[ismaelg]

Hello,

I'm very happy because I finally made the film scanner work.
OK, heres the scoop: I have an older Epson Perfection 2400 Photo scanner, courtesy of a fellow forum member.
I just installed Vuescan 8.6.50 and I finally was able to start scanning 35mm negatives.
That's the good part. Now I have tons of questions:
Due to my careless way of storing negatives for decades most need attention. Most have dust.
Some look like "wet or sticky" for lack of a better description. Not sure if it is the emulsion damaged or what.
So the first question is: Can negatives be cleaned?

Does vuescan has something like ICE or similar process to deal with dust or imperfections?

Any advise on how to proceed? Any tips? I know it is quite broad but I have no idea where to start.

I have tons and tons of negatives I'd love to scan. I think I have just embarked in a lifelong or at least a very long journey

Thanks,

[BillM]

Hi Ismael,
Know your images are precious, professional advise best.

I have in past washed negs in distilled water then dipped in prepared wetting agent
with no percieved ill effects.

Just 'swished' them in washwater a little bit, then into wetting agent, hung to dry.
Wetting agent is used to prevent spots from forming, fairly cheap, little goes long way

canned air will take care of a lot of problems.

its easy to replace a camera or lens, not so with images.
by all means, talk to the professional's.

[tuco]

If supported by your scanner, a Filters->Infrared clean drop down list will appear where you can select a level of dust/scratch removal.

[John Poirier]

Hello,

I'm very happy because I finally made the film scanner work.
OK, heres the scoop: I have an older Epson Perfection 2400 Photo scanner, courtesy of a fellow forum member.
I just installed Vuescan 8.6.50 and I finally was able to start scanning 35mm negatives.
That's the good part. Now I have tons of questions:
Due to my careless way of storing negatives for decades most need attention. Most have dust.
Some look like "wet or sticky" for lack of a better description. Not sure if it is the emulsion damaged or what.
So the first question is: Can negatives be cleaned?

Does vuescan has something like ICE or similar process to deal with dust or imperfections?

Any advise on how to proceed? Any tips? I know it is quite broad but I have no idea where to start.

I have tons and tons of negatives I'd love to scan. I think I have just embarked in a lifelong or at least a very long journey

Thanks,

Hi Ismael

I have a lot of experience with film preservation and scanning, as I ran a major archival imaging lab for 20 years. I'm now retired.

My suggestions are suited for a home operation with a flatbed scanner, not a professional lab.

Cleaning dust from film is fairly easy. I recommend using a combination of canned compressed air and a soft brush.

I first place the negatives in the scanner film holder, then gently blow both sides with compressed air. This will remove most dust.

You have to be careful to control the air flow so you don't blow the negatives clean out of the holder. Compressed air blows dust all ove the place, so I do this in a separate room from my scanner.

I do a second dusting as I am putting the film holder in the scanner. I dust both sides of the film (keeping the holder away from the scanning surface itself), then dust the glass and the light source, then insert the film holder.

I use a carbon fiberbrush for dusting. Carbon fiber brushes reduce static electricity and are more effective than regular brushes. I've had mine for about 30 years, and haven't a clue about what is currently available. Historically, camel hair brushes have been widely used for this purpose.

You won't get perfect dust removal this way, but it does improve things quite a bit. I find that it is more time effective to use Photoshop than physical cleaning beyond this point.

The most likely problem with your negatives that appear "wet or sticky" is non-archival sleeves. In particular, storage sleeves/pages made from PVC plastic used to be quite common. The plasticizers in those pages migrate and cling to film, where they form a sticky coating.

Negatives with this problem can be cleaned using an organic solvent and cotton swabs. I suggest you try a commercial product called PEC-12. Test it on blank film ends or unwanted negs before using on good images.

Note that negatives with this problem are often stuck in the sleeves. About all you can do is cut the sleeves along the edges of the film channels and peel them apart.

Another poster recommended washing in water and using wetting agent. This works for some contaminants, but not for PVC plasticisers. If you don't know what the particular crud on your film is, it is best to test an unwanted piece of film to see which works- water or organic solvents. It's pretty simple. If water doesn't remove the crud, you need an organic solvent- either PEC-12 or, less likely, straight methyl or isopropyl alcohol.

In terms of scanning, Vuescan is a good starting point for a beginner. Be sure to explore the advanced options.

Unfortunately, the Epson 2400 does not have infrared cleaning capablilities. The first Epson scanner to do so was the 4490.

I've used the 2400 as well as a bunch of other scanners. In my view the 2400 is not a good choice for your project. It simply does not have the resolution for decent 35mm scans. I think you could make good use of it for learning some scanning basics, but I also think you would be wasting your time using it for a large, long-term film scanning project. However, experimenting with the 2400 will give you experience that could be valuable in making a better choice. It will also work fine for scanning prints if you want to do that.

