Cleaning Negs

Knikki

Knikki

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So I have got some print negs developed and return. They are in this see through plastic sleeves, which means "static tactic fun" :nuts:

So now I am scanning them I finding piles of rubbish all over them, which when scanning shows up just lovely. :bang:

Question is how do I get around this problem?

Anti Static brush work?
Wash the negs again in water and can you do this?
Get some none static paper sleeves?

Blower brush just does not work and using a compressed air can just blows the negs off the film holder :razz:

Anyone any idea :help:?
 
I guess washing them would work well as long as you are careful. Who did you use to get the negs developed as I only have problems with high street developers "tesco and the like"
 
I clean every surface with a blusher brush and then throw em straight in the scanner, no fannying about.
I reckon whatever is still on there I'm gonna have to put up with cos dust is a fact of life.
If you're talking about artifacts stuck in the emulsions ?.......no idea...:thinking:
 
As John says, if it's in the emulsion you're screwed, unless you were really good at Operation as a kid. I've got an Ilford anti-static cloth which I give the negs a wipe over with before printing from them. Seems to do a good enough job unless it's emulsion side dust.
 
Dust really is enemy number one in film work!

I'd expect a decent d&p outfit to return completely clean negs, if not there's some quality issues there.

I'd agree the washing option may be worth a try, followed by a quick dry between kitchen paper and keep somewhere dust free until they're ready to go into some new sleeves.
 
Deasy said:
Dust really is enemy number one in film work!

I'd expect a decent d&p outfit to return completely clean negs, if not there's some quality issues there.

I'd agree the washing option may be worth a try, followed by a quick dry between kitchen paper and keep somewhere dust free until they're ready to go into some new sleeves.
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Not to hard with the kitchen towel, I may have pulled the emulsion off once :bonk: (I was young :D )

I use a wetting agent and leave them to dry on their own.
 
Liam said:
Not to hard with the kitchen towel, I may have pulled the emulsion off once :bonk: (I was young :D )

I use a wetting agent and leave them to dry on their own.
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Interesting, I've always wondered if the kitchen paper would be a source of dust but it seems to work ok. How good is the wetting agent at stopping water marks? I live in Bristol, our water is quite hard and does leave deposits when it dries in a spot.

Have you found a good way to create a dust free environment for the negs to dry out in? :)
 
Deasy said:
Interesting, I've always wondered if the kitchen paper would be a source of dust but it seems to work ok. How good is the wetting agent at stopping water marks? I live in Bristol, our water is quite hard and does leave deposits when it dries in a spot.

Have you found a good way to create a dust free environment for the negs to dry out in? :)
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Use distilled water (halfords used to sell it for topping up radiators??) if the water's that hard. Otherwise wetting agent should work pretty well.

Best way to get dust-free environment in the average house is to use the shower cubicle. Put shower on hot enough to steam the place up for 5 minutes. Then switch it off and let steam clear, which takes dust out. Hang Neg's up overnight, and should be fine.
 
I'd avoid paper towels like the plague, they're incredibly abrasive. For drying marks a very well laundered 100% cotton handkerchief can work. Breath on neg, wipe once gently, repeat until mark disappears. Never wipe a dry neg.
 
Knikki said:
Ok

So I have got some print negs developed and return. They are in this see through plastic sleeves, which means "static tactic fun" :nuts:

So now I am scanning them I finding piles of rubbish all over them, which when scanning shows up just lovely. :bang:

Question is how do I get around this problem?

Anti Static brush work?
Wash the negs again in water and can you do this?
Get some none static paper sleeves?

Blower brush just does not work and using a compressed air can just blows the negs off the film holder :razz:

Anyone any idea :help:?
Click to expand...

Well first you have to see whether it's stuck debris from the processing or that you are not properly removing the new surface dust before scanning..if it's new surface dust I use a small torch and a giant rocket blower, but even then I quite often get something I've missed so you need a program to remove scanned dust/hair marks.
As for drying/cleaning negs, agree with others here i.e. bathroom is the best place and a huff on the shiny side of the neg with clean handkerchief. Once I used the oil off my nose to spread over the neg to help prevent small scratches being printed and do you know I can't remember if it worked :lol:
 
Thanks for the replies

I had another closer look at the negs last night. I am happy with the way the films are D&P, it just that taking plastic films out of a plastic sleeve generates static, which is where I think all the dust is coming from. I will have another go with the blower brush combo I have.

Also think I will change my plastic sleeves for paper ones, should hopefully cut the static and so not attact so much dust ~sigh~

THink the other issue is scanning, it shows everything up espically when your scanning at high dpi. Thinks to learn.
 
Knikki said:
THink the other issue is scanning, it shows everything up espically when your scanning at high dpi. Thinks to learn.
Click to expand...

Well don't forget a good Tesco CD is your friend ;)

Tesco CD Tamron 70-210mm 46a with/without 2Xs extender.
Photo06_6.jpg


Photo36_37.jpg
 
Arh good old Tesco.

However at the moment with my print films it is all 120 and not sure if Tesco would do them, plus round here the local Tesco does not do D&P.

Oh well I can always get the place I send them to to scan em. :)
 
I'd rinse them under tepid water and hang them up todry in the bathroom which is usually as moist and dust free an atmosphere as you'll get in most houses. That should remove the loose dust and debris, but as Joxby said, if any has become embedded in the emulsion at the drying stage, you're stuck with it.

Dust on negs is a nightmare with conventional printing, and glass neg carriers just make matters worse by attracting dust like a magnet through static. You can still get the very expensive spotting inks to touch out dust on your final prints, but it's a painstaking and difficult process to match the tones.You also need to match the lustre of the paper or when you turn the print at a slight angle to light, the retouching work shows up like a load of zits. :gag:

If on the other hand you intend to scan the negs, then it's no longer a big issue - it's a doddle to just spot out the dust in your normal digital editing package.
 
CT said:
...If on the other hand you intend to scan the negs, then it's no longer a big issue - it's a doddle to just spot out the dust in your normal digital editing package.
Click to expand...

As an aside, I've just been playing with Photoshop CS5, and the new context sensitive healing brush is absoloutely fantastic for spotting on neg's :) Who says new technology doesn't have it's uses :lol:
 
Knikki said:
Arh good old Tesco.

However at the moment with my print films it is all 120 and not sure if Tesco would do them, plus round here the local Tesco does not do D&P.

Oh well I can always get the place I send them to to scan em. :)
Click to expand...

Well I would use 120 film more if Tesco developed it and charged the same as 35mm.
There hasn't been a retired photography entrepreneur on a forum (who wants pocket money), who has said "I'll develop 120 films for £1". :)
 
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