Olimatt Posted December 8, 2012 Share #1 Posted December 8, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello, Another post which is not directly related to Leica cameras but which might interest some "newbies" like me. How do you scan your negatives/postives and remove dust ? I am not interested in any software based solution. I always have tons of dust on the glass of my scanner and really do not know any good method to get rid of all that little particles. I have bought a solution for my negatives which removes dust (Tetenal graphic arts filmcleaner). I have heard about "wet mounting".. what is this exactly? What about price issues? Best Regards, Olivier Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 8, 2012 Posted December 8, 2012 Hi Olimatt, Take a look here Scanning without dust. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
CalArts 99 Posted December 8, 2012 Share #2 Posted December 8, 2012 What scanner do you have? Cachet made a wet mount system for the Coolscan 9000. The Epson V750 is also capable of wet mounting. Wet mounting especially helps with scratches but doesn't do much to help with dust. However a real benefit to wet mounting is having film be perfectly flat. I think software based cleaning is always going to be part of the workflow. However you can get very fast with it (use short cut keys and do everything on a background copy layer, etc..) I can clean up a large file pretty quickly by going through a 'one click scroll method' at 100% using J and S keys and bracket keys for brush sizes, etc.. And it can be kind of Zen-like and meditative to methodically clean a file. Scanning fluid, mylar, and tape isn't cheap with wet mounting but it's not exorbitant. Here's a place for Kami brand: Aztek Scanner Supplies and Consumables, KAMI wet mounting solutions and Starter Kits You should try to keep your scanner always covered. Make your own or look here: https://www.digitaldeckcovers.com/categories/Printers-%26-Scanners/ Also the Coolscans will collect dust over time. Here's a DIY on cleaning a Coolscan 5000: How to Clean a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED I've done it and it does help. Beyond that, I think living with dust is just a part of scanning like it was with analog printing (but we only had Spotone, brushes, pens, and X-ACTO knives back then ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olimatt Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted December 8, 2012 Thank your for your reply. I have an epson v750 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted December 8, 2012 Share #4 Posted December 8, 2012 Are these anti static brushes what you are looking for? Static Wisk Brushes They are available from many outlets around the world, and not too much money. I would recommend the 4 inch brush without ground cord. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith (M) Posted December 9, 2012 Share #5 Posted December 9, 2012 I use a V700. After placing the strips of negatives in the supplied holder, I hold it vertical and go down both sides with a Giotto Rocket Blower. Lift the lid of the scanner, a few more squeezes of the blower on the platen, put holder in place, close lid - result - no (or very little dust) to be dealt with after scanning. Well, except for that which sneaked onto the film whilst it was drying in the shower cubicle... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted December 9, 2012 Share #6 Posted December 9, 2012 And it can be kind of Zen-like and meditative to methodically clean a file. Film really is a religion these days, isn't it? Once an image is scanned - it IS "software" (a file rather than an application, but still 1s and 0s). So I'll presume we are talking about pre-scanning dust reduction. 1. Make sure your final washes (and photoflo, if used) are as clean as possible. Even good tap water can have a lot of suspended particulates. (I had a terrible summer after forest fires put a lot of ash into Denver's water-supply lakes. The normal water-treatment facilities could not remove it all, and I had fine specks embedded in the emulsions for months.) Use distilled water for chemical mixing, especially photoflo, use a lab-grade paper-filtered funnel for pouring chemicals, and/or get a filter for your tap if possible for washing. 2. Use a drying bag - hangs from a shower rod just like the film itself. There are pricey commercial ones with filtered hot-air-blowers, but some people make them out of square garment storage bags (heat optional). Meandering Light: Another darkroom DIY - film drying cabinet 3. Get the dried film cut and stored inside a protective sleeve ASAP after drying. Old-fashioned glassine sleeves produce less static, but are less archival than Print-File plastic pages. Choose your poison. 4. Both glass (scanner) and plastic (film base) are notorious for picking up dust-attracting static charges. Anti-static brushes either ionize the nearby air with mild radioactivity, or have conductive fibers that draw away charged particles. For your glass scanner plate, you may be able to rig a static-discharge ground wire as used by techs when servicing vulnerable silicon chips. Amazon.com: Belkin Anti-Static Wrist Band with Adjustable Grounding: Electronics Other than that, I just brush and blow as best I can, with the knowledge that there will still always be SOME dust to clean up afterwards. Unless one wants to build a silicon-valley-grade "clean room" with HEPA filtering, positive air pressure, "air showers" and "bunny suits." We humans just shed a lot.... http://content.answcdn.com/main/content/img/CDE/_AIRSHWR.GIF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted December 9, 2012 Share #7 Posted December 9, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Adan said: ." We humans just shed a lot.... Try living with a German Shepherd AND a darkroom. At least he knows he is not allowed to shed in my 'shed'. Part of the joy of film photography is the exactitude of discipline that it demands for consistent results, such as dust avoidance as well as the mixing of chemicals and drying of film and sneaking a quick preview as you hang the wet film up for drying. Ah! The smell of the hypo and the roar of the dryer ...... oops, that's from another life's fantasy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokoshawnuff Posted December 11, 2012 Share #8 Posted December 11, 2012 Dust used to be a real pain with flatbeads, but I found a Kinetronics StaticVac for cheap, and it has really made a world of difference Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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