Dust busting!!! Please help

Nicole · Oct 2, 2005

Hi all
Please share with me your tips on how to keep the dust down.
I wipe my Agfa Varioscope 60 out a few times, use dust off, always check it's clean, before, during, after each neg used and I still can't avoid the dust. Please help.
Kind regards,
Nicole

modafoto · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole Boenig-McGrade said:
Hi all
Please share with me your tips on how to keep the dust down.
I wipe my Agfa Varioscope 60 out a few times, use dust off, always check it's clean, before, during, after each neg used and I still can't avoid the dust!!!
Please help.
Kind regards,
Nicole

Are you using an anti-static cloth to wipe it with? If not, you may have the same problems as I had. I used a cloth that generated quite a lot of static electricity and therefore made the neg carrier attract the dust.

I bought an anti-static cloth and the problems are almost gone.

For my negs I use a blower to blow off the dust and it works great if I blow on the neg in a 45 degree angle to get the dust moving quickly off the neg.

Greeeetings Morten

Nicole · Oct 2, 2005

modafoto said:
Are you using an anti-static cloth to wipe it with? If not, you may have the same problems as I had. I used a cloth that generated quite a lot of static electricity and therefore made the neg carrier attract the dust.

I bought an anti-static cloth and the problems are almost gone.

For my negs I use a blower to blow off the dust and it works great if I blow on the neg in a 45 degree angle to get the dust moving quickly off the neg.

Greeeetings Morten

Hi Morten,
I'm using the Ilford Antistaticum reusable cloth which aparently eliminates dust and static. And I use Dust Off as you mentioned as well. I'm still not sure what else I can do.

modafoto · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole Boenig-McGrade said:
Hi Morten,
I'm using the Ilford Antistaticum reusable cloth which aparently eliminates dust and static. And I use Dust Off as you mentioned as well. I'm still not sure what else I can do.

Hmmm...then it is tough. I have wiped my negs sometimes if they were very dusty, but that is not too great because wiping the dust against the back of the film or the emulsion can cause severe scratches that is more annoying than dust.

I will follow this thread closely to see if someone has the golden advice.

Thanks again for a quality thread-starting question, Nicole

Dan Henderson · Oct 2, 2005

Wasn't there a song about dust in the darkroom? Oh, wait, that was Dust in the wind. Some seems inevitable, and perhaps all we can do is strive to minimize it. My personal regemin is to periodically wipe down everything with a damp towel to get what has settled on shelves and things, vacuum the floor with a good shop vac, and always keeping the darkroom door closed when I'm not entering or exiting. I also adapted a furnace filter over the air inlet to the darkroom so that dusty air is not drawn into the darkroom when the exhaust fan is running.

I use a very small, inexpensive air compressor from a home supply store to blow off my negs before use. The compressor itself has an air filter where the air is drawn into the compressor. I regulate the discharge air down to 20 or 25 psi so as not to damage the surface of the negatives, or for that matter, blow them out of the carrier and into low earth orbit.

photomc · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole, take a look at the search, this has been discussed a few times that I can recall. Believe it or not you may be trying to hard and are keeping the dust moving around by trying to keep it down. Would bet you are in a very dry climate, so one of the quick ways is to increase the humidity in the darkroom, it will help to settle the dust. Another way do help keep it at bay, is to run one of the clean air machines, which is really nothing more than a box with a fan and filters to pull particles out of the air.

Good luck and keep us posted..never know when you may find the perfect solution we have not thought of yet.

GM Bennett · Oct 2, 2005

You might also try a Zerostat anit-static gun - works on analog music, too!

Graham

MurrayMinchin · Oct 2, 2005

I place my negative holder on an anti-static cloth instead of right on the enlarger bench, and use a set of Kinetronics 4x5 sized Ministat brushes for the negatives. Works great. Even with a glass negative carrier (6 surfaces to attract dust) and using masking techniques (add another 4 surfaces using 2 masks), dust just isn't a problem any more.

When I next have some disposable income (sigh...) I'll get the biggest set of brushes they make for using with paper. I pass up to 8x10 sized sheets through the Ministat before exposure and hardly have to do any more spotting caused by lint sitting on the papers surface during exposure.

http://www.kinetronics.com/cgi-loca...ne-store/scstore/photoproducts.html?E+scstore

Then again, I live in a moist environment

Murray

df cardwell · Oct 2, 2005

Ground ( earth) the enlarger chassis.

Run a wire from the chassis to a cold water pipe.

ALSO: I recall the Agfa being a condensor enlarger.
You may help yourself by laying a piece of thin diffusion medium,
or drafting mylar, over the top of the negative carrier, or across the bottom of the condensor...

