Can PEC-12 remove old fingerprints from film negatives?
Asked 1/7/2018
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2 answers
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I’m considering PEC-12 film cleaner for negatives and slides that may have old fingerprints on them. Can it remove fingerprints that have been on film for a long time, or even years? I’m mainly asking whether PEC-12 can clean off the oils/residue, and whether any marks left behind are likely to be permanent emulsion damage. I may also have some older donated negatives professionally cleaned, so I’d like to know what results are realistic.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
I have found nothing better than PEC-12. I have used it to take off permanent marker ink. I think it would take off old fingerprints unless they embedded in the emulsion or the finger oils have caused some kind of chemical change.
Originally by user50217. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user50217
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
PEC-12 can often remove fingerprint residue, even old residue, and many users consider it one of the better cleaners for film. But the real answer is: maybe.
If the fingerprint is mainly surface oil or grime, PEC-12 may clean it off successfully. If the oils have already etched or chemically affected the emulsion, PEC-12 can remove the residue but cannot reverse that damage. How well it works depends largely on how long the fingerprint has been there and the chemistry/acidity of the skin oils.
So: PEC-12 may help, and it generally won’t fix emulsion damage that has already occurred. For valuable or fragile negatives, professional cleaning is a sensible choice.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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