Help! I dropped my negative strip on a puddle of grease!

While cleaning off the table after dinner tonight, I missed a small puddle of

grease. While cutting and sleeving my negatives just now, two of my negative

strips managed to land right in the grease. How can I clean them?

 

Details: we had Mexican food for dinner (if that matters). The grease spots

are on the shiny side (that's the side that's not the emulsion, right?) One

spot I didn't notice until I pushed the strip into the sleeve, so I smeared it

all over the last frame of the strip -- some grease may have gotten on the

emulsion side I'm not sure. The other spot I noticed before I put the negative

in the sleeve, so it's just sitting there -- it's right in the middle of the

last frame. My negs were pretty curvy, so that helped keep the contamination

down to a minimum.

 

I searched the archives for negative cleaning but most people suggested either

specialty negative cleaners which I don't have, although one person said lighter

fluid, which I'm not going to try without independent confirmation. I do have

91 percent isopropyl alcohol if I can use that (I'm afraid it's going to melt my

film), otherwise, I have photoflo which I don't think will help.

 

Boy do I feel stupid. Hope you're having a laugh at my expense.

Hi, I would put it in a tray of warm water with Dawn (dishwashing soap).

 

Jon

as long as the grease is only on the shiny side, you are ok. Just lay the strip shiny side up on

a piece of thin, lint free cloth ( a brand new t-shirt will work.) take a strip of t-shirt and wrap

it around your finger. take a small cup of purified water and put a drop of Dawn and mix it

up. Then dip your t-shirt finger in and rub (gently, you do not want to scratch the film). rinse

the film with purified water and repeat until water does not repel from grease spot.

Geeze, sometimes grease is a -good- thing. One of the ways you can eliminate scratches on the non-emulsion side is to use a little nose-grease (lightly!) before making a print...

I agree with Robert. It's no big deal. Skip the Dawn, and don't bother getting the film all

wet. Just wipe it off with a soft cloth. The grease won't absorb into the plastic side of the

film or affect the emulsion, it will just sit on top until it's wiped off.

 

Peter

I just reread your question, and if the grease did get on the emulsion side, then the

rewashing is necessary.

 

Peter

Just clean it off with Ronsonol lighter fluid, isopropanol or everclear.

Or you can (could years ago anyways)buy an expensive bottle of Kodak film cleaning solvent containing hexane.

 

None of which will damage the film.

Isopropyl alcohol won't damage your film. I regularly use 70 percent to clean my negs. However, it might not remove the grease, but give it a shot - you've nothing to lose.

Isopropyl alcohol will not damage your film. I used it regularly on my films. It will removed the grease. Don't dunk your film in it, but wipe it with a soft cloth containing the alcohol.

Water alone won't do it. Grease is made up of nonpolar molecules. Water is polar. You need a nonpolar substanct such as isopropyl alcohol. If possible, test a small, non-critical area of the negative first.

Paint thinner or turpentine will dissolve most animal fats and should not hurt your film. You can wash the turp off with detergent and water, then more water.