How to clean slides prioir to scanning?

[Fezant Pluckah]

I've got some slides I want to scan but they're a tad grubby.

What's the best thing to clean them with? I have some isopropyl alcohol if that is any use.

Ta in advance.

[K12beano]

More grubby than a good blow job and dust down with a brush?

Post processing not going to cope?

Chemicals/wetting should be last resort IMHO.

[Fezant Pluckah]

I've given them all a nice dust off beano.

Here's one of the images I've scanned. Click it to open full size. It's 8.5mb so may take a wee while.

If you look at the sky, it's bloody filthy!

[K12beano]

Luckily I'm only looking at it on an iPhone at the mo!

[Pixel Pusher]

Waaaay back before we did work in photoshop, and transparencies were used, we cleaned them with a diluted acetic acid mix.

Just 70/30 water vinegar applied to a lint free cloth. Dry them off with a hairdryer.

You can do this to both the base and emulsion but watch for drying marks.

Then give them a wipe with this.



Like the man said though, they'd have to be filthy to need this and it's a last resort.

[Fezant Pluckah]

I thought water was an abolute no-no, even if it is mixed with vinegar?

Some research I have done suggests pure alcohol is the best. I have some Ronrico 151 in the larder; will that do?!

[Pixel Pusher]

Original slide film might be more fragile.

Our film was 10x8 & 14x11 transparency film and it was quite robust.

If you have an unwanted frame that you can afford to waste, you could test it?

[Fezant Pluckah]

Yes I have plenty of unwanted fiulm I can try it on. I have some pure isopropyl alcohol which should do the trick. If it kills my transparency, can I blame you?

[Simpo Two]

Fezant Pluckah said:

Here's one of the images I've scanned. Click it to open full size. It's 8.5mb so may take a wee while.

You get the full 8Mb whether you like it or not

[Fezant Pluckah]

Simpo Two said:

You get the full 8Mb whether you like it or not

Yes, but it's 8Mb of quality dirt, you ungrateful bugger

[Pixel Pusher]

Fezant Pluckah said:

Yes I have plenty of unwanted fiulm I can try it on. I have some pure isopropyl alcohol which should do the trick. If it kills my transparency, can I blame you?

Of course you can blame me....if you can find me;)

I should add that this method is for extremely dirty film, grease / fingerprints / etc. surface dust to be treated as mentioned / tried.

Backtracking now..

Good luck.