Help! On removing dust from negs before enlarging

[Peter Collins]

What is your preferred method of removing dust from negatives before putting the carrier in the enlarger??

Should it matter, I am using a glass-less 4x5 carrier in a Saunders VCCE.

Thank you, fellow fotogs.

[Brian Ellis]

Lightly brush the negative with an anti-static brush (bought years ago from Zone VI Studios), then hit it with a good blast of canned air.

[Rick A]

The best way is to prevent it in the first place. Run an air purifier in the darkroom, keep the room slightly humid(especially in winter), keep the room dusted with damp cloth, and store negs in a dust free enclosure. After that a light cleaning with an anti-static brush followed by a light blast of air.

[ki6mf]

Anti Static brushes are still available. If you use canned air tilt the negative in the negative holder. Do not tilt the can or you will spray you negative with residue from inside the canned air!

[rguinter]

Anti Static brushes are still available. If you use canned air tilt the negative in the negative holder. Do not tilt the can or you will spray you negative with residue from inside the canned air!

I've posted here before about the down-sides of "canned air." Always remember it's not air. It's a liquified halon chemical with vapor pressure high enough to provide the necessary motive force to push it out of the can.

It tends to come out of the tube super-cold due to adiabatic expansion. This in turn can instantly liquify humidity in the air and ruin precious film.

I learned this the hard way before buying myself a rocket air blaster which is what I use now. Bob G.

[PViapiano]

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