When it needs doing, a damp lint free cloth works for me. Hardly ever had this particular dust problem, so it must be at least somewhat effective.Originally Posted by Robert Kalman
When it needs doing, a damp lint free cloth works for me. Hardly ever had this particular dust problem, so it must be at least somewhat effective.
Bruce Watson
Hmm, I've never dusted the insides of my bellows either.
BTW, if the dark spots do happen to be sludge from the PhotoFlo, you can soak the negs and gently rub the crud off.
Now, where's my bellows duster?
The spots are in the negative rather than on the negative. That's why I'm inclined to believe it was dust inside the bellows when the negative was exposed, because there's no crud to soak off.
Like I mentioned, take a high power loupe to the negs... Dust on the film during exposure will leave a sharp outline around the clear spot, but chem/crud will leave a softer/diffuse transition around the spot... (From the scan, looks more like a softer/blobby edge...) Crud can finally wash off during the process, leaving it clean...
It looks like what happens to dust/lint when stuck and wet on film, and clumps up... (Film gets more, and less sticky during the process...) And in and out dips in a dusty/cruddy surfaced solution will coat the film fairly easily... (Pay special attention to the developer supply and tank...)
And you can vac your film holders and camera innards with a shop vac with a micro attachment brush set from your home store...
Good Luck!!!!
Steve K
Appreciate the comprehensive assessment and the suggestions, Steve!
What brand camera are you using?
What kind of film was it? For my own work I'm starting to question the film when it comes to uniformity and random defects.
I'm thinking the cheaper options for film may be not so cheap after all.
Cleaning a bellows isn't hard. Rack it out as far as it will go so there are fewer creases for dust to hide in. Blow it out from the lens end with canned air or better yet a hose on a compressor dialed down to something reasonable like 30 psi and used from a distance. In a well lit room you will probably see dust come flying out. Even a wet towel will leave long fibers which are of course the worst to try and retouch off a print.
And of course it helps to wait a little bit after you load the holder in the camera, and don't pull the slide quickly.
If the material is degrading on the inside, resulting in small bits of debris from the fabric or paint somebody has used, this will only help some.
I bet it's from the bellows as well, but I am curious as to what brand camera Robert is using as I have a theory based on a certain brand's original equipment bellows material.
Ebony
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