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« on: July 17, 2013, 01:11 PM »
When you handle slides and negatives there are two things to watch out for:
1.) Removing rough dust (necessary even if you use infrared capable scanners)
2.) Not adding any more blemishes in handling
Nr. 1 is best achieved with canned air or an air bulb and possibly a very, very soft brush - though I would recommend touchless and only use a soft brush on foreign matter like hair that clings electrostaticly or otherwise to the surface.
Nr. 2 is avoided by using cotton gloves and a pair of *plastic* tweezers at all times when handling slides and negatives.
As I said, today infrared scanning does not mean expensive any more for consumer quality scans. I bought my Canon flatbed scanner with this capability for $20.- at ebay. Is'nt that cheap enough for a throw-away piece (though why throwaway? - you will still have a great flatbed document scanner even after the project)?
I would NOT advice to use a microfibre cloth on slides, especially not on old slides, which tend to have a surface flaking problem anyway.
Some high end scanners allow wet scanning with special add-on equipment, but it doesn't sound (from what you have posted so far), that this would be for you. Therefore, I will refrain from posting any more about it, since this is a whole new and extensive topic by itself - though definitely not for casual home users.