deviant art





Login
Join deviantART for FREE Take the Tour Lost Password?
Deviant Login
Buy Art Buy deviantWEAR Buy adCast Buy Premium Upgrade
Shop
 Join deviantART for FREE Take the Tour
Download File
DOC download, 22.5 KB
[x]

More from `FallisPhoto

Featured in Groups:

Not currently featured in any groups.

Details

October 8, 2005
22.5 KB
Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 49
Favourites: 84 [who?]
Views: 13,115 (0 today)
Downloads: 1,821 (0 today)
[x]
:iconfallisphoto:
In the photography forum, I've been seeing some threads on lens cleaning that recommend lens tissues. This is a cheap and convenient way to do it, but it is also risky. Tissues trap dust and grit between lens and tissue and it is all too easy to scratch the lenses. Some lens tissues, meant for eyeglasses, are actually mildly abrasive and can scratch coated lenses with no help from trapped grit. Microfiber lens cloths are safer, but still not 100% safe. So how do you do it?

Well, first you go over it with a blower and lens brush, to remove as much grit as possible.

Next you are going to need some solvents. Commonly used solvents used in camera restoration (and lens cleaning) are:
1. denatured alcohol, used to remove tar (from cigarettes, or pine pollen) and detriorated light seal material (sometimes found stuck to rear lens elements). Do NOT use rubbing alcohol; it will work, but it is not a benign solvent and it can attack some balsam cements used to glue lens elements together.
2. naphtha (Ronsonol lighter fluid), used to remove grease and oils (naphtha is REALLY good for fingerprints).
3. distilled water, used to remove everything else.

These are all benign and won't harm your camera if you just keep them out of the electronics and don't actually SOAK the camera in them.

4. One other special solvent: a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, used to kill and remove lens fungus.

Then you get a big box of Q-tip cotton swabs. Dampen a swab with your solvent of choice, and start in the center of the lens, working outward. A little solvent goes a long way, so you want your swab to be damp, not wet. Use gentle pressure, not much more than the weight of the Q-tip. Don't scrub, but let the solvent do the work. Twist the swab as you go, so that a fresh surface is kept in contact with the lens and any grit is lifted away from the glass, not rubbed against it. You'll go through quite a few Q-tips. I generally go over my lenses two or three times with each solvent.

When you use the naphtha, you may notice a haze forming on your lens as it dries. Don't panic; this is a GOOD thing. The haze is oil and grease that has been hydrolized (made water soluable). The naphtha itself leaves no residue. When you go over it with the distilled water, it will remove the haze.
:icon:
Add a Comment:
 
Preview   Add Comment
:iconfearlessfilly:
~FearlessFilly Nov 27, 2010
Thanks for the information!
Is rubbing alcohol safe for the exterior of the camera?

--
"Yesterday...all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday."
Reply
:iconfallisphoto:
`FallisPhoto Nov 28, 2010
It's safe for everything but lenses. For cleaning lenses, use denatured alcohol (from a hardware store) or ethyl/grain alcohol (vodka or Everclear). Rubbing alcohol is too aggressive and will disolve some of the cements that hold the lenses in place.

--
I am a trained professional. Don't try this at home.
Reply
:iconfearlessfilly:
~FearlessFilly Nov 30, 2010
Okay. Thanks. I used your fungus solvent for cleaning my moldy Argus C3 lens. It was very helpful and effective.

--
"Yesterday...all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday."
Reply
:iconblackjeopardy:
~blackjeopardy Feb 6, 2009
Hi, this sounds like a great tip, but are there easier ways about it than to keep Really flammable objects in my room?
Reply
:iconfallisphoto:
`FallisPhoto Feb 6, 2009
Not that work as well. Certainly not easier. Offhand, I can't think of anything that will dissolve grease or tar that isn't flammable.

--
I am a trained professional. Don't try this at home.
Reply
:iconblackjeopardy:
~blackjeopardy Feb 6, 2009
Hehe. I'll just stick to those cloth i get from spectacle shops. I was inspired to take a picture of the dirt on my lens today. Have you seen? ;)
Reply
:iconfallisphoto:
`FallisPhoto Feb 6, 2009
Not yet.

Okay, now I did. You need to unscrew the lens and use the hydrogen peroxide/ammonia mix to clean it, before it etches the glass.

--
I am a trained professional. Don't try this at home.
Reply
:iconblackjeopardy:
~blackjeopardy Feb 6, 2009
Hehe. Rubbing it off with a cleaner seemed to work as well. But it grows back if i dont use the peroxide right? We dont get that stuff so easily available here in malaysia. Or maybe I look in the wrong places.
Reply
:iconfallisphoto:
`FallisPhoto Feb 7, 2009
Here it is sold in grocery stores and drug stores. Some people use cold cream, which works, but is a real mess to clean up.

--
I am a trained professional. Don't try this at home.
Reply
:iconblackjeopardy:
~blackjeopardy Feb 8, 2009
I'll check out my local grocery/pharmacy. Thanks for the info!
Reply
:icon:
Add a Comment:
 
Preview   Add Comment
©2012 deviantART. All rights reserved
About Us | Contact Us | Developers | Careers | Site Tour | Help & FAQ Advertise | Premium Membership Etiquette | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Copyright Policy