Aluminium lens barrel: how to clean it?

[Joao]

My apologies if this is a repeated thread.
What is the best way to clean the aluminium lens barrel of a Jupiter-8 lens?? I'm talking about the outside surfaces, and I'm not talking about chrome. To be more specific, there are some dark-grey areas which seem very hard - or impossible?? - to remove.
Your sugestions & recipes are most welcome. Any opinions about metal cleaners or procedures that I should not use are also important...
Thank you in advance
Joao

 

[ZeissFan]

I've been using a product called "Flitz," which is readily available in the U.S.

I can't tell if you're in the U.S., because you've chosen to give your location in geographic coordinates, and I'm too lazy to find out where on the planet that is.

"Flitz" is a metal polish paste that can be found in some automotive stores and many sporting goods stores and some gun shops. There might be some export/import issues to other countries with this product.

I've used it on aluminum, as well as oxidized chrome. Works very well.

 

[ZeissFan]

The problem with the aluminum barrels found in many East German and Soviet cameras is that aluminum tends to pit, and there's not much that can be done for it. And as you clean the barrel, the remnants from polishing (which are dark) tend to end up in the tiny pits.

And then there is some discoloration that seems to be permanent.

Anyone who's ever seen the aluminum screen doors from the 1950s or 1960s will know what I mean about pitting and discoloration.

Here's an East German CZJ Tessar, which is now very smooth to operate. Mostly cleaned up nicely except for some spots. Those serrated edges are very difficult to polish.

 

[ZeissFan]

Oh, by the way, I wouldn't recommend this product for satin chrome finishes. Remember, a metal polish is really an extremely fine abrasive.

 

[FallisPhoto]

My apologies if this is a repeated thread.
What is the best way to clean the aluminium lens barrel of a Jupiter-8 lens?? I'm talking about the outside surfaces, and I'm not talking about chrome. To be more specific, there are some dark-grey areas which seem very hard - or impossible?? - to remove.
Your sugestions & recipes are most welcome. Any opinions about metal cleaners or procedures that I should not use are also important...
Thank you in advance
Joao

Okay, first you need to know about one of the properties of aluminum: When it has been heat-treated, or exposed to oxygen over a period of time, it forms a hard thin skin over a softer center. It is why aluminum is so hard to weld -- like welding an icecream sandwich. Well, this can also make it difficult to clean. If the stains in aluminum have penetrated the thin skin, then normal cleaning options (metal polishes and aluminum brighteners) won't work. The only thing to do is to use steel wool and remove a layer of aluminum (not as drastic as it sounds, since the skin is very thin and the softer exposed aluminum beneath will eventually harden.

Now about cleaning options:

Metal polish:
NevrDull is my metal polish of choice. All metal polishes are abrasive, but this is less abrasive than most. NevrDull comes as a can full of cotton wadding, saturated with a low abrasive metal polish in an oil base. The oil base keeps it from drying out right away, so you don't get that fine powdered grit sifting into the crevices of your camera. NevrDull also works very well for brightening dulled and oxidized paint and for brightening those plastic viewfinder lenses you see on box cameras and some folding cameras. It is safe to use on those because they are not precision lenses (all they do is tell you where the camera is pointed), but you should NOT use it on a taking lens.

Aluminum brighteners:
These are acid treatments for more deeply stained aluminum and are mostly used these days by the trucking industry and by the Navy (for use on aluminum deck plates). One of the most polular is Alumabrite. Be very cautious with this stuff; it is a 50/50 mix of sulphuric and hydrochloric acids. Keep it well away from your glass and wear both eye protection and rubber gloves. It comes in a spray can, so you'd ordinarily need to also wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling the mist, but you will be using it with a small paint brush or Q-tips if you are using it on cameras. It penetrates the skin of the aluminum and literally eats the crud out of the metal (including oxidation stains). It works on aluminum kind of like Tarnex works on brass and copper.

Finally, we come to #0000 steel wool. This is the cleaner of last resort. After you have tried everything else and it hasn't worked, you can remove the outer skin (along with any stains and pits) with #0000 steel wool -- provided that the stains and/or pits are not so deep that removing them would thin the metal too much.

Sadly, some metals (including aluminum), once they have been stained very deeply or pitted beyond a certain point, just can't be cleaned.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Solvol Autosol. It's German and available in most of Europe. Google it!

Cheers,

R.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Lucky you, choosing an aluminum barrel lens! You wouldn't believe how many thousands of hours of being handled with sweaty fingers, bumped into other cameras and lenses, it's taken me to get my chromed brass 85/2 Nikkor looking that way, the whole while carrying all that extra weight!

All that matters is that the glass is okay and it focuses okay.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Lucky you, choosing an aluminum barrel lens! You wouldn't believe how many thousands of hours of being handled with sweaty fingers, bumped into other cameras and lenses, it's taken me to get my chromed brass 85/2 Nikkor looking that way, the whole while carrying all that extra weight!

All that matters is that the glass is okay and it focuses okay.

Dear Al,

I think I agree. I love my Thambar but as an all-brass 1930s 90/2.2 with about a 360 degree focus throw it's a bit heavy.

Only about a pound, though. Could be worse. I could have autofocus. Or an 85/2 Nikkor...

Cheers,

R.

 

[payasam]

If it's only cleaning you want, not brightening, try a hard toothbrush (assuming those are still made) and the liquor of your choice. Remember, though, that too much booze is good for the soul but not so good for the body.

 

[FallisPhoto]

If it's only cleaning you want, not brightening, try a hard toothbrush (assuming those are still made)

Automotive detailing brushes -- pretty much the same thing.

and the liquor of your choice. Remember, though, that too much booze is good for the soul but not so good for the body.

Then you brush your lens and drink the liquor and, one way or another, it starts looking pretty good!

 

[Joao]

I'm grateful for your input. Some of the stuff mentioned can be found here in Portugal. Two of the US brands may have similar products here, I think, albeit with different names.
I think I will stay away from those in-depth cleaning techniques, at least until I try a more soft approach.
Now it is time to start polishing..
Thanks again
Joao