Lens Cleaning Question

[Eomund@go.com]

It has been some time since my last visit to RFF, since I am mostly an SLR kind of guy, but in the past I have received invaluable information from many of the esteemed members of this fine forum.

So I now turn to all of you again for some help on Lens Cleaning.

I have just recently started a hobby/business of reconditioning older interchangable camera lenses. I have aquired appropriate tools, such as spanner wrenches, needle nose pliers & tweezers, jewelers screwdrivers and a new set of lens decorator ring removing tools.

Now, I need to find a good way to clean all of the glass elements. I have been doing some research on line and have found a number of different methods.

I have read that you can use Vodka, ethanol, isopropal alchohol, methanol, breath, water and lens cleaning solutions.

Also cotton balls, microfiber cloth, cotton t-shirts, tissue paper and lens tissue.

And there are also Lens Cleaning Pens.

I am wondering if anyone has some suggestions on what may be the best cleaning solutions and wheather or not the lens pens really work.

I appologize if this has already been covered ad nauseum, in which case, if you could provide me with the previous thread, that would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards.

 

[oftheherd]

First of all, try the search function for previous threads. It should help.

Second, asking for the best lens cleaning method is a little like asking if you should use filters to protect the front lens element or not. People tend to take stands and defend them with religious fervor.

I can't really tell you the best. I can tell you what I have always preferred, as it is what used to be covered in the photo books and magazines, and more importantly, works for me. A blower brush, lens cleaning tissue, and lens cleaning fluid. The brush will dislodge lightly stuck particles. Of course so will lens cleaning tissue. The fog caused by breath is sometimes all that is needed to clean with tissue. Sometimes for more stubborn needs, the cleaning fluid is needed.

Others will have their own methods they swear by.

 

[bob cole]

Lens Cleaning Question

Mr. Moon of Essex Camera Repair in New Jersey told me years ago that one good way to clean lenses of surface dirt was to use a cue tip with commercial glass cleaner like Glass Wax, so that's what I use all the time...And, as has already been said here, a little hot breath is good, too...

regards, bob cole

 

[Buze]

For cleaning lens element after taking apart a lens, I use kitchen towels (the cheapest white kind, it's important ! no designs, or "extra soft" etc) and lens cleaning solution. The kitchen towel material leaves some small fibers, easily blown off with a rocket blower. Make sure to /wipe/ the solution with a clean patch, otherwise you'll have traces. THEN use the blower, then mount the element quickly and hope 😀
Even tho it's the best solution I ever found (and I tried many, many ideas) it's not a silver bullet; always be prepared to have to do it several times ; you tend to always find new bits of dust appearing out of nowhere when mounting a lens. Make sure to use the flashlight after each phase of mounting !
Also some earlyish coatings can be very rough, and are a /bitch/ to clean. I'm thinking in particular of one of my old time favourite lens the Pentacon 135mm f2.8 : the early multicoating is plain madness to clean 😀

For dirty "normal" front elements, the acrylic brush + rocket blower + hot breath works too.