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Anti Static Brushes/clothes - scratches?
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- Thread starter GarageBoy
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DREW WILEY
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I pretty much gave up on that kind of gear a long time ago. I still do have a pro antistatic gun on one air line, but rarely use it. Instead, I have
machinist's inspection light atop a true industrial air cleaner full of statically-charged copper plates which grab everything - a whole different league of gadget from these desktop things which are basically just air filters, though those will also work. My line coming in from the air compressor is triple filtered, submicron, and everything was degreased in advance. I hold my neg under the inspection light and blow low pressure air from my air line toward the air cleaner. Once in awhile I use film cleaner and microfiber lens cloths too, if something is stubborn.
But usually compressed air is all I need. You could do it with canned air too, but that gets expensive soon enough. My film room is routinely sponged down, and I wear a 100% dacron cleanroom smock, which does not give off lint like regular fabrics. A machinist's light is similar to
a small halogen desk light except way better made, with high-temp glass over the bulb so it can't accidentally shatter over the work surface,
or shed bit of bulb-coating dandruff onto your film, which can happen otherwise.
machinist's inspection light atop a true industrial air cleaner full of statically-charged copper plates which grab everything - a whole different league of gadget from these desktop things which are basically just air filters, though those will also work. My line coming in from the air compressor is triple filtered, submicron, and everything was degreased in advance. I hold my neg under the inspection light and blow low pressure air from my air line toward the air cleaner. Once in awhile I use film cleaner and microfiber lens cloths too, if something is stubborn.
But usually compressed air is all I need. You could do it with canned air too, but that gets expensive soon enough. My film room is routinely sponged down, and I wear a 100% dacron cleanroom smock, which does not give off lint like regular fabrics. A machinist's light is similar to
a small halogen desk light except way better made, with high-temp glass over the bulb so it can't accidentally shatter over the work surface,
or shed bit of bulb-coating dandruff onto your film, which can happen otherwise.
Gerald C Koch
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What I use is a makeup/cosmetics brush which you can find in any department store. They have a short handle and very soft bristles. They cost about three dollars. Also good for getting dust off lenses. I once had one of these anti-static brushes but really couldn't see any difference in their action.
horacekenneth
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I have a camel hair radioactive brush that really scratched up some 4x5 foma negatives. It is old though.
alienmeatsack
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I use two brushes. One is a dedicated anti-static brush for film, which IMHO doesn't work so well. The other is a makeup brush and I just brush and zap the negative with some canned air and it gets much cleaner results.
If it doesn't come off with either of those, and blowing on it doesn't help, I just leave the dust there and figure it's fought hard and so it gets to stay. Then I'll edit it out in the scan afterwards if its bugging me.
If it doesn't come off with either of those, and blowing on it doesn't help, I just leave the dust there and figure it's fought hard and so it gets to stay. Then I'll edit it out in the scan afterwards if its bugging me.
DREW WILEY
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What is a scan? - other than a four-letter word in the context of APUG.
David Allen
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One of the very best (and cheap) ways to get dust off is to use something that can actually deliver a strong gust of wind. More later . . .
Most of the little blowers / brush blowers sold are rubbish as they have a very small volume of air and, if you use the combined brush blower you end up shooting all the dust on the brush on to your negatives.
So to the easy and cheap way of doing it:
Get an empty washing-up liquid bottle (the old style really really cheap ones are the best), thoroughly clean it and let it dry. You then use this to blow dust off your negatives. If you have picked one of at least 500ml size, you will have an air capacity that dwarfs the little blowers sold in camera shops.
Give it a try - has worked a treat for me the past 40 odd years.
Bests,
David.
www.dsallen.de
Most of the little blowers / brush blowers sold are rubbish as they have a very small volume of air and, if you use the combined brush blower you end up shooting all the dust on the brush on to your negatives.
