So Tired of Destroyed Negatives

Ted Striker

Ted Striker

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Related to my last post on dirty negatives, I am finding that virtually all images from my last batch of film (72) are just covered in dust. I cannot do anything other than hang my film to dry in my basement. It's a dust haven it seems and all my film from my last trip is 100% ruined.

How do you dry you film and keep the dust off?

I am disgusted beyond belief at how awful all my images look. Thousands of dollars worth of camera gear, thousands of dollars in travel expenses, and crap images, filthy beyond belief to show for it.
 
Ted, I run the shower for a couple of minutes to get the water to cut any dust, then hang them to dry in the shower on a line strung between the showerhead and the curtain rod. I've been doing that for years with both roll film & sheet film & it works like a charm.
 
I hang my negatives in my bathroom where it's too damp for dust. I use canned air to spray off any dust from my scanners.
 
I used to dry negatives in a bathroom on a fishing line suspended between the shower head and the pole holding the curtain. Less dust in a bathroom. When I moved film development to my basement, I built a film drying cabinet to limit the amount of air moving past the drying film. In college, many years ago, I used an anti-dust machine/air purifier with a little ion projector. It had a fan and a filter and seemed to help. Bottom line: You have to find a dust-free environment to dry your negs, whether you find it or make it. Once that dust is embedded in the soft emulsion and the emulsion dries, it is like cement that has dried with something in it. The problem with trying to re-wash negatives is that the dust isn't ON the emulsion, it is IN the emulsion.
 
Ted Striker said:
Related to my last post on dirty negatives, I am finding that virtually all images from my last batch of film (72) are just covered in dust. I cannot do anything other than hang my film to dry in my basement. It's a dust haven it seems and all my film from my last trip is 100% ruined.

How do you dry you film and keep the dust off?

I am disgusted beyond belief at how awful all my images look. Thousands of dollars worth of camera gear, thousands of dollars in travel expenses, and crap images, filthy beyond belief to show for it.
Click to expand...

Always had the same problem Ted …. not come up with a totally acceptable solution yet other than outsource the development .
 
I never had any problems w/ dust, even when I lived in the wind swept desert of Las Cruces, NM, the known center of the universe for dust and dust storms. Try to get as much of the excess water off before hanging the film by grabbing the end and whipping it like a whip a few times, then hang it up to dry in the bathroom w/ the window closed and maybe the door cracked a little.
 
35mm 36 exposure rolls, I presume- at the hardware store I found an expandable vent pipe made from aluminum. It is collapsed and you pull on one end to make it expand in length. I think the one I used was 6 inches in diameter; maybe it was 8 inches, but no I think it was 6 inches. Designed to expand to 8 feet long. I pulled it to 6-1/2, maybe 7 feet. Found a quiet corner of a closet next to a vent pipe for the hot water and furnace so the pipe was usually slightly warm. Put a plate on the floor, tied the expanded aluminum tube to the existing vent pipe. Punched a couple of holes on opposite sides at the top and taped a chopstick (take-out sticks or any other stick of heavy string also work) across the top of the tube. Another plate goes on top.



Have a spray bottle that does a fine mist. Open the tube, spray a few times just in case to grab dust and settle it down. Hang film inside- a step stool helps for dropping it in smoothly. Put plate on top. Let time do its thing. Almost no dust.


For 120 film, go to a place that does large format printing. The boxes for 54 inch rolls are the perfect size to hang rolls.
 
Dan, that's a brilliant idea. I've got to try that.

As for ridding a basement of dust in the air, thrift shops often have used Hepa air filters for quite cheap (cheaper to buy them at thrift shops than to buy new filters for them). On high, they process an amazing amount of air, cleaning out dust and pollen rather quickly. You could start one up on high speed half an hour before you hang your negatives, then turn it down to low speed to keep from fluttering the negatives into one another once you hang them. That's what I do in my dusty basement, but I must admit that I still get an occasional speck of dust on mine.

