Cleaning Negatives Prior to Scanning

[MPJMP]

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About 60% of my photography is traditional B&W film (Tri-X and FP4+). I develop at home and then scan it using my Nikon Coolscan V. Since I can't use Digital ICE to remove any scratches or dust I have to do it manually with the spot healing brush in Photoshop Elements. Problem is, my negatives are very inconsistent with regard to dust and scratches. Some need very little spotting, while others require a lot of time to clean up. What's more, somehow they always seem to get a scratch or two on there, usualy lengthwise across the frame. I'm not sure how this is happening, as I am very carefull with them. I typically store them in those clear archival sheets and wonder if sliding them in and out is what is scratching them. I no longer have the time to spend hours in front of the computer, so this is proving to be very frustrating. I am wondering whether shooting traditional B&W is even worth the trouble vs. a C-41 B&W like XP2, or even just switching over to a digital camera (). The Canon G10 is looking really attractive at the moment.

 

Any advice on how I can better keep my negatives dust and scratch free to facilitate cleaner scanning and less time in Photoshop?

 

-Mike

[PATB]

Coolscan V plus printfile = horizontal scratches, at least in my experience. Try this as an experiment: Scan the negatives prior to putting them in the printfile. There has baen postings on this on photo.net and rangefinderforum. As soon as I started the scan first before printfile (or other archival negative holder), the scratches stopped.

 

To flaten the negatives, I put them between 8x10 plastic sheets (I cut an 8x10 holder into two separate sheets), which I put between a large book for a week prior to scanning. After scanning, only then I put the negatives in the printfile.

[MPJMP]

Thanks for the tip. It's a shame, though. Those PrintFile archival holders are a great storage method.

 

Any tips for removing dust immediately prior to scanning? I'm afraid to wipe them for fear of just adding to the scratches.

[PATB]

I just use a Giotto Rocket blower. I tried canned air one time and it was a disaster (have to be careful)!

 

BTW, the scratches are not visible when using an enlarger so it is really a non-issue to me.

[johnwnyc]

<snip>... Problem is, my negatives are very inconsistent with regard to dust and scratches. Some need very little spotting, while others require a lot of time to clean up. What's more, somehow they always seem to get a scratch or two on there, usualy lengthwise across the frame.

-Mike

 

1) Don't bulk load film. Clean the film canister seal before rolling the film onto the reel, and don't ever make a 90-degree angle from the canister lip to the film when rolling the film.

 

2) If you don't need Photo-Flo, don't use it. It's an elective procedure. This might run counter to common practice but IMHO I don't think it's worth adding more materials to the film base after you've just done a thorough washing. Also, in the wrong environment, Photo-Flo can actually add crud to the negatives if you're not absolutely careful with the dilution, particularly at the bottom hanging end of the roll.

 

3) Consider using filtered or distilled water for the last wash step of your film.

 

4) If you process at home and happen to be hanging negatives in the bathroom to dry, run the hot shower for a few minutes beforehand and wait another few minutes before hanging up the negatives. This will help settle the dust.

 

5) Clean your negatives with a rocket blower or forced air after scanning and before you re-insert the negatives into your sleeve. Resist the temptation to ever run your finger lengthwise across the film.

 

6) Flatten your negatives. A curved negative will rub the poly on its concave side and there's no way around that, no matter how careful you are.

 

7) Use multi-pass scanning on your scanner. (I have a Minolta Dimage and in my experience this lessens the amount of spotting I have to do.)

 

8) Last but not least: cover your scanner with a dust cover when not in use.

[MPJMP]

All great suggestions, John. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I am finishing up a roll of FP4 right now and will give your suggestions a try.

 

I do use Photo-Flo. I find that without it I tend to get water spots, but I will try your suggestion of doing a final rinse with distilled water and see if that helps things. Before Photo-Flo, I actually used one of those squeege things, which I am almost positve scratched the negatives worse than the PrintFile sheets.

 

I hate to say it, but with a newborn baby in the house I find I am less and less motivated to spend the hours it takes to develop, sort, scan, spot clean, and then properly store B&W negatives. I shot a few rolls of XP2 last Summer (including when my daughter was born in the hospital) and the results were impressive enough that I might be willing to let my Tri-X go in exchange for the added conveniences.

