Keeping down dust (scanning!)

D

dfoo

Well-known
Local time
7:18 AM
Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Messages
1,908
I recently got a coolscan 5000 to use instead of my Epson v700 for scanning 35mm film. I like the results, however, I don't like the fact that it shows every scratch, water mark and dust speck on the film surface. Cleaning off the water marks is easy. The scratches; I better be more careful! With respect to dust, I find it totally impossible to get all the damn stuff off. I've tried a lint free cloth (dust still remains no matter how much I wiped), a rocket blower, and a can of dust off. Nothing works. There is always dust on the negative.

Any hints on how you avoid this?
 
Dust and scanning

Dust and scanning

Get a kinetronics ionization head that fits on dust off spray cans. It can eliminate static charges. You can also use an anti static fluid on your surrounding work area surfaces. Also try scanning in an area where you can control the humidity and try to keep the humidity in your scanning area between 45-50%.
 
Obviously you must try and dry the film in as dust-free an environment or method as possible. That's a big step 1. From there, try first an anti-static cloth (Ilford makes one that I use) to give it a gentle wipe. Then I use canned air to blow off any dust that has settled since then. Then I use a lint free cloth one last time and after I load the carrier I blast each frame with canned air again. This does not take nearly as long as it sounds.
 
Dust is the bugaboo of scanning. Dust off works for me, but my negs/chromes are very clean to begin with. Once they get dirty it's almost impossible to return them to a clean state. You have to use clean practices from start to finish.

/T
 
I find a lot of my own dust problems are caused when the film's drying ... the particles are stuck to the emulsion and won't come of no matter what you do regards cloths, brushes etc. It's a good case for a proper dust free drying cabinet which I'll have to do one day as sometimes it drives me totally insane. Cloning out dust spots is as much fun as smacking your head against a brick wall!

I've scanned and post processed close to twenty rolls of Tri-X in the last three weeks and the dust bunnies have truly turned me into a gibbering mess some days! :p
 
Freestyle sells a film cleaner called anti-stat, which is very helpful. I've found it will often get those "stuck on" dust particles. I think you can get anti-stat at other big mail order places too...
 
it can take a while to figure out what's causing all of your problems. first write down in detail how you develop, wash, dry, and handle your film. then revise your process, try it, and repeat as necessary.

i use distilled water for mixing chemistry and washing film. i don't do anything to remove water after photoflo. i run a hot shower while the film is washing to remove airborne dust. it takes longer to dry because of the humidity, but it's worth it. i think the humidity also wards off static. then i use a kinetronics antistatic brush to clean my sleeves, and cut the dry film into strips right off the hanger while i wear cotton gloves. at this point, there should be no granular specks on the film, just strands of dust, which i remove with a blower bulb. finally, the sleeve goes into a vue-all binder. to print, i only have to use the bulb or brush to remove dust. i never use antistatic cloth, they just give me a headache.
 
Last edited:
I have a Nikon 5000 with the roll film adapter.

I have "invented" a dual anti-static brush contraption that I will position at the mouth of the scanner through which the film will pass as it enters the scanner. One brush is right-side up, the other upside down, so the ends of the brushes contact each other.

I haven't made the final assembly yet nor have I tested it. The prototype assembly looks reasonable.

But it seems like a no brainer to me that these brushes will remove any loose dust particles.

The contraption could also be used if film strips are inserted into the stock scanner. Strips shorter then four frames (maybe three) might present a handling problem though.

I'll post some pics of my contraption and any news of success or failure when the time comes.
 
That sounds interesting! I just spent quite some time scanning one negative, and finally got a version that doesn't have too many dust specks! What a pain.
 
yes, dust is a big problem in scanning, but the good news is that spotting in photoshop is really easy (though tedious) and once it's done, it's done for good. No hand spotting every print you make.

Cheers,
Gary
 
I cut & sleeve my negatives as soon as dry. I notice scratch marks on the negatives that I never knew were there with the 5000. I wonder if they come from dust in the sleeves??
 
dfoo said:
I cut & sleeve my negatives as soon as dry. I notice scratch marks on the negatives that I never knew were there with the 5000. I wonder if they come from dust in the sleeves??
Click to expand...
I've noticed that LED-based scanners like most Nikons and some Minoltas seem to pick up normally imperceptible dust and scratches. Fluorescent bulb-type scanners aren't as bad for this.
 
I look at the negative with a loupe, and I cannot even see the damn dust the scanner is picking up. I need to get a magnifying glass or something to look at the surface of the film, rather than the content of the negative. It is very irritating!!
 
felix5616 said:
Get a kinetronics ionization head that fits on dust off spray cans. It can eliminate static charges. You can also use an anti static fluid on your surrounding work area surfaces. Also try scanning in an area where you can control the humidity and try to keep the humidity in your scanning area between 45-50%.
Click to expand...


What he said, kill the static with an ionizer and humidity, then trap the dust on a sticky surface.

Otherwise, you’re just moving it around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom