Photographic Emulsion Cleaner 4 oz spray

by Photographic Solutions, Inc.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00009R72R
• Item model number: 795122010111
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #1 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Darkroom Supplies > Chemicals
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

PEC-12 Photographic Emulsion Cleaner is an archival, non-water based  cleaner for color & black and white prints, slides and negatives. PEC-12 removes ink, finger oils, adhesives, mildew and other non-water based stains.

In many cases, PEC-12 removes grease pencil, adhesive residue, finger oils, ball-point pen, fungus, smoke & soot damage, laser separation oil and most permanent inks. Containing no water, PEC-12 dries instantly with no emulsion swelling and leaves no residue. PEC-12 is also available in a convenient 32 ounce refill.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing stuff, July 31, 2008

By 

Doug Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photographic Emulsion Cleaner 4 oz spray (Electronics)

I learned about PEC-12 at a professional photo convention in Chicago, years ago, and have been using it ever since. It will take Sharpie marker off both the base and emulsion side of film and prints with little or no residue. Also, I have cleaned/restored what looked like serious old water marks off of the base side of film shot in the in 1944. This film was nitrate 6x9 format negs, so without PEC-12, they were dumpster fodder.
Since then, I have used it to take Sharpie off of lots of surfaces. So.. just about any place that Sharpie marks or labels are a problem, give it a shot and it probably will solve the problem. I bought a pint last time and that probably will be a life time supply. No shelf life problem.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does what it says, June 1, 2010

By 

tachi1 "tachi1" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Photographic Emulsion Cleaner 4 oz spray (Electronics)

I got this cleaner because it is the one I have seen recommended in numerous retouching forums, articles, and books. It is the kind of product you only use if you don't have a choice, if your original is unusable as it is. It's not something you would use on all photos you plan to scan, just when you must.

I have had pretty good luck with it using it on old slides and transparencies. It doesn't make them good as new (that would be impossible) but it does remove a lot of the mildew and fungus that would have made them totally useless. In the process, it saved me hours of retouching.

On prints you have to have a gentle hand. Pressing too hard or using too much solution can cause further damage. If used correctly, you do get improvement. If you can get them fairly clean with a blower, a microfiber cloth, etc., I'd try that first. If there is recognizable fungus or mold, you have no choice.

If it's a historic or essential photo, I would photograph it with a good, sharp, macro lens prior to attempting to clean it. Sometimes the damage that is there is so deep that simply rubbing it with anything at all makes it worse. Once you, at least, have a good photograph of it, then attempt the cleaning very gently. This is an extra step and extra work, but it is totally safe. (This is also the way to go if you have photos printed on honeycomb or other textured papers since they don't scan well).

Once you use the product, you can scan the image. I would never put an image full of fungus, mold, etc. on a scanner and risk contaminating successive images, so cleaning first is a must. (A good scanner glass cleaner is also a must. I recommend the Kinetronics Glass Cleaning Kit for Flatbed Scanners, also available at Amazon.)

Cleaning is not a substitute for restoration work, but it does take you to a point at which you can begin restoration work. I use Pec Pads that are lint free 4"x 4" little pads. This sounds small, but it's better for intricate work since you work on one area/problem at a time.

Another thing: this is a pretty strong smelling solution. I have asthma, so I use it outdoors wearing a mask. Between the mask, the lint-free gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on the slide or print, the tweezers or wooden skewers to hold the slide to the prepared work surface, working outdoors, and the fear of doing more harm than good, this process is a little tense and difficult.

But it is worth it. Anything that can possibly be rescued, has been rescued with this product. And, if you are gentle, don't rub, and don't press too hard, you (at least) don't further damage those things that can't be rescued with current technology.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yep, this is the stuff., December 2, 2008

By 

Gary M. Reese "GaryR" (Marion, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photographic Emulsion Cleaner 4 oz spray (Electronics)

It's recommended by pros. I used it on my vintage Ektachrome slides, and then scanned at 300 dpi. No damage, no scratches. Like they say, only a drop or 2 does it.