Tips for Clean Negatives - Reduce dust when scanning film

In this "tips" video we give a rundown of ways to keep negatives clean and reduce dust and marks for easier scanning and printing. 7 basic tips to consider adding to your home film processing and digitizing workflow, to reduce the amount of time spent removing dust digitally
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Tips
07:05 - Conclusion
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#cleannegatives #filmscanning

[@Adam-pm1cy]

wow - congratz to the "yes", I got that 25 years ago!

[@TheFilmFellow]

Dust, the eternal enemy of the film photographer. Great advice in this video Hashem. I use Swiffer duster almost daily on my desk and on the scanner and definitely spend time getting rid of as much dust as possible.

[@shauns_brewbar]

Congratulations for you and Sara for your engagement. Great video as always. Looking forward what you plan to bring for 2021.

[@GajanBalan]

Loved this video. Some simple but valuable gems here!

[@friesewiese]

Great to hear that she said yes! You're a stranger from the other side of the world and you have never seen me, yet I just got a bit of goosebumps with that heartfelt smile when you said that. Congratulations!!

[@pushingfilm]

Hey that's so nice to hear! Really appreciate it :-)

[@j.fontaine2491]

I can't remember where I got this from but it makes sense - I run a hot shower in the bathroom where my film will dry. The stream that fills the room is supposed to capture much of the dust in the air. I then hang the negatives to dry. Pro tip: turn off the water while drying film ✌🏾

[@pushingfilm]

That's another good tip that I've heard and employed every now and then!

[@TheWatdachtjedan]

Thanks! Useful tips! Will def look into using photo-flo!

[@forrest_reads]

Some good ideas! Thank you!

[@andrewwilkin1923]

Congratulations to Sara and you! Great advice to avoid the dust devil. Between drying and getting round to scanning I put the roll of uncut 35mm film back into the plastic container that the film canister came in.

[@pushingfilm]

Nice! Thank you!

[@jenohogan9254]

These are some great tips and CONGRATS!!!! again on the engagement. That's so exciting for you both. :-D

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks so much Jen!

[@titofly00]

great tips, thank you! and congrats on your engagement i'm very happy for you two!

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks very much! 😁

[@briffaaa2631]

Thanks man that video rocked!

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks very much!

[@JohnKrill]

Photoflow, I've used it for decades and never knew about it properties other than it's what gets all the water off the negatives so it leaves no water stains. Then again I haven't read a label since 1960.

[@gottanikoncamera]

Yeah, been in the darkroom since 1972 and didn’t know PhotoFlo fought dust. lol

[@aboud510]

wow, congratulations to you and Sara!

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you!

[@stvdicorsa]

I’ve noticed that keeping a humidifier switched on while working on negatives helps reducing dust... just when you can’t use the old shower trick. Congrats for your engagement.

[@pushingfilm]

Good tip! And thank you 🙂

[@ronwolfept]

I also keep my DSLR setup (Negative Supply) under a large nylon stuff sack to reduce the accumulation of dust. I also wear a mask while scanning so to reduce breathing onto the work area in the thought it will reduce particulates floating on the neg and work area.

[@pushingfilm]

Good tips!

[@gianlucadelgadopires2882]

Congrats :) you are splendid together. I wish you all the best.

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you very much!

[@kieranplaymusic]

Congrats!

[@sshadmani15]

dusssssstttt, anybody?! DUSSST. 😂 congrats on your engagement 😉 lucky lady!!

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

congratulations on your engagement 😀. Dust, my nemesis. A good tip with the Photo-Flo, I do not yet develop myself but I will definitely take that into account. Like you said, the best thing to do is clean everything you touch while scanning. The biggest problem is the light pad, which has to be absolutely clean. That's where most of the dirt comes from that you have to remove. If you take that into account, you have almost no dust when scanning.

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks mate! Yeah i find that a few simple steps like that can go a long way

[@8Ellojamie8]

One thing I do to remove particularly stubborn dust particles that don't want to come off with the rocket blower is to give them a quick wipe with a clean dust cloth, and then have another go at them with a rocket blower. Although this may place additional dust on the negatives at first, I find that it all comes off with the rocket blower once agitated.

