[LargeFormat] Removing black spots from prints

[Vincent Dobson]

:>What sort of filter, Vince?  It actually wouldn't be hard for me to run a
:>line from the garage to the darkroom.  Are they [hideously] expensive?

Not at all - your main problem is water in the air because as the compressed
air will hold less water. I accidentally solved that problem.  My darkroom
is in the front of a building 120 ft long and the air compressor is in the
back - the great part is that the roof slopes to the rear so the line
(overhead) slopes back toward the compressor.  I have a drain valve at the
compressor.  When air is compressed it heats up then as the air (in the
line) cools the water vapor comes out.  With mine it all drains away from my
darkroom so I only have a small filter that removes the oil.  Auto supply
stores or even A building supply store like Home depot should have what you
need.

:>>(I have a jig that holds the flap ready to
:>> receive the slide end),
:>
:>Now that's a *great* idea! Sounds like a job for a couple of
:>pieces of scrap
:>mat board.
:>

NO, not scrap mat board - I have a finished piece of plywood from a shelf
unit that already had a raised lip on one edge (I have this at the bottom
just to keep me from dragging something off in the dark.)  On the left I
screwed down a strip of wood the thickness of a holder then another strip
was screwed on top of that but hanging over back toward your working
surface.  Then it's just load the holder, slide it to the left till the
strip closed the flap for me while my left hand grasped the suspended air
gun and blast away while my right hand closes the flap.  I had to develop
this jig due to partial paralysis of my left hand, that limits it's use, but
with two good hands I think I would still use it.  The mat board would not
hold up.

If it is a very valuable and one of a kind negative you could have it drum
scanned, touch up the file in PhotoShop then have a service bureau output
the resulting file to film.  I think you might spend $60 to $100 this way
but if it is a print you will be selling several of, it would be worth it.

I prescribe to the "found view" discipline, but this would not be a problem
since you are not modifying the scene.


Vince Dobson
Visions In Nature
www.VisionsInNature.com