Dust and scratches on 5x4 Fomapan 200 film

super_claret

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OK, it was my first attempt and the dark slides had been preloaded by the chap I bought my kit from but upon
developing in a Stearman Press tank, all 4 sheets had scratches and dust to some degree. Some were severe and others less so.

I unloaded the DDS and transferred the film to the SP tank in a large changing bag and was careful in the handling. I did notice that the DDS were quite dusty inside, so maybe the previous owner wasn't to bothered about keeping them clean. I've also read that Fomapan film is susceptible to scratching...is this true?

Any advice for loading DDS and then best practice for loading SP tank?
 
Actually I've got some of that film in 5x7 that I picked up really cheap, I'm hoping it will be OK. I've tried Fomapan 400 in 5x4 and found it to be OK. Mainly used a Stearman for that. I always clean out the slides with firstly a microfibre and then compressed air. Secondhand slides need careful cleaning often they haven't been used for years.
 
It's very important to clean your DDS, I use a paint brush, and I do check them prior to loading. These days I store them in food bags, 3 or 4 per bag, I also add a slip of paper to each bag once loaded to indicate what film they are loaded with. Then they get stored in a plastic box, a 3 litre Really Useful Box holds 12-14 DDS.

Not had problems with Foma films scratching, but be aware the emulsion is slight softer than other brands. The Fomapan 200 is an excellent film, I have tried the 400 but found it lack lustre.

Ian
 
It sounds as though this is all down to the previous owner. A good clean should solve the problem.
 
Any advice for loading DDS and then best practice for loading SP tank?
No matter what you are doing with sheet film, the first priority is avoidance of dust.

As David says, give the DDS a good clean - best is with a vacuum cleaner with a very small nozzle, preferably with a brush integrated or a separate artist's paintbrush.

One recommendation I heard years ago was to run the shower in the bathroom to lay any dust before touching the film.
 
Ive been fighting dust problems for years. The hardest thing is finding the source. Is it coming from the DDS, is it coming from camera bellows, is it coming from the dev tank or is it coming as the film hangs to dry.

For me, I can cope with a bit when I scan as its easy to remove in Photoshop but what's frustrating me at the moment is when I am contact printing 5x4 and they show up in the print.
 
I use these nylon paint brushes to clean DDS. When I buy second hand DDS I remove the darkslides, sometime washing them. Then after an initial brush clean, I pay attention to the light trap areas, cleaning gently with the brush. I'll also remove any stickers and markings.

Once cleaned, I make sure the darkslides fit smoothly, once finished they get store in closed Really Useful boxes, if empty I place a bit of paper with Empty in the box as well.

What's important is aside from loading, shooting and unloading the DDS are kept in closed plastic boxes and sealed food bags to avoid dust.

Ian
 
I use a tiny vacuum cleaner, a paintbrush and some compressed air. Like others, once cleaned the DDSs are kept in plastic bags and plastic boxes until needed. Seems to do the trick most of the time.
 
No matter what you are doing with sheet film, the first priority is avoidance of dust.

As David says, give the DDS a good clean - best is with a vacuum cleaner with a very small nozzle, preferably with a brush integrated or a separate artist's paintbrush.

One recommendation I heard years ago was to run the shower in the bathroom to lay any dust before touching the film.

The problem with vacuum cleaners is that they produce static electricity and can actually make the film holder a magnet for dust, at least briefly. There are small anti-static vacuums made for cleaning electronics systems to be had for reasonable money but I find this unnecessary. I prepare film holders as follows:

  • Remove dark slides and lay them on an anti-static bag of the sort that electronics parts are shipped
  • Gently tap all sides of the film holder against the edge of table to dislodge any larger particles
  • Use a source of clean, dry air (not typically the case for air compressors) to first clear out the slide entrance slots, then the slide grooves, and the the body of the holder
  • Blow the slides clean with the aforementioned air source and insert into the holder
  • Load film
  • Put the whole business into an anti-static bag for transportation and use.