[@pushingfilm]

Good method!

[@TheRoss0411]

Congratulations!

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you!

[@gottanikoncamera]

So glad to see people are trying to minimize dust as opposed to showing it, lol. One think I sometimes do is run the shower hot for a minute or two while Im processing the film; the steam settles any dust floating around. Just be careful and cognizant of what you’re touching. I’ve had my flatbed scanner for six years and only recently actually had to wipe a smear off the scanner glass. Other than that it’s just been a rocket blower. Good stuff and congratulations!!

[@pushingfilm]

Agreed! Not a fan of dusty and dirty negatives

[@berthaduniverse]

Nice seeing your approach. As a former (drum) scanner operator for preress, I am kind of amazed no one actually cleans with film cleaner, (a tight weave, dust free) microfiber cloth, and an anti-static brush coupled with canned air. It was standard practice on all mounts (wet or dry) and dust/hair/lint was rarely an issue.

[@peterfarr9591]

What film cleaner do you recommend? I use an anti-static brush + canned air, and even an anti-static gun and my B&W 35mm negatives are a straight up nightmare of dust. I also keep a VERY clean working environment, and have a proper drying area that doesn't get disturbed. I'm practically pulling my hair out here with how much dust there is. At least with color film I can use infrared to subtract the dust easily.

[@berthaduniverse]

@@peterfarr9591 I was working with FilmClean, in the quart size, but Edwal is probably fine. Also I used a large 20"x20" antistatic microfiber (reusable) cloth folded tightly into a wipe. I then used a nylon pad for a backer while wiping, holding the very corner with my thumbnail. Then, using a nuclear anti static brush I mount with 1/8" slices of 1" clear tape. Then brush and blow, inspect and mount with oil and an optical mounting sheet. Tape the edges if you want. Inspect for dust and bubbles with a 10x loupe and scan. Hope it helps.

[@peterfarr9591]

@@berthaduniverse that is very useful. My 35mm scanner doesn't have a way to wet mount, although I think that probably would drastically cut down on dust. I'll try using FilmCleaner

[@peterfarr9591]

I solved my dust issue! I might try making a simple cell phone video and posting it to KZbin. Realized there's a hollow space in the inside of a small cheap HEPA air purifier I own that can fit a metal 35mm reel. Decided to try drying a roll of film by just placing it inside the air purifier, closing it up and running it for a couple hours. Immaculate negatives

[@Harlequin565]

Congratulations on your engagement!

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you!!

[@nickmatthews4939]

Some great tips. I use an antistatic gun (Zerostat) plus rocket blower to great effect. 👍🏻s up

[@pushingfilm]

Good tip!

[@c.augustin]

Using Photo Flow (or similar products) with distilled water is news to me, I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tips, sounds reasonable. Hanging the film in the show is something I already do, and I put a tray with water below it so that the humidity is slightly raised (this is a very old tip I heard a long, long time ago).

[@pushingfilm]

Yeah, it ensures you don't have mineral heavy or overly ionised water. I've found less drying marks especially. But I haven't heard that tip about having water under! Sounds interesting!

[@josecaffarena4269]

Congrats on your engagement!! you make a great couple :)

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you so much!

[@donovanchin]

I need to get myself those gloves. The cotton ones I’m using are ok but I find that they actually make it hard for me the feel the film. So there’s more fumbling around. I’m surprised that people don’t use Photoflo. I’m addicted to that stuff 😃. Also, I’m an avid blower. I use the Rocket Blower on every frame. Don’t usually get much dust on my negs. One thing I really need to do is to sleeve them immediately after. I’m usually pretty slow with that. Another great video and glad that you’re back. Congratulations again to you and Sarah.