[scotteci]

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I am about to purchase an MP and a 5000 ed, so these postings are very timely for me. Would it make sense to scan the entire roll at once (not cutting the film into strips beforehand), using the 5000 ed film adapter, or the via the "jumper hack" ?

 

It seems to me that this would minimize the amount of film handling prior to scanning, and therefore make the scans cleaner.

[tgray]

I've found that I need to use Photoflo and distilled water at the end. Get the Photoflo mixture down right. A couple drops too little or too much makes a big difference for me. I ended up with 8 drops/8 oz of water as just right.

 

There's another brand of negative sleeves that lets you slip in the negative from the top of the row. I tried it and didn't like them, but they do reduce the potential for scratching. I use the print file ones and just inspect the opening of the row before I slide a strip into it. If there's a piece of fuzz or something, brush it off.

 

I like the print file pages because I file the negatives, flatten them with books over night, and then scan.

 

An alternate to that that I just thought of is to buy some of those negative storage envelopes (forget what they are called), cut and file your negs in those, flatten, scan, then store them in the print file pages.

 

You're idea of scanning on the whole roll on a 5000 first would probably help with scratches, but a) I don't have a 5000 and rarely do I have a WHOLE roll of keepers. In the long run, I would be wasting my time and storage space.

 

Extracting the film through the felt trap as you load it on the reel can introduce scratches too. If you are doing that, try popping open the canister and removing the film completely before loading on your reels.

 

Lastly, for getting dust off your negs, buy a fine-tipped artist's brush. Hold your negative up so you can see a light's reflection off the surface and look for dust. When you see it, flick it off with the brush.

[robsteve]

I found the brushes used for cleaning digital sensors also work well on negatives. Just get the full frame size.

 

Robert

[gesper]

Rather than going to a C-41 film, you can try to find a lab that will develop traditional films for you. I use Helix in Chicago who charges $6 per roll and returns my negatives developed and uncut (no prints). I then cut the roll into strips for my scanner (Nikon 9000). They return the negatives in a plastic sleeve that folds open (i.e., no need to slide) which I leave them in while cutting and then use for storage. (I had the same problem with Printfile; they suck dust right out of the air.) Helix will process pretty much any film that Kodak, Ilford, Fuji, etc. make.

 

Pre-scan, I use a Rockit blower and an Artic Butterfly sensor brush. It still isnt perfect, but no scratches and less repair work in Photoshop.

[leica dream]

I had a similar problem several years ago and like you I didn't know where the scratch was happening. After much investigation I traced it back to what I thought must be the camera itself as the longditudinal scratch marks were always on the same area of the film. Manufacturer thought at first it was a tiny piece of dust/grit lodged somewhere but really close examination revealed that it was a microscopic bit of corrosion on the film transport backplate. Once replaced, the problem went away. I have to say this was not on a Leica camera.

Richard

[johnwnyc]

I hate to say it, but with a newborn baby in the house I find I am less and less motivated to spend the hours it takes to develop, sort, scan, spot clean, and then properly store B&W negatives. I shot a few rolls of XP2 last Summer (including when my daughter was born in the hospital) and the results were impressive enough ....

 

If you're in the US you can use Shutterfly.

 

They will develop your XP2, scan them to your account (from which you can order prints), and mail you back the negatives. This way you can have your prints without waiting too long and then archive the negatives for later when you have time to make scans of your own choosing. (Although with a newborn, who knows when that'll be!)

 

Details here:

Shutterfly | Help | Adding Pictures from 35mm Film: FAQs

 

I have no affiliation with Shutterfly, just saying is all.

[topoxforddoc]

I use photoflo with my final rinse. At the time of scanning/enlarging, I use either a soft brush or a pec pad if the neg is dusty.

 

Charlie

[stunsworth]

I aways use dustilled water for the final rinse, and ignore the instructions on the wetting agent bottle - 4 drops per film is enough.

 

After the wetting agent rinse I dunk the film in just distilled/de-ionised water and then shake off as much water as possible before drying. The result is drying mark free negatives.

 

And I never, ever, use a squeegee or fingers to remove excess water from the film once it's hung to dry.