Removal dirts from films

kkgoxplore · 29th April 2009

What are the recommendations to remove dirts and particles on films? Despite being kept in dry boxes all the time, there are dirts/particles on my films. Thx.

Xtol19 · 30th April 2009

Pec-12
Pec pads.

kkgoxplore · 30th April 2009

Originally Posted by Xtol19

Pec-12
Pec pads.

Thank you. Where is a good place to get them?

sabahan · 13th May 2009

In the old days,some photographer are using the oil from their nose to remove it,I had read the article about this but not tried before.

nawem · 14th May 2009

Sorry to hi-jack the thread...but i got some questions on cleaning negatives too...

1) I have got some old negatives that was developed in Europe years ago. The photo shops there did not put them into sleeves, and they were stacked together and put into an envelop.
Recently I took them out from the dry cabinet to put into sleeves, but found that some of them are damaged:

a)some have specks of the envelop (glossy type) stuck on the negative.

b)one has scotch tape that has melted and stuck on to the negative.

c)some have patches on the negatives. am not too sure what they are. don't think that they are fungus, looked more like watermark.

2) I also sent some of my old negatives for scanning into CD at a neighbourhood shop. Nearly fainted when I saw the auntie taking out the negatives and handling them very roughly by touching directly on the picture area. Am worried about her leaving her fingerprints all over the place.

Would like to ask the experts here how to clean/repair the damaged done to the negatives in all the above cases?

Also I am thinking to have all my old negatives scanned, how do i clean them before the scanning?

Thanks for all the advice!

kkgoxplore · 14th May 2009

Originally Posted by Xtol19

Pec-12
Pec pads.

Originally Posted by kkgoxplore

Thank you. Where is a good place to get them?

CP sells PEC-12 for $30.

kkgoxplore · 14th May 2009

Originally Posted by nawem

Sorry to hi-jack the thread...but i got some questions on cleaning negatives too...

1) I have got some old negatives that was developed in Europe years ago. The photo shops there did not put them into sleeves, and they were stacked together and put into an envelop.
Recently I took them out from the dry cabinet to put into sleeves, but found that some of them are damaged:

a)some have specks of the envelop (glossy type) stuck on the negative.

b)one has scotch tape that has melted and stuck on to the negative.

c)some have patches on the negatives. am not too sure what they are. don't think that they are fungus, looked more like watermark.

2) I also sent some of my old negatives for scanning into CD at a neighbourhood shop. Nearly fainted when I saw the auntie taking out the negatives and handling them very roughly by touching directly on the picture area. Am worried about her leaving her fingerprints all over the place.

Would like to ask the experts here how to clean/repair the damaged done to the negatives in all the above cases?

Also I am thinking to have all my old negatives scanned, how do i clean them before the scanning?

Thanks for all the advice!

The PEC-12 is good for negative, too. I am going to try it soon.

nawem · 19th May 2009

I got the PEC-12 and tried it.
Worked great for the melted scotch tape.
But not so good for the paper stuck on the negative as still got a bit left on the negative.
However seems like some of the scratches on negatives were more easily visible after cleaning the negatives.
Is it because i managed the clean away the dust which was covering up the defects?

Anyway, thanks for the advice on PEC-12!

fastshot · 22nd May 2009

It should be possible to clean film using an Ultrasonic bath with water and some photoflo or soap. For the really stubborn dirt, can consider using diluted isopropyl alcohol. Before trying any solvent cleaners, test it first on some scrap film to make sure it won't damage the film.

To deal with the scratches problem, you can try to use "nose oil" on the film just before mounting it on the enlarger. I won't do this with carriers having glass sandwich though.
After use, clean the film to get rid of the oil, then store.

kkgoxplore · 1st June 2009

I finally got my PEC-12 and worked on my film. It removed the stubborn dirt quite well. While it recommends to use PEC Pads, I used cotton buds and micro-fiber cloth to wipe up. Any comments on that?

29th April 2009	#1
kkgoxplore Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: East Posts: 251	Removal dirts from films What are the recommendations to remove dirts and particles on films? Despite being kept in dry boxes all the time, there are dirts/particles on my films. Thx.

30th April 2009	#2
Xtol19 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 265	Re: Removal dirts from films Pec-12 Pec pads.

13th May 2009	#4
sabahan Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 329	Re: Removal dirts from films In the old days,some photographer are using the oil from their nose to remove it,I had read the article about this but not tried before.

14th May 2009	#5
nawem New Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2	Re: Removal dirts from films Sorry to hi-jack the thread...but i got some questions on cleaning negatives too... 1) I have got some old negatives that was developed in Europe years ago. The photo shops there did not put them into sleeves, and they were stacked together and put into an envelop. Recently I took them out from the dry cabinet to put into sleeves, but found that some of them are damaged: a)some have specks of the envelop (glossy type) stuck on the negative. b)one has scotch tape that has melted and stuck on to the negative. c)some have patches on the negatives. am not too sure what they are. don't think that they are fungus, looked more like watermark. 2) I also sent some of my old negatives for scanning into CD at a neighbourhood shop. Nearly fainted when I saw the auntie taking out the negatives and handling them very roughly by touching directly on the picture area. Am worried about her leaving her fingerprints all over the place. Would like to ask the experts here how to clean/repair the damaged done to the negatives in all the above cases? Also I am thinking to have all my old negatives scanned, how do i clean them before the scanning? Thanks for all the advice! Last edited by nawem; 14th May 2009 at 10:29 AM.

19th May 2009	#8
nawem New Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2	Re: Removal dirts from films I got the PEC-12 and tried it. Worked great for the melted scotch tape. But not so good for the paper stuck on the negative as still got a bit left on the negative. However seems like some of the scratches on negatives were more easily visible after cleaning the negatives. Is it because i managed the clean away the dust which was covering up the defects? Anyway, thanks for the advice on PEC-12!

22nd May 2009	#9
fastshot Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: 3rd Mile Stone Posts: 374	Re: Removal dirts from films It should be possible to clean film using an Ultrasonic bath with water and some photoflo or soap. For the really stubborn dirt, can consider using diluted isopropyl alcohol. Before trying any solvent cleaners, test it first on some scrap film to make sure it won't damage the film. To deal with the scratches problem, you can try to use "nose oil" on the film just before mounting it on the enlarger. I won't do this with carriers having glass sandwich though. After use, clean the film to get rid of the oil, then store.

1st June 2009	#10
kkgoxplore Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: East Posts: 251	Re: Removal dirts from films I finally got my PEC-12 and worked on my film. It removed the stubborn dirt quite well. While it recommends to use PEC Pads, I used cotton buds and micro-fiber cloth to wipe up. Any comments on that?