How do you clean slides?

[Richard McNeil]

A friend of mine has lots (several hundred) of slides he would like to scan; however they have been laying around for years and are very dirty. Is there a way to clean the slides prior to scanning them in?

Richard

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Richard McNeil

A friend of mine has lots (several hundred) of slides he would like to scan; however they have been laying around for years and are very dirty. Is there a way to clean the slides prior to scanning them in?

Any idea what type of slide material it is (Kodachrome or Ektachrome/Fujichrome/Agfachrome/others)? What type of dirt is it (mold/dust/other)? Is it old material (say many decades) or relatively new (say a decade, or two)? How have they been stored (unmounted in strips/mounted in boxes)?

Bart

[Richard McNeil]

Originally Posted by Bart_van_der_Wolf

Any idea what type of slide material it is (Kodachrome or Ektachrome/Fujichrome/Agfachrome/others)? What type of dirt is it (mold/dust/other)? Is it old material (say many decades) or relatively new (say a decade, or two)? How have they been stored (unmounted in strips/mounted in boxes)?

Bart

The slides are a mix of Kodachrome and Ectachrome. The dirt is dust specs and very small hairs. The slides are 1-2 decades old. They have been mounted in regular cardboard mounts and stored in projector (Bell and Howell) plastic cubes.

Richard

[Duke Beattie]

You might look at this..
http://www.photosol.com/pec12.htm
Distilled water or distilled water mixed with photoflo (kodak) should work also..

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Richard McNeil

The slides are a mix of Kodachrome and Ectachrome. The dirt is dust specs and very small hairs. The slides are 1-2 decades old. They have been mounted in regular cardboard mounts and stored in projector (Bell and Howell) plastic cubes.

Okay, the Kodachrome ones are the hardest because they can only be cleaned mechanically. I use oil free compressed air (from an airbrush compressor or suitable propellant free dry compressed air can) for the dust removal. Then if there is still fused dirt, the Kodachrome ones may need rinsing in distilled water and after applying a final rinse in a photoghraphic "wetting" solution (to prevent water drops), drying in a dust free environment.

The non-Kodachrome ones can be scanned with a scanner that has some form of "Digital ICE" IR dust/scratch removal capability. It's a life saver if you have a lot of slides that need repair.

If it is grease/finger prints that need to be removed, there are dedicated cleaners, but I am very careful in avoiding any rubbing since it could scratch the emulsion even more. That's why it is prefered to first try ICE.

Older sildes can also suffer from discoloration/fading of one or more color layers, there is software that attempts to reverse the fading process in postprocessing, but with variable success.

Bart

[Richard McNeil]

Thanks Duke and Bart - will give it a try

[Edward Bussa]

I've been using Ronsonol lighter fluid on a q-tip! Am I crazy? :|

[Cem_Usakligil]

Thanks Duke and Bart for the useful info since I was contemplating this issue myself.

Originally Posted by Edward Bussa

I've been using Ronsonol lighter fluid on a q-tip! Am I crazy? :|

Not unless you smoke at the same time <LOL>


Cheers,

[Kathy Rappaport]

Originally Posted by Cem Usakligil

Thanks Duke and Bart for the useful info since I was contemplating this issue myself.


Not unless you smoke at the same time <LOL>


Cheers,

That was very funny!

What's wrong with trying a bulb blower first?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Kathy Rappaport

What's wrong with trying a bulb blower first?

Nothing wrong with it, but in my experience it is not as effective as compressed air (higher pressure, more focused flow).

Bart

[Edward Bussa]

For compressed air I use a small $100 air compressor that has a filter on the intake. Also I put a moisture condensing unit on the output.

Then I fill a propane-like-tank from the compressor. The tank has a nozzle with a rubberized tip. I get plenty of portable pressurized clean air.

I've never considered an airbrush compressor and have no idea how much pressure they produce nor how much they cost!?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Edward Bussa

I've never considered an airbrush compressor and have no idea how much pressure they produce nor how much they cost!?

Mine is a very silent "Sil-Air 20A" which can be adjusted up to some 6 bar or almost 90 PSI working pressure (20L/min with water separation) according to the pressure gauge (but that's a bit much at close range for film cleaning, although it is handy for cleaning the computer on the inside). New ones cost in the order of € 300.

Bart