How to avoid scratches

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First time Minox users doing sometimes may find long scratch lines across the negative strip, from beginning to end, like telepone lines. What is the cause and how to prevent scratches ?

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), January 07, 1999

Answers

Dust is a big enemy of Minox photography. A speck of dust on 35mm negatives may not be visible to naked eyes, but visible on same size enlargement from Minox ultraminature camera, because its negative is enlarged three times as much. Before loading film into Minox, blow clean the film chamber. The credit of using rubber ear syringe to clean camera interior belongs to Joseph D. Cooper, who wrote in his 1961 edition of "The New Ultraminature Photography" on "Cleaning the Camera" : Before you load the camera with film, dust its interior. A rubber ear syringe available at any drugstore, amkes a wonderful high presuure blower. Yes, rubber ear syringe works ! Becare full to CLOSE THE FILM GATE, buy pulling Minox II/III/IIIs/B, buy pushing Minox C/LX/TLX slightly, else you might blow the dust into the lens interior !

-- marrtin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), January 07, 1999.

What I find to be useful is using a small can of Dust off.Spray the compressed air around the general area,before loading.When the back is open,a guick spray around the interior and that should do the trick.

-- Paul Salmon (paul@salmon.demon.co.uk), April 24, 1999.

Long scratches across the film could be from when the film is taken out of the canister to load in the developing tank. When the film is pulled out, it either catches or there is dust on the felt liner. I open the canister most of the way before taking my film out.

-- Sari (sarievo@hotmail.com), June 07, 1999.

Shutterbug editor Bob Shell has a message at the Shutterbug Forum

about Negative Scratches

Bob suggested a method of using highly diluted dishwasher fluid to lubricate film pressure plate to cut down static which attracts dust particles.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), October 17, 1999.


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