So to the easy and cheap way of doing it:
Get an empty washing-up liquid bottle (the old style really really cheap ones are the best), thoroughly clean it and let it dry. You then use this to blow dust off your negatives. If you have picked one of at least 500ml size, you will have an air capacity that dwarfs the little blowers sold in camera shops.
Give it a try - has worked a treat for me the past 40 odd years.
Bests,
David.
www.dsallen.de
GarageBoy
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If I used canned duster, I'd feel like I'd use so much of it...
I'm using the large size Giottos http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/259157-REG/Giottos_AA1900_Rocket_Air_Blower.html
Not sure if its static cling or something else that's keeping the dust on
I'm using the large size Giottos http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/259157-REG/Giottos_AA1900_Rocket_Air_Blower.html
Not sure if its static cling or something else that's keeping the dust on
Hi David,
Simply brilliant. I love it when someone comes up with the obvious.
Just a note on helping cutting down on dust, wear a cleanroom hair net, kind of goes along with what Drew does. I've seen them worn in grocery stores around here. Just a habit I picked up from working in a cleanroom.
Principal Unix System Engineer, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems(retired)
Simon R Galley
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I obviously care deeply about the products I make and therefore am obviously very biased, but simply put the ILFORD Anti-Staticum cloth is without doubt one of the best products we have ever made, they simply are amazing, and yes we do actually physically make them here at Mobberley......
1 ) They are amazing for everything optical / lenses / cameras / cleaning negs : but always be very carefull when applying anything to a neg surface.
2 ) In the darkroom, best for cleaning glass carriers etc.
3 ) In the home, my TV never has any dust on it ( ever ! )
4 ) In the kitchen, fabulous for stainless steel ( but use an old one and then for nothing else )
5 ) Stereos and vinvl records : Awesome
6 ) In your car, make mist on your windscreen a thing of the past
7 ) Motorcycle helmets, as above, you will never mist up again
8 ) Your eye glasses...... mine shine !
Why do I not sell millions of these a year !!!
But I will throw this open to anyone who owns an ILFORD anti-staticum Cloth...please let your rave reviews flow....!! I do not think we have ever in 30 years had a complaint.
Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited : Proud makers of the ILFORD Anti-Staticum Cloth..... the Prince of anti-static cloths ( in my personal opinion )
1 ) They are amazing for everything optical / lenses / cameras / cleaning negs : but always be very carefull when applying anything to a neg surface.
2 ) In the darkroom, best for cleaning glass carriers etc.
3 ) In the home, my TV never has any dust on it ( ever ! )
4 ) In the kitchen, fabulous for stainless steel ( but use an old one and then for nothing else )
5 ) Stereos and vinvl records : Awesome
6 ) In your car, make mist on your windscreen a thing of the past
7 ) Motorcycle helmets, as above, you will never mist up again
8 ) Your eye glasses...... mine shine !
Why do I not sell millions of these a year !!!
But I will throw this open to anyone who owns an ILFORD anti-staticum Cloth...please let your rave reviews flow....!! I do not think we have ever in 30 years had a complaint.
Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited : Proud makers of the ILFORD Anti-Staticum Cloth..... the Prince of anti-static cloths ( in my personal opinion )
Simon R Galley
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Only do not get it wet... result dead cloth....
Simon
Simon
David Allen
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Although my washing up bottle is fine for my own work, I do have an ILFORD Anti-Staticum Cloth for stubborn bits on negatives supplied by others for me to print. So yes Simon, an excellent product.
scheimfluger_77
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Uh Oh, you are saying don't run them through a washing machine?
MartinP
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If the cloth gets wet all these tiny little baby cloths "shed" off the original one, and then run around the darkroom wrecking everything ??? Oh wait, I might be mixing things up again . . .
Poisson Du Jour
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My tools of trade are a Giottos midi blower, a Chanel No. 5 blusher brush (thick, rounded sable hair) and microfibre cloths. Nothing else. No scratches on negatives or transparencies. I use an Ilford antistatic cloth on a once-over sweep of the light table before laying down negs or transparencies.
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