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks Don! Haha yeah nice, I might also try Ilfotol when I run out of this batch to see if there's any difference

[@frankwolff2903]

What size Viltrox LED are you using under the EFH. I'm looking for a light source that is brighter than the inexpensive light table box I have. Do you recommend any other light source or any other sizes that are very bright. Thanks FW

[@nuno_das_fotos]

Nice tips, all things I do too. I also built an anti dust gate in order to remove the final specs of dust as the film enters into the EFH. I build a gate using 2 vinyl brushes opposite to each other. Supported by some foam panels, tape and glue. In the end what I end up with is that some bristles from the vinyl brush can get loose and stay on the film. Otherwise I get almost perfect clean results.

[@pushingfilm]

Good DIY job there!

[@peterfarr9591]

I have this exact setup and my negatives are horrendously dusty still. I don't know WTF is wrong. I'm starting to wonder if dust is somehow inside my PrimeFilm XAs scanner, but it's a sealed system. I've tried with a can of compressed air through the scanner, but it's just awful. Never had this issue with flatbed scanning medium format or large format film. I think I'm literally ready to start pulling my hair out

[@KylerSteele]

Scanning film made me realize how much dust is actually in the air and on my desk

[@peterfarr9591]

I never had "dust problems" until I got a 35mm film camera. Medium format and especially large format film I just never found dust to be very problematic. I think because 35mm negatives are so small, that dust is just that much more apparent. I do literally everything you do, AND I use compressed air, an anti-static gun, and feed my roll through a double sided anti-static brush as it feeds straight into my film scanner. The results? Still, absurd amounts of dust. I even have a HEPA air filter, and keep a very clean environment. Color film is pretty easy though with iSRD basically taking care of the dust issues. B&W 35mm film is a straight up nightmare though, and I don't get how anyone gets a hold of their dust issues.

[@pushingfilm]

Yep, dust can sure be a bit of a headache sometimes!

[@carltanner9065]

Congrats to you and Sarah on your engagement!!!!! :D :D :D My place is dust central, no matter what I do to keep it clean. Keeping dust of drying negatives is a pain here. If I stayed still for any length of time, I'd collect dust, myself!!! :D :P :P :P

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you!! Haha sounds like a struggle 😂

[@stefanol9272]

Big congratulations mate 😎😎✌️✌️ We all need a downtime I have a wish if you have any recommendations for a good 35 mm film scanner not a flatbed but one who maybe could do badge scanning !

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks 👍 The Pacific Image Primefilm Xas Super is probably the way to go!

[@AlexOnStreets]

Nice timing! I'm going to start developing at home soon and I'll be using Fuji's version of Photoflo which is called, FUJIFILM DRIWEL (200ml)

[@pushingfilm]

Nice! Hahah love that name 😁

[@thedondeluxe6941]

Saw you got engaged on Instagram, big congrats!!! :-)

[@pushingfilm]

Yes! Thank you! :-D

[@theblackandwhitefilmproject]

I have had no luck with cotton gloves - I now use Vinyl Food Handling Disposable Gloves- Comes in packs of 100 for just a few $$$. I also use them for loading negatives on spool in dark bag as my hands would sweat and the negative would be ruined or stick together. Cheers!

[@pushingfilm]

Sounds like another good option!

[@annadenaro9919]

congratulations

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you!

[@christaylor4179]

Dude!!! Why didn’t you put this video out 2 days ago?! I just developed and scanned 6 rolls yesterday, and spending today dealing with dust edits today. Congrats on the engagement!!!

[@pushingfilm]

Thanks! Haha just missed the boat there, I had been meaning to make this one for a while

[@juliusdengler5872]

Please don‘t put photo flo on your c41 negs. The stabilizer has to be the last step as it needs to be on the film after its dried. Also, the stab already has a similar effect as the photo flo. The stab helps the film against fungus and degradation.

[@LieutenantLights]

Hey man, can you tell me the light you use to go below the essential film holder? Looks like an aputure. Thanks for the tip! That stuck out for me from the first photo class I took 20 years ago; dust is the photographer's number one enemy 🤙

[@LieutenantLights]

I've been on guard against dust ever since... Considering I live in semi dessert, it's been fun

[@pushingfilm]

Hey! It's a Viltrox unit, listed in the video description (probably same as an aperture equivalent) Yep, prevention is always better 😁

[@frankwolff2903]

Do you have any experience or thoughts on the CineStill Df96 Monobath developer?

