hyoro
Hello,
My freshly developed films haven’t had any dust problems so far. However, the acetate sleeves seem to have become statically charged – wiping them didn’t help either, so that wasn’t a good idea...
Is this a general problem with acetate sleeves, or am I being a bit paranoid because you can see every speck of dust on the clear sleeves? Mind you: the cheap ‘back-from-the-lab’ sleeves I used to reuse didn’t show any signs of static charge at all...
Is there an effective way to discharge the acetate covers?
What should I do in future to stop them from becoming charged in the first place (could it be that the covers have become charged by rubbing against each other)?
Regards,
Henning
Gast
Unfortunately, I can only offer a "vague" answer: switch to glassine sleeves. I don’t have any such problems with them. However, some films are more prone to static build-up than others. Ilford and Kodak are completely problem-free in this respect.
Best regards,
Ferdinand
MatthiasStark
Hello Ferdinand,
Acetate sleeves aren’t entirely problem-free when it comes to dust, and they also tend to tear quite easily.
I’ve had very good results with polypropylene sleeves. They don’t build up static as much, are much more durable than
acetate and glassine sleeves, are absolutely archive-safe and, like acetate sleeves, are transparent, meaning you can view and assess the negatives whilst they are in the sleeve. The only drawback of PP sleeves is the price, but acetate sleeves aren’t exactly the cheapest either.
Best regards,
Matthias
hyoro
@Ferdinand: The main reason I use acetate sleeves is that they allow me to assess the negatives by eye (I don’t make contact prints) and so I can ‘get a kick’ out of looking at unprinted images through a magnifying glass, or look forward to the prints I’ll make later. That’s why I’d only consider glassine sleeves if there were problems with ‘high density’ sleeves (e.g. moisture…)
Adofiles are actually cheaper ‘here’ than the acetate sleeves! However, as they were sold out at the time, I just went for the acetate sleeves – since I didn’t have any particular preference. Next time, I’ll probably go for PP sleeves.
But are they really just as clear as the acetate sleeves? -- I always picture them as being slightly ribbed...
Best regards,
Henning
MatthiasStark
Hello,
Unfortunately, PP sleeves aren’t quite as clear as acetate sleeves. But they are clear enough to allow for a proper assessment. On the other hand, as I mentioned, they are far more durable and therefore offer better protection for the film.
Best regards,
Matthias
