Best method to clean 60-year-old 35mm slides ?

Dad took thousands of photographs of Yukon in the 1950s & 1960s, most on 35mm slides. I wish to scan many of these. Some have embedded dirt, some have fingerprint stains on them, some look spotty.

DIGITAL ICE Technology does a reasonable job of healing the dirt while scanning.

BUT if I wished to clean the slide beforehand, what would you recommend?

Part of my dilemma is I live in Yukon where the best photography store is Walmart (no snickering!). So I need a practical solution using easily available products.

Google searching shows some recommend rubbing alcohol, some say 100% alcohol, some talk about specific slide cleaning fluids.

Rubbing alcohol & Q-Tips are tempting ... will this damage the slides?

Thanx in advance for assistance with this.

Here is an example of his photography, this at Snag, Yukon in the early 1950s:

Dollar 19s! Great photo.

Ummm ... yup, Flying Boxcars. Dad was a pilot too and took many photographs of the aircraft that landed at Snag, Yukon.

Here you go:
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …91276201&Ntt=fi​lm+cleaner

Check the labels on any of these film cleaners and use appropriate precautions, including reading the MSDS sheet for the product. Most are pretty volatile and contain chlorinated or fluorinated hydrocarbons, so you need to use under good ventilation and keep the solution from contacting your skin.

I used to use Kodak Film Cleaner, but it contained a 1,1,1-trichloroethane and 1,2,2-trifluoroethane, which aren't nice chemicals to be coming in contact with (1,1,1-trichloroethane used to be in the original versions of white-out).

Thank you, Bob.
I had read about trichloroethane and trifluoroethane, with comments indicating these were very effective and would not damage the slide.

Hopefully there will be no issues shipping these chemicals across the border. If so, will maybe attempt a trip to Anchorage to see if I can purchase there.

sue.t wrote in post #16044089
Thank you, Bob.
I had read about trichloroethane and trifluoroethane, with comments indicating these were very effective and would not damage the slide.

Hopefully there will be no issues shipping these chemicals across the border. If so, will maybe attempt a trip to Anchorage to see if I can purchase there.

Instead of shipping across the border check with TheCameraStore in Calgary or McBains or Vistek in Edmonton.

Beware of putting the cleaner on the emulsion side of the film. Some of them will damage the emulsion side of old films (like Kodachrome), especially if the emulsion has already been compromised. I found that one out the hard way (using PEC-12).

Attack it with a rocket blower first and see how far that gets you. Also keep cleaning your scanner because it will get dirty fast.

Mavgirl wrote in post #16046916
Beware of putting the cleaner on the emulsion side of the film. Some of them will damage the emulsion side of old films (like Kodachrome), especially if the emulsion has already been compromised. I found that one out the hard way (using PEC-12).

Attack it with a rocket blower first and see how far that gets you. Also keep cleaning your scanner because it will get dirty fast.

You bet. Some cleaners are better than others for the situation. It's also a good idea to test with a "scrap" slide or at least the worst slides to ensure things go well.

For slides and negatives I'd use Dust-Off instead of a Rocket Blower. It's quicker, safe for the emulsion and does a better job removing slightly stuck debris.

sue.t: For thousands of slides or negatives I'd also strongly consider sending them off to ScanCafe instead of doing them myself.

Try asking the same questions on http://www.retouchpro.​com - they have some real experts on this sort of restoration.

Perhaps some photo-flo diluted in water? It's an educated guess based on my experience with film.

HelplessSEAL wrote in post #16048409
Perhaps some photo-flo diluted in water? It's an educated guess based on my experience with film.

On really old emulsions that may have softened, become brittle or have been damaged you want to avoid water. It can get in between the film and the emulsion layer and strip it right off.

OP... another option that just occurred to me is to try wet scanning. It will help eliminate the dust and scratches somewhat. I'd test it on a scrap slide as suggested already though.