Dealing with dust

[LabRat]

You're right Steve, there was no problem with the film, only with my expectation. Normally I find the emulsion side to look slightly dull or matte compared to the "back" side of the film. With slide film it's super easy, you can actually see the layers built up on the film base, and most B&W is pretty straightforward to tell the difference too.

This particular emulsion shows as the opposite, the glossy, super slick side is in fact the emulsion, and the rough, matte side is the back of the film.

Lesson learned.

Some sheet films had a matte base surface to allow pencil returning on it as the surface has a "tooth" to hold pencil lead...

Steve K

[jp]

Do you have a source for the anti-static ones? Those make a lot of sense.

Ebay, Uline (if you need several lifetimes supply)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Static-Diss...SyA-xN3WRC3G2A
https://www.uline.com/BL_7852/Uline-...eclosable-Bags

[LabRat]

Another thing to mention is color films tend to show dust slightly less than B/W, probably due to a slight diffusion inherent in the emulsions...

A practice of cleaning everything that is near film or handling pays off...As mentioned, a clean shop vac with additional filter and a brush attachment to clean everything once in a while helps a lot... (Inside cameras, holders, changing bags, film boxes, cases, bags, focusing cloths, etc everything...) This removes coarse dust/lint but be careful the vac does not spread the dust back into the air... I find using the drywall dust bags for my vac work well enough, but also have a smaller computer vac to do holders before loading... Holders go right into anti-stat bags, and don't leave holders laying around...

Before shooting, I use a air blower bulb to blow dust away from front of holder, blowing away from the edges toward the center upside down so new dust falls away, so when slide is pulled, it does not release dust near film...

The routine works...

Steve K

[Alan Klein]

I think dust is not a problem at all... as long as you keep things reasonably clean, cameras, shelves, camera bags, floors, cabinets, etc. If so, of course there will be always dust around, but in "reasonably" low quantities. As mentioned above, keep holders -I also keep the lenses- inside zipped plastic bags.

Also, notice that canned air is great for some tasks but not for others... so it moves dust from one place to another.

The main problem come from sources that are dust magnets and hard to clean; some camera bellows are synthetic with a cloth inner surface that catch dust, so it can store huge amounts of it. Any bellows suctions air when being extended, so they attract dust inside. Just clean it with a vacuum cleaner and a soft brush suction noozle, it makes wonders. Or use a soft hand brush with the vacuum to help to remove the dust, sometimes a flat nozzle is not enough.

Another typical problem are certain changing bags, also with velvet alike imaterial inside, I bet this is your problem. There is a well known manufacturer that sell very fine changing bags but with that wrong material inside. I bought one time ago (expensive), and found it to be almost useless... the material itself release tiny fibers that adheres directly to the film at the loading stage, ruining every holder. My cheap manufacture changing bags are very low quality in comparison, but much better in use.

The next problem use to happen while hanging the wet film to dry, here you should keep the film on a clean area and not to move the air too much around.

With this points on mind, my negatives come out *almost* free of dust.

I have a Harrison medium size film changing tent. Is this the one that has the material that attaacts dust? How do you all clean the inside of tents?

[Old_Dick]

JP is right on. Anti-static bags work well. Uline has several products for cleanrooms that will help with your darkroom. The reason you have dust in your darkroom is because you bring it in. A clean lab coat, hair net, shoes will help keep your area clean. I believe we had rayon outfits. Uline has a sticky mat that you walk on as you walk in to your darkroom.

Like the others said, filters, static control and humidity will help with your sanity.

I retired from a company that made "steppers" used to make small flat panels displays , "precisione photolithography". All done in a cleanroom under bright yellow lights. We used a condenser and a $1,000,000 piece of glass on 17 inches of granite, fun time.

[Kevin Crisp]

Honeywell air filters...

https://www.honeywellstore.com/store...-purifiers.htm

[6x6TLL]

Well, I will try Ziplock bags for now and see if they help. The changing bag will be vacuumed and I will clean each film holder thoroughly and remove any speck of dust before packing them in plastic. I can also vacuum the inside of the bellows of my camera, I believe they are leather.

Hopefully that will help bring the specks on my negs under control. I should know in a week or two.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice, I truly appreciate it.

[6x6TLL]

Ebay, Uline (if you need several lifetimes supply)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Static-Diss...SyA-xN3WRC3G2A
https://www.uline.com/BL_7852/Uline-...eclosable-Bags

Are you using 6"x8" or 6"x9" sized bags? My holders (Toyo and Fidelity) measure close to 8" in length, not sure if the thickness of the holder would interfere with closing the bag.

[jp]

Are you using 6"x8" or 6"x9" sized bags? My holders (Toyo and Fidelity) measure close to 8" in length, not sure if the thickness of the holder would interfere with closing the bag.

Mine are about twice as big as the film holder because that was what was on sale when I was shopping a few years ago. I just fold the excess over.

[LabRat]

I put about 4 or 5 4X5 holders into a large bag, and the exposed holders into another bag as I shoot...

Steve K