What's the deal with these photo gloves?

For some time now as part of my 35mm film scanning workflow I have

been using latex gloves for handling the film. But at some point I

decided I should purchase some of the "official" lint-free white

photo gloves which everyone recommends, and give them a try. After

a bit of a search locally, I finally found them at one of the local

camera chain stores. But much to my chagrin, it became immediately

apparent that they were anything BUT lint-free! They seemed to be

much worse than using nothing at all! The packaging says "Qalide

Film Gloves (two pairs)". In Qualide's defense, they don't

explicitly say "lint-free". But then again, what good are film

gloves that aren't lint-free? I just don't understand how these

could be advertised for photographic use.

 

I guess the second part of my question is, does anyone else use

latex gloves for handling film, or is there any good reason not to

use them?

 

Jeff

The point isn't to be lint free I don't think as much as to be soft and oil-free... But I say, use

nothing and handle your film by the edges...

You are correct. New cotton (or trico) gloves shed lint. I suppose it would help to run them through the laundry a couple of times (use one of those lingery pouches). The real purpose is to keep fingerprints off of the film and holder.

 

Some type of glove is essential for scanning medium format film with a glass holder. The film requires a lot more handling than 35mm, and the glass shows and retains fingerprint smudges badly.

 

Latex gloves (at least the powder-free variety) would be particle free, especially if you rinsed them once you put them on (ala aseptic/low particulate practice). However, I find the lint from cotton gloves manageable, and they are a lot more comfortable to wear and easier to put on and take off than latex. Your clothes and body shed an enormous amount of particulate anyway. Anyone out there wearing a "bunny" suit and hood? HEPA hood?

 

If I still had a darkroom, I would definitely wear latex gloves before handling chemicals. The minor irritation you shrug off as a youth can haunt you after 30 or 40 years of contact.

I think some people are allergic to latex.

I use the clear plastic gloves people mostly use for food preparation. They are very inexpensive and I only need to put on one hand to hold the neg.

I bought a 30 pack of white gloves about a year ago at a flea market they are made of some cotton/poly blend and are truly lint free I use them to handle film to prevent fingerprints, I am not carefull enough to only touch the sides especially loading 220 film on reels. I wish I knew the brand name to pass along, My only gripe is they are one size fits all and are big for my hands. I use nitaral gloves when working in trays. ,Grinder

May even try walmart, i've seen many types of gloves there. Even a local pharmacy my have different types.

I find normal cotton gloves fine. You can (gently) pull the film through two fingers before inserting into the scanner to remove any dust. You can't do this with latex gloves, and anyway my hands get too sweaty in latex gloves.

i just handle it by the edges. LOL.