing regarding temperature vs distance/speed of moving the hair dryer and I am confident in that as well.
I know, it would probably be easier to just build a proper drying cabinet.
Edit: Do NOT use a heatgun to try to dry emulsion.
Drying emulsion 
