I know this may sound like a borderline jewelry question, so i’ll
keep it short. I am doing my fall jury applications and I’m trying
to reuse some slides. Some of them were slightly smudged between
leaving here and getting back to me. Is there anything I can do to
clean the slides without hurting them. I’m putting them in new
mounts so it will be a conveinent time to do it. I’m sure I can go
to a photo supply place and buy something but it’s rather
inconvienent to get there and if there’s something in the shop I can
use I’d be very happy. Thanks,
Larry; I think this is a good question and I don’t have a definitive
answer - just a possibility or two.
If all else fails there is a product called, I believe, PEC 10.
I’ve used it for cleaning slides a long time ago. I’m sorry to say I
don’t know what’s in it.
If you absolutely had to try something I’d think that photo lens
cleaner would work and not hurt the slide. Another possibility would
be a water and Photoflow mixture.
Slides and prints can take a good amount of chemical action as they
are a rather tough surface (although easily scratched).
I believe alcohol can be used on them and I know that types of
petroleum distillates were used to clean movie films.
The important thing is to have a applicator that is soft and will
not scratch the wet emulsion. And a wet emulsion will scratch very
easily.
Hope this helps - just proceed carefully and test it on something
not important first.
I know this may sound like a borderline jewelry question, so
i'll keep it short. I am doing my fall jury applications and I'm
trying to reuse some slides. Some of them were slightly smudged
between leaving here and getting back to me. Is there anything I
can do to clean the slides without hurting them. I'm putting them
in new mounts so it will be a conveinent time to do it. I'm sure I
can go to a photo supply place and buy something but it's rather
inconvienent to get there and if there's something in the shop I
can use I'd be very happy. Thanks, Larry
There’s probably not anything in the shop. Water is out of
course. Also do not use acetone (it will dissolve or distort the
film base, if it is the usual acetate base. There are several
organic solvents (such as some of the Freons) that work fine, but I
think you’d be better off going to a photo store to be sure you get
the right one. Otherwise, goodbye slides!
Hey, NO! NO! Do not use anything on your slides that has ANY water
in it! I apologize for the shouting but this is VERY important! Go to
the photo store and buy some film cleaner!
Anti-static film cleaner is available at any photo store. My husband
the artist uses Rexton, but here are several comparable brands
available. Use a q-tip or cotton ball. if the slide is very dirty,
it may take more than one application.
The solution is now called “PEC-12,” and is available from Light
Impressions (www.lightimpressionsdirect.com, 1-800-828-6261). They
also carry PEC Pads, which are very soft lint free pads for film and
negative cleaning. Works well on ink jet prints, too. All kinds of
archival storage and presentation products. -BK in AK
I have a question about this thread. Earlier I had made a
suggestion about using water and photoflow if nothing else was
available.
Two responses came back saying, in very strong words, never to use
water. There was no explanation about why or what it will do. If I
was wrong in my thinking I’d like to know what was wrong with my
suggestion.
I figure that water acting with photoflow - which is a surfactant or
wetting agent much like a mild soap and soap being a grease dissolver
would clean fingerprints off of the slide.
I realize that water will swell the emulsion, open it up, and make
it soft and easily scratchable and prone to damage. That’s why I
stated that care must be taken with the application to make sure it
is soft and will not abrade the emulsion. The base side is much more
resistant.
The water would eventually evaporate out of the film leaving it good
as new.
If I am wrong on this I would like to know.
Suggestions/ comments anyone.
Sincerely
Eric Schmidt
1).When you wet the emulsion, it swells, and becomes very delicate
and easily damaged, as you said. There is nothing you could use to
make an “application” (i.e. rub it with – just wetting it would not
do athe job) that would not abrade or otherwise damage it. (BTW, some
photographers, looking for wild effects, wet the emulsion and then
use their finger to move the emulsion around on the base!)
The image is suspended in gelatin, and the gelatin becomes quite
sticky. Which will cause foreign particles (even including dust in
the air, and small particles in the water) to adhere to it, or more
likely even embed themselves in it, and be quite impossible to ever
remove, especially once it has dried. And, when it dries, it will
probably also leave a visible water spot or spots.
The Photo-flo may help prevent the water spots --. And it would
probably work on removing fingerprints from the base, true. But it
would be almost impossible to clean the base with a water-based
solution without also getting the emulsion side wet, at least
partially. And, then, even if you succeed in doing this, there still
remains the problem of cleaning the emulsion side.
So, with all of this going against wetting with water, why do it
that way and probably just make matters worse, when there are much
much simpler, much much better, and much much much safer alternatives
that really work well – i.e. the film cleaning solvents??
Margaret; I’ll bow to your expertise and stand in a corner for 15
minutes with embarrassment on my face.
I agree with all you said I’ve even had film come back from a lab
with imbedded dust in it. I was out of state and when I got home my
normal lab tried to fix it with some success by rewetting and drying.
I figured there would be a time element involved before the emulsion
reached the danger point, but you convinced me that it’s not worth
the potential for damage. Especially when there are solutions that
would avoid the problem.