Straight from Cobra's grab bag:a neat way
to control dust.
Now, on to the small $19.95 Mini-Vac vacuum
cleaner (shown), which I use when I want to trap dust in a neat
little bag rather than just blow it away. Since I got the unit,
I've also used it for cleaning many slides and negatives, because
its two brushes are made of ultrasoft pony hair. (The wide one
measures about 1&1/4 inches across, while the round one has a
diameter of approximately 5/8 inch).
This softness also makes them very good for
cleaning lenses. In fact, the Mini-Vac is far preferable for all
such delicate purposes to a look-alike unit that I tried, whose
two slightly smaller brushes are made of much stiffer nylon (almost
as stiff as a soft toothbrush).
The Mini-Vac operates well, although you may
be surprised to find that it sounds like a high-pitched dentist's
drill. It is powered by a nine-volt alkaline battery or an optional
$10 auxiliary a.c. adapter. Along with the two brushes, you get
two wands (one curved, attached to the
intake port in the photo, the other straight) and the little black
dust bag.
This bag can be emptied of dust simply by
opening the Velcro closure on the end. Then, if you remove the
bag and turn the unit on, you get a mild stream of air coming
out of the opening. To use the air, you can simply insert one
of the wands into the "blower port" where the bag was.
The source of this unit is Mini-Vac, Inc.,
P.O. Box 3981, Glendale, CA 91201. Telephone:(818)-244-6777.
Cora favors this small, $19.95 vacuum cleaner,
called Mini-Vac, for removing dust from slides, some camera areas,
or enlarger. Its two brushes are made of ultrasoft pony hair,
not of stifer nylon found on similiar-looking unit. Also included:
a removable bag, two wands (one straight, one curved), but not
a battery or a.c. adapter.