Good luck!

John

[photolady95]

I used a few drops of dishwashing liquid to clean some negs that had not been stored properly for over 60 years. I used a dishwashing liquid that was simple. I bought the brand Sunlight because it doesn't have all those other chemicals in there like Dawn, and Palmolive have.

I can tell you it worked a treat. I was able to remove even the sticky stuff, I didn't rinse them in anything afterward, I just hung them up to dry. You do not use a lot of the soap. Just a drop or two in a gallon of water. Distilled water is best.

[GeneV]

If supported by your scanner, a Filters->Infrared clean drop down list will appear where you can select a level of dust/scratch removal.

Unless it is a black and white negative. Dust is the only thing that keeps scanned B&W from being the joy it was for wet prints.

[tuco]

Unless it is a black and white negative. Dust is the only thing that keeps scanned B&W from being the joy it was for wet prints.

Yes, I assume color was inferred.

[ismaelg]

Thanks all!

John, Thanks for the detailed explanation. I really appreciate! Now I have some direction to follow.

Regards.

[BillM]

Doesnt get any better than that, does it Ismael

[ismaelg]

Hello again!

A follow up question about canned air: Is there any advantage of using the canned air vs a Giotto blower or a shop compressor? Maybe static control or something? I have a Giotto rocket blower I use in my DSLR sensor and I also have my shop compressor (No, I'm not going to blow the negatives with 100 psi thru a spray gun ) and I use it with airbrushes and spray guns for automotive applications. I have a moisture filter in the compressor but I'm not sure if that would clean the air enough for this?
On the PEC-12, any suggestion for mail ordering it?

Thanks,

[stevebrot]

• The Giottos blower is the gentlest method
• There is canned air and there is canned air. All are not created equal. My latest canned air purchase (Staples house brand) sprayed propellant onto my negs leaving a residue. Not good.
• Hard to say about compressed air such as you use for air brushing. Filtered with moisture removed, and at low pressure, it should work well.

Steve

[tuco]

You'd need to make sure your compressor air is filtered and I'd think it would be good. I've been using those cans of air. Yeah, you need to be careful with them. Tilted the wrong direction and they can blow freezing propellant.

I've thought about getting one of those air brush compressors from a art store and putting a filter on it if it doesn't have one already. I think it will pay for itself as much as I buy cans of air.

[BillM]

Hi Ismael, lot of compressors will circulate small amounts of lubricant throughout
system, little "squirt" into some tissue might show you what you have.

[GeneV]

You'd need to make sure your compressor air is filtered and I'd think it would be good. I've been using those cans of air. Yeah, you need to be careful with them. Tilted the wrong direction and they can blow freezing propellant.

I've thought about getting one of those air brush compressors from a art store and putting a filter on it if it doesn't have one already. I think it will pay for itself as much as I buy cans of air.

I have a compressor that says it is oil-less, but I haven't had the guts to try it on film. Perhaps I could hit a few scraps with it and see what I got, but I would be concerned that oil or moisture would be intermittent.

The air brush compressor might be an idea, though. Those are especially made for clean air.

[John Poirier]

Hello again!

A follow up question about canned air: Is there any advantage of using the canned air vs a Giotto blower or a shop compressor? Maybe static control or something? I have a Giotto rocket blower I use in my DSLR sensor and I also have my shop compressor (No, I'm not going to blow the negatives with 100 psi thru a spray gun ) and I use it with airbrushes and spray guns for automotive applications. I have a moisture filter in the compressor but I'm not sure if that would clean the air enough for this?
On the PEC-12, any suggestion for mail ordering it?

Thanks,

I'd try the Giotto blower first. If it doesn't do the job try air from the shop compressor, with the precautions others have mentioned. For several years I worked with a portable storage tank that I would top up from time to time at a big compressor in another part of my building.

Can't say much about mailing PEC-12 as I've never done it. The manufacturer's web site lists a couple of dealers that ship by something called UPS hazmat: Cleaning Digital Cameras - Photographic Solutions, Inc.

If it's a major hassle getting PEC-12 to Puerto Rico, you might try the suggestion Photolady made earlier about Sunlight detergent. Obviously a very different process from PEC-12, but it just might work by emulsifying the PVC plasticizer which would allow it to be washed away. Again, testing on blank or garbage film would be very wise.

(I spent many years in very isolate places in the Canadian north, so the woes of shipping photo chemicals etc. are quite familiar to me!)

A thorough water rinse (I'd recommend seven changes of water) would be desirable if you decide to use Sunlight. I also wouldn't bet on the long-term effects of Sunlight detergent on film. Probably benign, but you never know.

Here's another thought on detergents. I have a vague memory that the Kodak wetting agent, Photo Flo, is a simple detergent. Obviously safe for film and possibly available in Puerto Rico.

John