Dust Cleaning for Negatives

[DougD]

I had a look at the older threads and there is commentary on equipment and supplies no longer around. I was wondering what the current best practices are. I am thankfully living in an area of moderate humidity, so dust is not terrible, but I am getting into contact printing 5x7 and was wondering how best to control dust for larger sheets, printing frames, etc.

Cheers,

Doug

[Greg]

Have been using Ilford's Antistaticum Anti-Static Cloths - 13 x 13" since the late 1970s. $12 from B&H. I now purchase 10 at a time and on January 1st replace the one I've used for the previous 12 months with a new one. When I was professionally printing in the 1980s, would replace them every 3 months or so. Have used this orange cloth on 10s of thousands of negatives over the years without it ever scratching a single negative. Have heard that some people even use them to clean their lenses but have always been hesitant to do that. Almost never use "canned air" since it only blows away the dust and doesn't remove it. In the 1980s once purchased a "dust removal tool" that proclaimed to remove 100% of dust when one passed a negative through it... after it scratched one of my negatives, threw it out. Sorry don't remember the brand name, maybe another FORUM member remembers it.

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07924FHY6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[DougD]

Yes. I have a handful of these. They are a great product.

D.

[Pere Casals]

best practices are

Place an HEPA filter in the darkroom air intake, or simply use a domestic HEPA air purifier for film drying, printing, scanning, etc

I use this one:194369

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I use a large air purifier, humidifier, antistatic air gun. When I rebuild my house, I will build a clean room (not certified though) that will be where I work on Negatives, etc. Same for my dark room build in new house.

[diversey]

194377

I use this anti-static brush and will try the things you guys mentioned.

[Greg]

Place an HEPA filter in the darkroom air intake, or simply use a domestic HEPA air purifier for film drying, printing, scanning, etc

I use this one:194369

In my darkroom I run 2 HEPA filter units on low speed 24/7. One close to floor level and the other high near the ceiling. The placement and direction of their air outputs produces a very slow rotating movement of air. Also have an Arkay? in-the-wall darkroom exhaust fan above the counter where I coat my Platinum/Palladium prints. Currently am installing an Excalibur Food Hydrator. It has 8 screens inside. With the heat and fan both on LOW, it should work great to dry the coated paper. Exhaust from it will also enter into the exhaust running from the darkroom exhaust fan to the outside of the house. Am working out on how to make sure either unit causes any back flow into the darkroom from the other unit. Also have a very simple double filtered (light baffled) air intake in the wall. Darkroom door has a Vinyl Ex-Wide Door Sweep on its bottom to prevent air from entering the room when the exhaust fan(s) are on. Also every week vacuum the floor and under the cabinets with a hand vac. In the end, the darkroom has been very dust free.