vincenzozanghi Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Hello, Recently I have run into an issue with some of my prints. When preparing to enlarge I try to dust off my film strip but still somehow I get specks of dust on my prints. Are there any tips or tricks to help with this? I usually use air and anti-static cloth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajkocu Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Make sure there is no air movement around the enlarger. Ground the enlarger or negative stage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Keep the humidity up at 40%, but not higher than about 50%. Then do the above and what you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 Switch your furnace to off while processing, if you have forced air, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 Make sure there is no air movement around the enlarger. Ground the enlarger or negative stage. by ground do you mean attach a physical ground wire to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 Keep the humidity up at 40%, but not higher than about 50%. Then do the above and what you're doing. is that why some of my film feels sticky sometimes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Film definitely should not feel sticky! Just how high is your humidity? Another cause might be too much wetting agent when the film is processed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajkocu Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 by ground do you mean attach a physical ground wire to it? Yes, attach a thin wire to the negative stage from an electrical conduit, outlet box, or maybe plumbing pipe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 It is, as they knew very well in the days of film, really impossible to eliminate dust. Minimize, yes, but eliminate? No. The answer is blowing in the wind -- it's called "spotting" The Photography Catalog 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 How could I forget Spotone? I spent so many hours with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otislynch Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Be careful “dusting off” emulsion - it’s easy to embed that particle in it with even the lightest wipe. And the tiniest bit will scratch the surface if dragged across it by a brush or cloth. I use a Zerostat anti-static “gun”, which I originally bought decades ago to use on my vinyl records. I point and squeeze to neutralize static electricity, then gently blow the dust off with clean, dry air (eg canned). And even that isn’t perfect. Dust is still a problem with digital photography. It gets inside every device and onto sensors etc in cameras, lenses, filters, scanners etc. What I find most interesting is that I spend as much time “post-processing” digital images as I did optimizing emulsion-based pics. Instead of de-dusting the negs and prints, I “heal” the same flaws in scanned images. Instead of push-processing, burning, dodging etc, I tune the images electronically. Turning a RAW image into a great print can be every bit as labor intensive as emulsion photography. And Mr Murphy is clearly a photographer - that lone unnoticed speck will definitely appear at a critical location in the final image ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodeo_joe1 Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 by ground do you mean attach a physical ground wire to it? Any electrical device made in the last 30 years or so should already have any exposed metal parts connected to the mains 'earth'. Otherwise it's not legal to be sold. Used goods sold through a dealer also have to meet current electrical regulations. The exceptions are double-insulated electrical goods, which usually have a plastic outer casing, and obviously you can't 'ground' a lump of plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Defying all logic, since enlargers are invariably used near water, few of the old ones have a ground connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 9, 2020 Author Share Posted April 9, 2020 Film definitely should not feel sticky! Just how high is your humidity? Another cause might be too much wetting agent when the film is processed. what do you mean by wetting agent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 9, 2020 Author Share Posted April 9, 2020 It is, as they knew very well in the days of film, really impossible to eliminate dust. Minimize, yes, but eliminate? No. The answer is blowing in the wind -- it's called "spotting" [ATTACH=full]1336599[/ATTACH] The Photography Catalog WOW! so cool thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 9, 2020 Author Share Posted April 9, 2020 Be careful “dusting off” emulsion - it’s easy to embed that particle in it with even the lightest wipe. And the tiniest bit will scratch the surface if dragged across it by a brush or cloth. I use a Zerostat anti-static “gun”, which I originally bought decades ago to use on my vinyl records. I point and squeeze to neutralize static electricity, then gently blow the dust off with clean, dry air (eg canned). And even that isn’t perfect. Dust is still a problem with digital photography. It gets inside every device and onto sensors etc in cameras, lenses, filters, scanners etc. What I find most interesting is that I spend as much time “post-processing” digital images as I did optimizing emulsion-based pics. Instead of de-dusting the negs and prints, I “heal” the same flaws in scanned images. Instead of push-processing, burning, dodging etc, I tune the images electronically. Turning a RAW image into a great print can be every bit as labor intensive as emulsion photography. And Mr Murphy is clearly a photographer - that lone unnoticed speck will definitely appear at a critical location in the final image ;) Never heard of such a device! Gonna have to buy one now because I love film and vinyl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincenzozanghi Posted April 9, 2020 Author Share Posted April 9, 2020 Thank you guys all so much! I have only been shooting film for 2-3 years now and appreciate any help I can get. It's great to know the photography community is full of people that are willing to help newbies like myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 Wetting agent- check out Edwal LFN and Kodak Photo Flo 200. You'll hear pros and cons but I've used Photo Flo for about 50 years with no problem and no water spots. I've never used LFN but people seem to like it better than Photo Flo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otislynch Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 Never heard of such a device! Gonna have to buy one now because I love film and vinyl! I just Googled the Zerostat to make sure they're still available, and they are. But I was a bit shocked at how high the price has gotten - they're now $80! As I bought mine sometime in the early to mid '70s and it still works fine (as do those of many friends), I can vouch for the value as long as they're still made as well. Then again, I have about 1000 LPs for which I paid $3 to $5 new, and good vinyl today costs 10+ times that much. So maybe I'm just being a crusty old curmudgeon :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_halfhill Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 In 1993 I wrote an article for Shutterbug magazine titled "Defeating Dust." My advice remains valid today. You can find the article on my website here: Defeating Dust 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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