Re: filmscanners: On dust

[Isaac Crawford <isaac@visi.net>]

Frank Nichols wrote:
> 
> I am using PEC-12 with PEC PADS on "dirty" negs as a first step.
> 
> I found an anti-static brush (StaticMaster) which is plutonium charged.

        Just for clarity, its polonium, not plutonium... I don't think there is
a safe qty of plutonium...:-)

Isaac



 It
> seems to work well on my neg strips. But, I was wondering if anyone had any
> comments on if it is a gimmick (any soft brush would work) I assume the
> plutonium qty is low enough not to think about, it is there just to create a
> slight charge on the bristles.
> 
> I also use a Leland CO2 "The CO2 Power Source" instead of canned air - since
> I read so many warning about the propellents in canned air. I am looking for
> a good/cheap/small air compressor with oil and water traps. But in the
> meantime the CO2 seems to work well and using the brush first I find I need
> very little CO2 to finish.
> 
> Using these I have found that I have almost completely eliminated dust in my
> scans. And I found that many cases that I thought previously were scratches
> were in fact dirt - the PEC-12 wiping does wonders.
> 
> (Oh yeah, I moved a small - 16x12x6 - HEPA air filter onto my desk next to
> my scanwit!)
> 
> Any comments?
> 
> /fn
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> [mailto:owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of tflash
> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 3:35 PM
> To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
> Subject: filmscanners: On dust
> 
> on 6/28/01 4:26 PM, Steve Greenbank wrote:
> 
> > I have also found that if you scan slides the moment you open the
> > box for the first time, it takes less than 5 minutes to despot them and
> you
> > don't lose any overall sharpness compared to ICE. Usually you can despot
> > whilst scanning the next slide.
> 
> There is much discussion of dust, with little on removal. I mean physically
> removing it, not digitally.
> 
> I use Ilford Antistaticum cloths (about $5 - $6 each, at your finer photo
> stores - ant photo store really) to gently rub both sides of the film. Then
> a spray on both sides with canned air, and I get very few dust marks. I scan
> with a Leaf, which Austin claims keeps dust from settling on the film (you
> judge the impatiality of that one. ;-)) but I used the same technique in the
> wet darkroom with similarly good results. I was also a custom printer
> (silver BW) in two labs which also used these cloths. They're an industry
> standard.
> 
> HTH,
> Todd