The BEST material for this is ROSCO Tough Rolux (Cinegel #3000) media for stage or cine lighting. http://www.rosco.com/australia/video/cinegel.asp

Cinegel offers a spectrum of diffusion, and it won't take much to make the inevitable, residual, dust disappear.

.

Mick Fagan · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole, are your negs in glass?

One of the things I use in my darkroom, which by the way is quite dirty as there are about fifteen trips a day between the house and the bungalow where the darkroom is and the door is kept open all day every day, is removeable magic tape. The door is kept open as we run back and forth to clean LASER'd rubber, as I'm a rubber stamp manufacturer in my day job.

Removeable magic tape has the same adhesive as what is used in post it notes. This adhesive is not savage and I use a small piece from a tape dispenser and pluck minute pieces of whatever off the neg. I also use a small compressor with a water filter on it to blow the negs for as long as it takes. I don't like canned stuff as eventually you'll get some real cold air coming out freezing your film. At least I always did!

Using a loupe assidously between blasts of air, then a final attack with magic tape. I very rarely have to spot. This regime came about from colour printing, because no matter how I tried, I could never spot colour prints very well.

I have used anti static guns in a commercial environment, they were reasonably successful, but not 100%. If you zap all of the +dust, what about the -dust?

Mick.

gbroadbridge · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole,

Bucket of water in the corner - it'll evaporate and keep the dust too damp to fly.

Don't rub so much, each rub attracts dust - use a 3M scotchcloth $1.99 at the supermarket to wipe one (Kmart and Target) , it's microfibre and can be reused. The

Don't vacuum and stir up the dust

Graham

jp80874 · Oct 2, 2005

When cleaning out the darkroom I keep the fans going to suck out any dust that I have stirred up either by wiping counters or vacuuming floor and ceiling. The intake fan is filtered. If my wife ever finds out how tidy I am in the darkroom, I may be assigned to the balance of the house.

After I develop and rinse the film (roll or sheet) I hang it in a rolling storage frame. It is a frame the size of a single bed mattress standing on the narrow end. There are small wheels or casters on the bottom. The whole thing is covered in light weight cotton. The moisture goes out, and the dust does not go in. A chain store called Bed, Bath & Beyond sells it in the USA.

After the film is dry I put it in film storage sleeves made by Print File. I wear cotton gloves when handling the film.

I like df cardwells idea to ground the enlarger. Mine are, but they were done so for safety reasons. I hadnt thought of the dust aspect.

I think he may be on to something with his question whether yours is a condenser enlarger. I am in an advanced photo class of 18 students in the local university. Most of the students use the thirty university provided Omega condenser enlargers. They all have dust problems. I use either a diffusion (LPL 4555 XLG) or cold light (Durst 138S with Aristo 12x12 cold light) The other students have to spot 15 out of 20 11x14 prints. I may have to do one.

Hope this helps.

John Powers

pauldc · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole, I have had many problems with dust, especially on the negative. After trying many different things (and lots of research on the internet forums) I went and bought a device called a Booflet from www.boofey.com and I must say it works fairly well and has reduced the dust a lot. Basically all it is, is two soft polymer rollers than you drag your negative through and they pick up the dust. So far it does not seem to have scratched my negatives. It is not perfect but it has made a difference.

Paul

Claire Senft · Oct 2, 2005

I would back up a step and make certain that my negatives do not get any grit on them from processing. I use 5 micron water filters. A set would cost about 100 USD. Make your final rinse in photo flo and distilled water to eliminate any mineral deposits. Hang them up in a dust free place and avoid the temptation to inspect them before they are completely dry.

When loading your negative carriers do so on a light box. Inspect your negative with magnification and eliminate any dust etc. before putting them into the enlarger. A 50mm camera lens will work well for this application as will a extra enlarging lens of about 50mm. The camera lens is likely to be faster and provide a brighter image. Many people consider glass carriers a PITA. They do however give visibly sharper results than an open frame carrier. I am not familar with the carrier used in your Agfa enlarger. If possible, I would use a glass top and open frame bottom. I have been doing this with my Durst and I find the result not visibly different from using a glass top and bottom..

The glass(es) need not only to be free of dust, they also need to be free of any smears etc. Cleaning the carrier between negatives with a good glass cleaner and completely drying it is time well spent.

If there are any smokers in the family keep them out of the darkroom.

If the above suggesstions are inadequte then you will need to be sure that your darkroom is walled in and sealed with a good air filtration system with HEPA filters.

colrehogan · Oct 2, 2005

jp80874 said:
If my wife ever finds out how tidy I am in the darkroom, I may be assigned to the balance of the house.

