| Improving Image Quality Cleaning Transparencies The first rule of cleaning slides/transparencies is to do as little as possible. Modern films may be tougher than those of yore, but slides are still delicate creatures. What's the best way to protect them? Store them in a cool, relatively dry, dust-free environment, and in acid- and PVC-free archival storage boxes or slide sheets. If you must store slides in projector trays, keep the trays covered and/or boxed. So you're getting ready to scan some slides/trannies that you haven't seen in quite some time and you notice while preparing them for the drum or flatbed that they're filthy. Now we proceed to rule number two: Let the punishment fit the grime. In other words, examine the slides carefully, identify the problem(s), and use the gentlest possible cleaning method for each contaminant. Here's how to deal with the three most common forms of filth found on transparencies. 1) Loose dust: It's the most common problem, but also the easiest to clean. Best methods: blow dust away with an ear syringe, blower brush, or squeeze-type blower. Avoid propellant-powered canned air and blowing slides off with your breath, both of which can deposit droplets. Staticmaster brushes can help minimize static electricity, so slides will be less likely to attract dust, but don't use impregnated static cloths, which are apt to leave a greasy film on the surfaces. 2) Fingerprints: Recent prints can usually be wiped off slide surfaces with the a small piece of microfiber cloth and extreme care. Microfiber cloth is available at most photo dealers. Be especially careful when trying to lift fingerprints off the emulsion (dull) side of the side because grit in the cloth or excessive pressure may cause scratches in the image itself. The base (shiny) side is less delicate and scratches are less likely to affect the scanned image. Old fingerprints can be a real problem if acidic skin oils have caused the pattern to etch into the slide surface, especially if it's on the emulsion side. The longer the fingerprint has remained, the greater the likelihood of permanent damage. If the slide is irreplaceable, by all means make a dupe before you clean it, just in case. If you're lucky, the print can be entirely removed or substantially reduced by swabbing it with a microfiber cloth that has been dampened in denatured ethyl alcohol. If this doesn't work, your only solution is to unmount the slide and rewash it as described below, or have it done professionally. 3) Embedded dust, grit, etc. Usually this occurs during film processing, and typically the emulsion layer is the one affected. Sometimes the cure can be as bad as the diseaseÉyou may remove a dark speck and discover a clear or colored undeveloped area beneath it. As with the toughest fingerprints, the cure for embedded debris on slides is to unmount the slide and rewash it. A. Carefully cut apart cardboard mounted slides using a single-edged razor blade of X-Acto knife. Watch your fingers and don't scratch the slide. If you cut either the top or the bottom edge of the mount almost completely through, you can usually peel the mount apart and lift out the slide. B. Wash the slide briefly (no more than a minute or two) in a tray or dish of cool-but-not-to-cold water (about 65-75 degrees), handling it by the sprocket-holed edges. C. Transfer the moistened slide to a well diluted solution of Kodak Photo-Flo (about one drop in a small saucepan of water) at 65-75 degrees for another minute or so. D. While holding the slide against a clean, smooth surface, gently wipe the affected surface with a clean microfiber cloth that's been moistened in the Photo-Flo solution. Keep wet time to a minimum, and be especially careful when swabbing the moistened emulsion side of the slide. If the above procedures make you a bit nervous, or you'd rather leave the slide cleaning to the pros, most custom labs catering to pros will unmount, wash, clean, stabilize, and remount your slides for a price (about $6.00 per slide). They'll do the best job that they can, but understandably they can neither promise perfect results, nor be held responsible for damage to your slides. By all means have your slides duped before they're cleaned.
|