11-24-2008, 05:06 PM
First compressed air (preferably filtered) and a soft antistatic brush
If there is a need anything beyond that I was always a fan of Edwal film cleaner and PhotoWipes
If they are truly only 30 years old (late 70's - 80's) those emulsions are really pretty tough.
You can scratch them if you catch them with something sharp or a big piece of grit but they really
can take a good cleaning.
If they are stained I would take it on a neg by neg approach. You can carefully rewash them as suggested
and fresh photoflo and dry but you always stand a chance of doing additional damage to a wet neg.
If it is mildew that is a whole different ball game.
I would probably scan them and then clean up with photoshop - or at least scan before trying
any serious deep cleaning, just to preserve what you have in case of further damage.
If there is a need anything beyond that I was always a fan of Edwal film cleaner and PhotoWipes
If they are truly only 30 years old (late 70's - 80's) those emulsions are really pretty tough.
You can scratch them if you catch them with something sharp or a big piece of grit but they really
can take a good cleaning.
If they are stained I would take it on a neg by neg approach. You can carefully rewash them as suggested
and fresh photoflo and dry but you always stand a chance of doing additional damage to a wet neg.
If it is mildew that is a whole different ball game.
I would probably scan them and then clean up with photoshop - or at least scan before trying
any serious deep cleaning, just to preserve what you have in case of further damage.