Air Dusters
Introduction
Dust - the analogue photographers natural enemy. Anyone printing in the darkroom or scanning negatives knows this foe very well.
As analogue film is a very sensitive material, removing it with an antistatic cloth might scratch the surface and even the best anti-static brushes from Kinetronics and Delta 1 can only complement but not substitute pressurized air.
A standard rubber blower does usually suffice, but for anyone scanning / printing a lot (or professionally), the squeeze-and-blow routine is tiring and inefficient. That leaves the photographer with cans of compressed air aka air dusters.
Compressed Air Dusters - what to look out for
Air dusters are non-reusable products, so I recommend paying attention to the environmental friendliness (e.g. type of propellant, eco-certificates, minimum plastic components)
The nozzle has to be small in order to provide the high pressure needed to remove statically charged dust from the negative
Only buy the highest grade compressed air cans, as only then clean air and no harmful ingredients are guaranteed. Film is archival, but chemical agents might deteriorate it - only blow the best air available on it.
Recommended Product - Green Clean
Green Clean is an Austrian company producing industry-grade cleaning equipment. A lot of camera repair shops in Vienna and professional labs only use their products - and so do I. The advantages are:
No chemically active ingredients
high-quality accessories (e.g. different nozzles)
eco-friendliness
reasonably priced
I never had any residue on my film or photographic equipment. Their products are also suitable for cleaning digital camera sensors.
Green Clean Air Duster with reusable nozzle
Green Clean Air Duster rectangular nozzle - it provides a powerful stream of clean air
Other Products
You can get cans of compressed air in almost every supermarket / electronics store and I would not hesitate using them for cleaning my laptop’s fan or dusting off a UV-protection filter.
However, I would not use them on photographic films though, as some of them proved to be prone to leave a residue of unknown (probably harmful) residue, which I had to remove with Tetenal graphics arts film cleaner, risking to scratch the negative with the cloth required in the process. Don’t risk it!
Hama Air Duster for general purposes
User Tips
Do not leave the negative on the desk when blowing air on it but hold it up. Otherwise the air stream will raise dust from the desk / light table which will immediately deposit on the negative once the stream of air is gone.
Do not shake any air duster can before use (like you would shake a spray can). The propellant will contaminate the air stream - risking damage to the object you are trying to clean.
Always use the can in upright position, or you again risk the propellant entering the air stream and freezing/damaging the surface.
Propellant in the air stream freezing / damaging the surface