I also use clean, dry air to blow out the workings of the camera. Bellows are notorious for dust trapping. Any time I am use air to clean I either do the cleaning outside the area where the film is loaded or aim it in a safe direction away from the loading table. In my case, I use a retired Scuba tank and regulator for this (https://www.tundraware.com/Photography/Darkroom/Darkroom-11.jpg) but that's not commonly available unless you are a diver. Canned compressed air will do fine but can be pricey. The problem with a conventional air compressor is that the air isn't clean - it often has oil residues in it, so I avoid this path.

All of this assumes a pristine film handling area with no surface dust on the table tops and a generally high level of cleanliness. For this reason, I never clean the darkroom right before I load film. I wait until any dust I've liberated due to cleaning sinks back to the floor. I would avoid changing tents for this reason - the material is a dust trap. And, of course, I never run a vacuum in the darkroom.
 
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I have often wondered if this would work.
Fine filter over the bottom right hole which would be the air intake.


dry box.png
 
Firstly, don’t clean your darkroom. Most cleaning simply moves dust into the air.
Secondly, don’t let the air get too dry. Dry air seems to encourage static.
You need a clean surface to load and unload film. Wipe it clean with a microfibre cloth. Don’t take the film right out of the box. Keep it inside the black bag while loading.
Clean your darkslides very thoroughly, in good daylight and put them in bags. Ordinary polythene seems to work for me. Take care that you don’t brush dust off one slide onto a clean one. Don’t forget the sheaths and don’t put them down on possibly dusty surfaces.
Every time you load film, give the slides a routine clean. I use a large synthetic paintbrush an ordinary squeezy blower, but you may have your own preferences. It doesn’t take long. Those cheap blowers with a brush attached are useless, because the hairs come off and the bulb isn’t big enough to make a difference.
Perhaps most importantly, clean out your bellows and the inside of the camera and store it away from dust. Extend them fully and do it in good daylight.
Don’t wear hairy pullovers and, if you have one, don’t scratch your beard.

Dust is very cunning and it never gives up.
 
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I forgot the other end of the process.
Is your water blameless? A simple Paterson filter works well. Are your chemicals blameless? If you are re-using developer it may accumulate dust that’s been washed off previous films. Fixer can throw a fine precipitate that may go unnoticed. If you’re scanning, are the scanner glass and lid entirely innocent?
Finally, do you dry the film in an isolated place and keep out until the film is dry?
 
I vacumn the bench area where I am going to load my film, I also remove the dark slides and vacumn them and the holder especially under the flap. once the film is loaded, each holder is kept in a neoprene sleeve and then in a food bag.
 
This is what I use for drying my film.

I have built a prototype and tested it and it does appear to work. I fitted a 12v 40mm fan on the exhaust and some stockings over the air input and it does give a pretty steady airflow.

Now I know it works, I need to buy a more suitable box (smaller) and make it permanent.

JPEG image.jpeg
 
I dunno. Dust particulates can be very small and it doesn't take much to ruin a negative. I wonder if the filtration of a stocking is really fine enough to catch everything. Moving air across a wet negative surface just begs for problems, in my opinion.

I'm curious what motivates the need for this in your darkroom? I generally soak all negs in a working strength solution of wetting agent to which I have added 90% isopropyl alcohol (25ml/litre). I get very fast drying times and no dust issues.

It will be interesting to see your results with this apparatus.
 
I dunno. Dust particulates can be very small and it doesn't take much to ruin a negative. I wonder if the filtration of a stocking is really fine enough to catch everything. Moving air across a wet negative surface just begs for problems, in my opinion.

I'm curious what motivates the need for this in your darkroom? I generally soak all negs in a working strength solution of wetting agent to which I have added 90% isopropyl alcohol (25ml/litre). I get very fast drying times and no dust issues.

It will be interesting to see your results with this apparatus.
I dont have a fan in mine, but I do have a series of small holes at either end to alow a gentle flow of air.
 
I have ever only done this with 5x4 negatives, so can't comment on any other system, and I have only just started with LF since February this year.
 
I'm curious what motivates the need for this in your darkroom?

Been in the attic of the house, despite trying to block off all the drafts, I still seem to get a few especially when its windy outside

I generally soak all negs in a working strength solution of wetting agent to which I have added 90% isopropyl alcohol (25ml/litre). I get very fast drying times and no dust issues.

@thronobulax What working strength do you mix and what does the isopropyl alcohol do. I have some here which says 99.9% on the bottle
 
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