Cleaning Darkslide

[Wayne Crider]

Whats the best thing to use to clean oily fingerprints off darkslides. Soap and water; Alcohol?

[bob moulton]

Wayne,

Try a product called Brilliantize. Light Impressions and other market it to clean plexiglass and glass. It cleans holders well, and reduces static electricity. John Sexton recommended it at a Canyon de Chelly workshop. It works well. bob

[John Lehman]

Soap and water or Fantastic also work.

[Dean Lastoria]

You mean my bad breath and the sleeve of my cotton shirts weren't what I'm supposed to use?

Dean

[Vinod]

Dean: Unless you wanted your photos to stink... Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Brian Ellis]

A product sold at grocery stores called "Dust Off" will clean them and also, in theory at least, help prevent dust from staying on them. Just make sure you wipe them completely dry before loading the holder with film.

[AtlantaTerry]

A product sold at grocery stores called "Dust Off" will clean them and also, in theory at least, help prevent dust from staying on them. Just make sure you wipe them completely dry before loading the holder with film.

I use Dust Off on our furnace air filters to trap more dust than they would otherwise. The product feels like a very thin oil.

[mdarnton]

I've bought quite a few used holders in the last couple of years. The first thing I do is clean them thoroughly with Windex, outside and the slides. Then I blow them out with compressed air, and finally cover both sides of the slides and the outside of the holder with a thin coat of Renaissance Wax.

I think the most important part of that is blowing them out--you would not believe how much dust comes out. The other day it looked like I was blowing a cloud out of a couple of them. Stickiness we can live with; clear spots all over our negs, not so much, I think.

[Peter Collins]

I use to keep bees and knowing beeswax I recommend AGAINST using it on dark slides. It actually is quite sticky. It WON'T work on sticking/stuck drawers, for example. Paraffin is quite different and may do the trick.

[consummate_fritterer]

I think, if a clean/dry dark slide made for a particular clean/dry film holder doesn't move freely, there must be other issues to address.

[Ken Lee]

Every few years I apply some bowling alley wax to the edges of the dark slides: a small amount on each side, drawn between the thumb and index finger). After wiping with a smooth a cloth to a fine polish, the holders go in and out very easily.

[Vaughn]

Carefully but vigously buffing the darkslides with a cotton rag has done the trick on many old plate holders I have had. I do not always like putting any other materials on those pre-plastic era darkslides.

When dusting out a film holder, I insert the (clean) darkslide corner-first, and slide in, out and around in the trap a bit to encourage dust to be pushed out of the trap into the holder. The holder is then inserted just enough to show in the film holder. I dust the insides out, first with an anti-static brush, then I tap the side of the holder, re-brush, then use canned air if needed). Having the holder part-way in keeps the dust from just being blown back into the trap...I think. I do it out of decades of habit.

But thanks for the reminder of blowing the traps out. Living and working in a cool humid environment (60 to 70% RH) can make one a little careless about dust. I would need more canned air. I have 60+ holders (4x5 to 11x14) to keep clean!

I wonder if there are any LFers at Burning Man?

[Jim Noel]

I clean and lube the edges with nose grease. It works better than anything else i have tried.

[AtlantaTerry]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax