Because dust is a extraordinary enemy of darkroom workers, there are some other things these people can do in addition to arming themselves with anti-dust weapons. Some of these things are common sense, but others are techniques we’ve picked up over the years.
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DO NOT run a household vacuum cleaner in your darkroom immediately before developing film or making prints. All you'll do is stir up more dust -- which, believe it or not, can remain suspended in the air for as long as a day or two. If you need to - clean your darkroom at least a couple of days before. |
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Keep your enlarger clean, and keep it covered between printing sessions. We cover ours with a bin bag. |
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In a dry climate, some people find that it helps to connect to earth (ground) their enlarger (It is wise to always earth equipment in the darkroom). Do this by connecting the metal head of the enlarger to a cold water pipe with heavy-gauge wire and a clamp. This can wick off some of the static electricity. |
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To end up with clean slides or negatives, you should start with clean processing. If any dust or grit settles on your film while it's wet, the particles may become embedded in the soft emulsion, and no amount of brushing or blowing will remove them later. You may have to invest in a filter to remove grit from your wash water, especially if your tap water comes from a well. |
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After processing, DO NOT wipe your film with a sponge or chamois. Use a wetting agent and follow the instructions – DO NOT USE more than is recommended or normal household detergent. |
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As soon as the film is washed, (and treated with a wetting agent) hang it to dry in a dust-free place. Stay away from the film for the first hour or so, when the wet emulsion is most vulnerable to airborne dust. |
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After your film is good and dry, take it down and either mount the slides or file the negatives in archival plastic pages. Return the negatives to the binder when you're done printing. |
| If you follow every bit of this processing advice to the letter - you could still have dust problems! Dust seems almost impossible to eradicate altogether. |
| Cleaning with the BOOFLET immediately before placing the film in the enlarger is the final act - this gives you the best possible chance of 'dust free prints'. |