[@pushingfilm]

I dont have any experience with it sorry!

[@alipaulstagram]

I found that using a wetting agent on my film reels made them sticky and I could no longer get 35mm film on them no matter how hard I scrubbed them. I now do the final dunk without the film reels.

[@paulgough4302]

You show demineralised water, this is different to distilled water and may give different results. However very good general advice for anybody using a darkroom as well. I have never had issues with photo flo and tap water over the years, obviously a caveat here, tap water quality and dissolved impurities need to be considered. Dust can often be a product of the immediate environment, movement on carpets, air flow and your type of clothing can contribute. In the TAFE darkroom where I worked we installed simple ply dividers between each of the dozen or so Opemus enlargers lining opposite walls. This assisted in dust control at each enlarger for the students as there were up to 15 in the darkroom at any time with many moving around.

[@pushingfilm]

The results are still fine in my experience (especially compared to our tap water) as demineralised water will have less minerals, salts and conductivity in comparison. I mistakenly use the terms interchangeably as I just buy what I can easily get at the shops (usually demineralised/deionised). I knwo what you mean about dust in the environment, it's an endless battle 😂

[@dedclownsRfunny]

Can you use Photoflow after a Cinestil DF-96 B&W mono bath?

[@pushingfilm]

Yep, perfectly suitable after final rinse for black and white neg :-)

[@dedclownsRfunny]

@@pushingfilm cheers!

[@dynax60]

Дополнительно: делайте влажную уборку в комнате, уберите пыль микрофиброй, помойте, наконец, полы ;) Возможно, еще имеет смысл сливер с пленкой также упаковывать не в альбом, а в зип-пакет. Но главное - влажная уборка в помещении!

[@richardg6109]

Photoflo is fantastic. But, I wouldn't dunk plastic reels in it. It's difficult to get it off the reels and they will get sticky over time. Not a good thing! I remove the film and dunk it. A Photoflo dunk will also remove water streaks. Thanks for the video and congrats on your news.

[@pushingfilm]

Thank you! I've done it for years with no issues. Just need to rinse them thoroughly with warm water afterwards. Every now I also recommended using isopropyl alcohol solution to give them a good clean.

[@richardg6109]

@@pushingfilm Just warm water after Photoflo didn't work for me. I also occasionally use denture cleaning tabs (an idea I picked up in a forum).

[@oskarhernandez3619]

I’ve heard it’s actually bad for your reels to be dunked in stabilizer/ photo flo. Have you heard of that? I had some issues developing and a local lab helped me with some tips.

[@pushingfilm]

It can cause them to get a bit sticky after a while... but what I do is rinse them well in hot water after use, and periodically rinse them in water +isoporopyl alcohol solution

[@arty2917]

Why? Why would she say yes? :)

[@evertking1]

Tears and photoshop

[@randallstewart1224]

Swiping the negative with an anti-static brush, often made of camel's hair, just before loading the negative into an enlarger or digital "scan" holder, will remove practically anything left after blowing with a Rocket or canned air. They used to be made with low-level radioactive strips which would ionize the surface of the film to kill any static charge, but I guess those are no longer politically correct. I use a commercial model which was made by Kinetronics, which has two brushes where the ends create a tiny gap which the film can be passed through, swiping both sides in one pass. Kinetronics makes a variety of such brushes in a range of $10 - $40. Considering the time and frustration of spotting, this is a once-in-a-lifetime expense which is well worth the cost.

[@sdrchannel576]

This is great, thanks. Also I think it's time for those who read this to seek the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the most important person we must meet and know. This is a spiritual world and all our activities are only for a little while here. It is time to think about your soul and where you want to spend eternity. Jesus Christ says, " if you seek me with all your heart you will find me".