Help Removing Dust From Slides

  • Thread starter Thread starter SL
  • Start date Start date
S

SL

My scanner does not have digital ice, and I am looking for advice on
removing dust from slides before I scan them. I've heard some people
mention a small air compressor, some mention a bath solution and others have
home remedies...

I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.

Thanks for any help -


Scott
 
SL said:
My scanner does not have digital ice, and I am looking for advice on
removing dust from slides before I scan them. I've heard some people
mention a small air compressor, some mention a bath solution and others have
home remedies...

I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.

Thanks for any help -


Scott
Click to expand...
The easiest way to remove dust from film is with an Anti-Static brush, white
cotton gloves and air.
You put the glove(s) on you hand(s) while handling the film or slides. That
keeps the oil from your hand off the slides.

Kinetronics makes several brushes which can be bought at
http://www.adorama.com
and http://www.bhphotovideo.com
I recommend #SW-030, which is a 1 1/4 inch brush.

You can also buy white cotton gloves at those places.
Local Photography stores would have those supplies also. (If you live in a
big city).

For air you can buy canned air or buy a small air compressor with a filter
and a tank.
 
I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.
Click to expand...

I use an antistatic brush purchased at a photo store.

B
 
I have a cheap lens brush that has an attached squeeze bulb. I first blow
the loose junk off the film/slide, then brush it (gently!), and then blow it
again to get rid of the newly-loosened stuff. It seems to work well.

Don
 
My scanner does not have digital ice, and I am looking for advice on
removing dust from slides before I scan them. I've heard some people
mention a small air compressor, some mention a bath solution and others have
home remedies...

I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.
Click to expand...

The key is "be careful".
Do not use air from a compressor unless it is filtered and dried. An
oil-less compressor would be best, but the air still has to be dried.
It only takes one "spritzs" to ruin a slide. Set the regulator
between 5 and 10# with 10 being pretty close to the limit of safety.
More than that and you can imbed dust instead of just blowing it away.

If you use one of the "canned" products be very careful as most of
them can spray liquid which may possibly ruin a slide as well.

Check with B&H www.bhphotovideo.com and www.adorama.com
for materials and literature. I'm sure there are others, but those are
the only ones that come quickly to mind. I'd also check the archives
for the various photo groups on cleaning slides.

Depending on how they have cared for and how many times they have been
through a projector, cleaning can end up taking the majority of the
time required to scan the images.

I'm using a Nikon LS 5000 ED with the SF-210 slide feeder. The slides
I shot are in pretty good shape. Negatives and film strips are in
excellent shape, but the "old family slides" are in terrible shape.
They are dirty, finger printed, and some are beyond help with heat
damage. Many are faded as well. There the post processing works
wonders at restoration.

Unfortunately a great many are Kodachrome with which Digital ICE does
not work very well. Sometimes it takes two or three cleanings before
they are acceptable and with some... well, maybe I can crop a bit.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
 
SL said:
My scanner does not have digital ice, and I am looking for advice on
removing dust from slides before I scan them. I've heard some people
mention a small air compressor, some mention a bath solution and others have
home remedies...

I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.

Thanks for any help -


Scott
Click to expand...


I would not try any baths. I use a swipe with camel hair brush
followed by a few gusts from a hurricane blower. It knocks a little
dust off, and probably just rearranges as much.

How many slides is a lot? Over a thousand? I have been cleaning 1800
Tri-X scans made with non-ICE scanner, for about 15 months now. The
end is in sight, I'm about 4/5 done, doing cleaning directly to
Vuescan raw files. Since they are silver based, ICE is not helpful,
for now. When I'm done these though, I have a backlog of about the
same quantity each, of slide and color negatives. For those, I am
DEFINITELY going shopping for an ICE equipped scanner.

For cleaning images in Photoshop, this link helped me a lot:

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/tutorials/tutorial_5_1.htm
 
SL said:
My scanner does not have digital ice, and I am looking for advice on
removing dust from slides before I scan them. I've heard some people
mention a small air compressor, some mention a bath solution and others have
home remedies...

I have a lot of slides to scan, so I am not looking for a long procedure.
Something that will take the bulk of the dust from the slides (which aren't
really that dirty) would be great.

Thanks for any help -

Scott
Click to expand...


Hello

I have used low tack masking tape, which leaves no residue, but pulls
off dust. I have also used BLU-TAK rolled across in a cylinder.
I use these after bushing with wide artists brush., holding the slide
vertially, as I brush. There are still always a few hairs stuck between
the film and the slide mount edges.

Mike Engles
 
Back
Top