Re: filmscanners: To clean/wash old negatives on glass ?

[Arthur Entlich <artistic@ampsc.com>]

The first question is if these are true glass negatives (the emulsion is
directly placed on the glass plate) or if they are actually 4 x5"
negatives on a film base that have been sealed between on or two pieces
of glass usually with tape around the edges.

If they are negative film which has been attached to one or two glass
plates, rather than emulsion on the plate itself, it may be possible to
remove the tape and carefully separate the film from the glass.  If the
film has at some time become wet, it might be necessary to soak it off
the glass by placing the plate in warm water and allowing it to soften
enough to gently peel it off.  I suggest in this case to take a negative
that has little or no value to test this on first before attempting
anything with valuable ones.  Getting the water between the
film and glass can take hours, and any peeling should be done VERY
slowly and only a little at a time, each time giving the emulsion a
chance to good and wet.

A small amount of photo flow or some clear dish detergent (like one or
two drops in a whole sink worth of water) might help.

If the images are actually emulsion on glass (photosensitive glass
plates) then you may be in trouble, as these can be both very apt to
have the emulsion lift off the glass, or the glass can be accidentally
cracked.  Do not attempt to clean these yourself without expert 
knowledge.  I would see someone knowledgeable in restoration of glass 
plates before trying anything.

One other option is to find someone who has a larger film scanner with
digital ICE, which might help to remove a lot of the dust and improve
the staining problem.

Lastly, you could attempt to digitally retouch the images after scanning
in something like Photoshop.

Art



Ezio wrote:

 > Dears, after many months of 0 activity on digital photography ... I have
 > started again and hence here I am to bother you all ... I beg your 
pardon,
 > but I need your valuable help and advices.
 >
 > I have found some negatives (B/W) on glass 4'x6' (inches) and I am 
trying to
 > scan them using a flatbed HP 6200 and Vuescan 7.0 .
 > The very first problem I have found is that the negatives are 
particularly
 > DIRTY , spots, shadows of liquids (humidity condensed ? ) etc. ...
 > SO ! how do you suggest to clean/wash them ?
 >
 > May I use some chemical products I have at home to clean/wash the 
windows ?
 > .... alcool , and some other shining chemicals + soft paper ?
 > OR should I try to used distilled water only ?
 >
 > I want to avoid to waste these old glasses .... they are family portraits
 > and I am sentimentally involved with this stuff.
 >
 > My goal is to print them after having scanned and worked with PS.
 >
 > Sincerely.
 >
 > Ezio
 >
 > www.lucenti.com  e-photography site