More questions on using Ionizing kit to remove dust from film, equiptment.

I happened upon the following 'HACK' on youtube ( ) and its got me looking a the possibility of using his modification to a USB Ionizer, as the key part of a wand type static attractor that can be used to remove dust, etc from negatives, before and after loading, unloading film holders, or from negative and slide carriers for the enlarger, as well as use inside camera lenses, to remove most static dust, etc.

Instead of wearing this tool, as a play thing for whatever, what would you use to make a long probe, say 4" - 6" to attract dust, and how would you ground it in your darkroom, by your loading/printing bench, to keep static to a minimum in film holders and in enlargements?

It may be I'm beating a dead horse, but I believe there is a low cost solution to making a better tool, without it costing thousands or even hundreds to do so.

Cheers and Godspeed to all.

Eli

I do not see how introducing static as such would be benefitial to removing dust, to the contrary. In the ionizers instead the static is just used to produce ions, and these are the means to counter dust.

That is why at that other thread of yours I hinted at small ionizers incorporarted in modern hairddryers.

AgX, what I'm seeing in this video is static causing grains of sand to be raised away from a surface, and being heavy, falling back as others are raised up to the probe, in this case a hand.

So, if I am interpreting what I believe I see, Correctly, then it should be possible to take an aluminum plate, grounded by the machine, and cleaned of dust, lay a negative upon it, and when the probe is turned on, watch it attract dust from the negative or slide in question, and away from the workstation leaving a cleaned, static free negative behind.

Likewise, I would think the same effect would be possible for a lens or camera, again grounded by the device's (-) wire so long as there is no insulating material between the lens/camera to interrupt the current.

I know this is tedious, but I'll ask, is what I'm seeing and the results I'm expecting in sync with what is possible, on such a small scale?

Cheers,
Eli.

B

eli griggs said:

AgX, what I'm seeing in this video is static causing grains of sand to be raised away from a surface, and being heavy, falling back as others are raised up to the probe, in this case a hand.

Click to expand...

But in our case it is just the other way round.The particels that we want to get rid off are already charged, and clinging to a surface.

Have you seen the Kodak static eliminator brushes?

If you refer to radioactive brushes, we had it about these in another thread by the OP.