Scott
 
Drying film in the often damp bathroom may seem counterintuitive
however it is usually the most dust-free room in the average home.

Chris
 
Ted Striker said:
all my film from my last trip is 100% ruined.
Click to expand...

Ted, I have actually had fairly good results rewashing the film, the few times I have needed to do that. You can probably google that to find suggestions, but I doubt the negs are 100% ruined, maybe 10%, if you let them soak long enough. Worked for me, any residual dust can be spotted out with the eraser tool in Photoshop, etc. A pain yes, but worth the trouble perhaps.
Wherever you dried them, I wouldn’t dry them there again. Lots of good suggestions here. Drying cabinets can be expensive if bought new, but things along this line can work as well if you cannot utilize the bathroom shower, and you can fold it up and stow it away if not in use.

https://www.amazon.com/Richards-Hom..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=YHN9T2QZCED71NR2K7SN
 
Also check local schools. They may have a surplus drier if they no longer have film classes. I know this is a long shot but it may be worth a try. The shower solution works as will any enclosed tube like the expandable pipe suggested above.
 
ChrisPlatt said:
Drying film in the often damp bathroom may seem counterintuitive
however it is usually the most dust-free room in the average home.

Chris
Click to expand...

You must be developing B&W. I do as Chris does above. Run the shower hot for about 2 minutes then squeegee the liquid off my negatives and hang them. Leave the bathroom door cracked. Occasionally bit of dust, but Vuescan removes it just fine. But I'm doing only c41.
 
My film drier cabinet is hands down one of the best purchases I've made for photography. I would find one or build one if I was you. 25 min and film is dry, dust free.
 
I bought a 4 inch piece of plastic pipe (4 feet) and a plastic square 6 inches square. Then I don't touch my film while it is still on the roller and in the final wash water until I get to the pipe which is standing on end on the plastic square. I put a clip on one end and pull it off the reel. I then run it through two of my fingers to get the excess water off. And immediately put the film into the pipe. I put a clip on the other end and hang it so the film is not touching the inside of the pipe. Finally I cover with a paper towel and let dry for 24 hours.

Very little if any dust.
 
I hang the film in the shower stall with a weight on the end. It's usually dry and dust free in about an hour at most.
 
I process hundreds of rolls/sheets per year in my basement darkroom. I don't do anything particular but don't have dust issues except occasionally around pollen season. Sometimes I get a bunch on a very static-y piece of ANR plexi but some denatured alcohol fixes that. If you have such issues get a HEPA filter or something and just get it under control.

I also doubt your negs are "ruined." Just re-wash them and hang them somewhere with less dust.
 
I dry mine in the shower as well (curtain closed). I don't put any effort into fogging the bathroom, so I guess our's is pretty dust-free on its own. I do turn off the vent when the film is wet so that there is no draft. Once the emulsion is dry to the touch (but I don't actually touch it) I'll turn on the vent to help draw the moisture out of the room and speed up the drying. Usually ready to scan in a couple hours
 
I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but being blunt, you’re going to have to figure out your dust issues yourself. Mainly because you live there. You have to find the sources of dust. And eliminate them. It’s a constant battle.

When I lived at my parents house I was in battle with dust all the time. I vowed not to go through that with my home. I don’t hardly ever see dust on my negs here.

Check filters. Do you change them on a regular basis? Especially the furnance. Have you ever had the air ducts cleaned? Tops of cabinets, especially in the kitchen. How about the refrigerator? Do you get the stuff out where it sits? The coils? How about your dryer?

Dust can be a real problem. If you have trouble with your film drying how about the air you breathe?
 
Thanks for the long list of replies. I will study them all and figure out my next step. I forgot about using the bathroom as an option. I tried that long ago but 35mm film is too long to hang without hitting the side of the bath tub. I'll try to find some way around that. My guess is that this will work if I can swing it.


Thank you again everyone. Very helpful.
 
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