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Old 26th April 2022, 08:41 PM
big paul big paul is offline
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Default eliminating darkroom dust

I have been wiping my darkroom gear, (dry side enlarger easels timers ) I have been using a product called elimistat ,its a general purpose anti static spray .I spray it on a cloth and give my enlarger a good wiping inside and out every time I have a session in my darkroom .I have found that its nearly completely eliminates dust on my negative and on my paper, and I am very pleased with the product ,It doesn't smell and is not greasy and leaves no residue when dry .
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Old 26th April 2022, 09:37 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Dust

I must be unique because dust has never been a problem for me even though my last two or three darkrooms all had carpeting on the floor. It is vacuumed about every 10 to 14 days and even then after stirring things up, there has never been a problem.

Having said that when I lived in West Sussex over 22 years ago, I always had to spot prints. If they were B&W or colour that made no difference, but up in the North East I don't have a problem.

Now the inside of my car, particularly around and on the dashboard
.....that is a different matter.
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Old 26th April 2022, 11:50 PM
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Bob Bob is offline
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I hope it does leave a residue when dry - that's how anti-static spays work . It leaves a conductive layer behind when the solvent evaporates, which allows the charge to move to ground across the surface of the material. No need to spray metal - you can simply earth that, but non-conductors like plastics and glass cannot transfer a charge (by definition: they are non-conducting) so coating it with a conductive film via the spray allows the charge to move. If part of the equipment is part metal and part plastic, spraying it so the spray overlaps the metal and plastic will allow the charge to move off the plastic and down to ground via the metal. Annoyingly, this only works for the surface that is coated - the other side of the plastic will still hold a charge if you do not treat (and earth) that too.

Static electricity is a fascinating thing - bl**dy annoying, but fascinating...
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Old 28th April 2022, 10:48 AM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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I was given a tip by an old pro darkroom guy a long time ago and that was to store all measuring beakers etc upside down. So often they are left the right way up and dust can settle inside. Then we pour in our favourite dev and wondfer why there's spots on the prints!

I have been doing this for over 40 years now, in three different darkrooms, and have never suffered from dust spots.

Neil.
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Old 28th April 2022, 11:45 AM
Terry S Terry S is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B&W Neil View Post
I was given a tip by an old pro darkroom guy a long time ago and that was to store all measuring beakers etc upside down. So often they are left the right way up and dust can settle inside. Then we pour in our favourite dev and wondfer why there's spots on the prints!

Neil.
Interestingly Neil, I have dried my measuring graduates upside down for a good number of years now, to drain and allow them to dry fully. I never thought of the bonus of no dust on my prints for a good while now, but now I know why!

Terry S
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Old 28th April 2022, 03:25 PM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Terry,

Any tip that is free to try I always give a go!

Neil.
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