I have dust plus three cats. You can come and clean up my house!

jp80874 · Oct 2, 2005

Hi Diane,

Thanks but I am allergic to cats. However my Labrador (also a shedder) has great recipes for them.

John Powers

Shmoo · Oct 2, 2005

I also keep my enlarger and enlarger base covered when not in use so no excess dust gets in. Blackout/light cutting drapery liner works well (and it has a plastic coating) and it's pretty inexpensive. I just drape it over the enlarger (after the enlarger head is cool) and clothespin it around.

resummerfield · Oct 2, 2005

Besides all the other good ideas in this and other posts, vacuum everything (floors, walls, ceiling, and fixtures) many hours before you intend to use the darkroom, and if possible direct the vacuum exhaust outside the darkroom (attach a hose to the exhaust). Then, just before using, wipe everything down with a damp cloth.
I also have a strong, collimated light that I examine the neg and carrier with just before inserting into the enlarger (I use a glass carrier).

hortense · Oct 2, 2005

Nicole - For many years I have used a Kinetronics Static Brush with no problems. I have the one the that is grounded. By grounded, I mean to attach the grounding lead to the screw iin the center of the double recepticle power outlet. Whiile I couldn't find this product offered on this link http://www.kinetronics.com/cgi-loca...ne-store/scstore/photoproducts.html?E+scstore, there is an assortment that I believe you could use. I would avoid those that use isotopes since they will need the isotope cartridge replaced periodically.

KenM · Oct 2, 2005

Two words: hepa filter.

Charles Webb · Oct 2, 2005

df Cardwell has the best idea in my mind, There is no complete elimination of dust on a negative, but you can usually get it much cleaner by using the grounding and "Picker" method. I place my negatives in the carrier then touch it to the grounded enlarger frame then, carefully brush away any visible cross lit dust/lint particles. I have had no better results with the static master brushes than I have had with camel or squirrel hair water color brushes. On 4x5 and larger I use a very cheap bristle brush made to clean chips off of a lathe or mill. They work wonderfully, and when finally dirty, can be used for what they were intended. The main thing in using any brush is not to scrub the negative so hard as to create the static. I have learned to live with a certain amount of it, then take care of it in the finishing process. . Any one can learn to "spot" with a little practice>

Hope mine and other posts will help you with this devilish problem.

Sean · Oct 2, 2005

Hi Nicole, I feel for you as I had very similar issues, it can be a struggle. I can only say what works for me:

-clean walls and floors and minimising areas where dust can settle. Seal the room and get some fresh paint on.
-again an air tight room, my room is 100% sealed and the only air that is pumped into it is filtered, this creates clean air coming in and pressure to push any dust and fumes in the air out through a light tight vent..
-be mindful of the clothes you wear they can shed a lot of dust, some say wear silk
-get a decent room hepa filter (mechanical) and run it 24x7, I notice if I turn mine off for just a day or two the dust is back.

Bob F. · Oct 2, 2005

Scientists have determined that 90% of the universe is not visible - i.e. is so-called Dark Matter. Photographers know where all that dark matter can be located: as dust in their darkrooms and cameras...

I just try not to disturb the dust too much around the enlarger and just wipe the area around the enlarger with a damp paper towel and concentrate my efforts on the negative and carrier. In order of increasing exasperation I: blow with a hand puffer (Rocket Air dust blower); blast it with canned air and finally, if that does not shift it, use a brush. The trouble with the canned air I find is that it is likely to kick up more dust if you are not careful where you aim it...

Cheers, Bob.

Saganich · Oct 2, 2005

I've never has a dust issue after switching to a diffussed light source. The condenser drove me mad to the point where I have a psycological adversion to spot toning. For cleaning negs I use a pecpad and nasty liquid cleaner, works well but as far as organic solvents go, it is smelly. Also, and I'm not being picky, keep all loose equipment stored away after use, keep all surfaces clear and covered when not in use, remove all any fabric from the dark room, (chairs, couches, etc). The dark room should resemble an empty operating room when not in use.

Ronald Moravec · Oct 4, 2005

Clean the darkroom including floor, shelving, ceiling, walls. Get an electronic air filter.

Put a furnace air filter over the incoming air vent and spray it with sticky filter coat.

Leave the room shut at all times.

A 3 micron water filter and glass bottles are the final touch.

I have not had to do any serious spotting of prints in years.

You need to get rid of the dust, not just put it back in the air.

Dust busting!!! Please help

Nicole

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