Mold Removal
Brief overview of what we can do with mold on your images.
1. Scan your moldy slide.
2. Physically clean your moldy slide.
3. Re scan your physically cleaned slide.
Cost? Step 1 is the normal 29 ¢. Steps 2 and 3 are a total of $1 more.
This must be paid in advance, it also is non refundable. Even if you are unsatisfied with the results. Even if the process destroys your originals!
Let's repeat that:
If things are worse after we get done physically cleaning your slides you still will not get your money back. If your slides are completely destroyed by us, you will still not get your money back. If there is still mold on your slides you will not get your money back. You are paying for us to "try." This is completely the opposite of our normal satisfaction guarantee program.
We are not trying to destroy your moldy slides.
But, mold removal is a physical process, that is risky to your film. You should understand the risks.
Why would you agree to such a thing being done to your precious original slides with a no money back policy? To get the mold off. Mold is destructive. It spreads, it actually, literally, eats the emulsion right off your images. The mold is likely to only get worse.
A more detailed breakdown of our process:
1.Scan of the slides with the mold still on it. This the normal scanning process, we follow our normal guidelines and charge the normal amount. This step acts as a back up in case step 2 goes horribly wrong, at least you will have this scan.
2. The physical cleaning. This means direct contact with the images on your slides.
We consider the following factors for each piece of film:
• The film type
• The age
• The emulsion
• The extent of the damage
• The condition of the mount
• Whether the mold is only on the film side, the emulsion side or both
• If the mold has tunneled into the emulsion or is still on the surface
• If the emulsion has become water soluble
• If the mold is in a dormant stage or is active.
Based on those variables the cleaning tech will use their expert judgment and a combination of the following tools, methods and techniques to remove the mold:
• Swabs
• PEC wipes
• Q-tips
• PEC-12
• 99% isopropyl alcohol
• Freezing (aka the Stanford Method)
• HEPA vacuuming
• Steady delicate hands
• Remounting
• Air drying
• Kodak Photo-flo 200
• Ammonia-alcohol mix
• Distilled water
3. Re scan your now, hopefully, mold free slide.
The below images show typical results of mold removal:
The image below is an example of a moldy slide scanned with no corrections:
1. Scan your moldy slide.
2. Physically clean your moldy slide.
3. Re scan your physically cleaned slide.
Cost? Step 1 is the normal 29 ¢. Steps 2 and 3 are a total of $1 more.
This must be paid in advance, it also is non refundable. Even if you are unsatisfied with the results. Even if the process destroys your originals!
Let's repeat that:
If things are worse after we get done physically cleaning your slides you still will not get your money back. If your slides are completely destroyed by us, you will still not get your money back. If there is still mold on your slides you will not get your money back. You are paying for us to "try." This is completely the opposite of our normal satisfaction guarantee program.
We are not trying to destroy your moldy slides.
But, mold removal is a physical process, that is risky to your film. You should understand the risks.
Why would you agree to such a thing being done to your precious original slides with a no money back policy? To get the mold off. Mold is destructive. It spreads, it actually, literally, eats the emulsion right off your images. The mold is likely to only get worse.
A more detailed breakdown of our process:
1.Scan of the slides with the mold still on it. This the normal scanning process, we follow our normal guidelines and charge the normal amount. This step acts as a back up in case step 2 goes horribly wrong, at least you will have this scan.
2. The physical cleaning. This means direct contact with the images on your slides.
We consider the following factors for each piece of film:
• The film type
• The age
• The emulsion
• The extent of the damage
• The condition of the mount
• Whether the mold is only on the film side, the emulsion side or both
• If the mold has tunneled into the emulsion or is still on the surface
• If the emulsion has become water soluble
• If the mold is in a dormant stage or is active.
Based on those variables the cleaning tech will use their expert judgment and a combination of the following tools, methods and techniques to remove the mold:
• Swabs
• PEC wipes
• Q-tips
• PEC-12
• 99% isopropyl alcohol
• Freezing (aka the Stanford Method)
• HEPA vacuuming
• Steady delicate hands
• Remounting
• Air drying
• Kodak Photo-flo 200
• Ammonia-alcohol mix
• Distilled water
3. Re scan your now, hopefully, mold free slide.
The below images show typical results of mold removal:
The image below is an example of a moldy slide scanned with no corrections:
Below is an example of the same moldy slide with digital ICE and image correction. What our $.29 service does to this image:
Below is the same slide with physical cleaning and digital corrections.
You will notice that while the mold is reduced in the physically cleaned
image, there is still some left. Yet, it is visually cleaner than the
image above:
Below is another sample of moldy slides. Pay attention to the two big spots of mold in the upper right hand corner:
Below is the same slide with digital ICE and the 29¢ correction. Most of
the mold is no longer visible. But take note that the ICE's
interpolation fails to correctly fill in the larger upper right blotches
of mold.
Below is the same image with physical cleaning and digital correction.
This is about as good as physical cleaning can get. Notice that in the
top right hand corner all the mold is gone, but a small amount of
permanent damage is visible.
