Noobie Question No. 4: How to clean pre-war lenses and bodys?

[David.Boettcher]

Well my IIIa arrived this week and I am pretty pleased with it. Although I bought it in a rush of beginner's enthusiasm without any knowledge or research, I seem to have hit lucky, and it looks much better than the vendors pictures (ebay item 300561555669).

The lens is pretty clean, but I have read about how soft the glass of these pre-war lenses is, particularly the f2 Summar, so how should I clean the front element of the lens? (I don't plan to try internal cleaning the lens, it will go to Malcolm Taylor if that needs doing.) I have always used Calotherm microfibre optical lens cloths (www.calotherm.co.uk) in the past, but are these the best thing to use on these lenses?

The lens was *really* stiff to pull out when I got it, so I carefully applied a little WD40 around the base of the lens tube where it goes into the screw mount and now it moves freely. Was that the right thing to do, and the right lube to use?

The body has various bits of gunk on it that show up in the vendor's pictures. I have cleaned a couple of bits of these off with Servisol Label Remover 130, a specialist product for getting sticky labels off without leaving a gummy residue, but what is the best product to use on the chrome, and on the vulcanite? And how do you get into the fiddly corners, like where the rangefinder housing meets the body under the accessory shoe, shown in picture 8 of the vendor's listing? It looks like I need to use a little brush or ear bud, but it is still going to be very difficult to get right into the corner. And how to clean the knurling on the knobs. Should I remove any bits to make it easier to clean them and around where they go?

Recommendations for cleaning products, cloths and tools, and cleaning techniques, would be greatly appreciated!

Regards - David

 

[rxmd]

The lens was *really* stiff to pull out when I got it, so I carefully applied a little WD40 around the base of the lens tube where it goes into the screw mount and now it moves freely. Was that the right thing to do, and the right lube to use?

No. In fact it was a Bad Idea. WD-40 creeps into all sorts of places where it has no business being, including lens surfaces.

The body has various bits of gunk on it that show up in the vendor's pictures. I have cleaned a couple of bits of these off with Servisol Label Remover 130, a specialist product for getting sticky labels off without leaving a gummy residue, but what is the best product to use on the chrome, and on the vulcanite? And how do you get into the fiddly corners, like where the rangefinder housing meets the body under the accessory shoe, shown in picture 8 of the vendor's listing? It looks like I need to use a little brush or ear bud, but it is still going to be very difficult to get right into the corner. And how to clean the knurling on the knobs. Should I remove any bits to make it easier to clean them and around where they go?

A toothbrush, and an interdental brush. And no WD-40 near it.

If the camera is really gunked up, consider a CLA with a cleanup job. It's much easier to clean the parts when disassembled (preferably using an ultrasonic cleaner) and it will have the added benefit of getting the mechanics in order, too.

 

[David.Boettcher]

No. In fact it was a Bad Idea. WD-40 creeps into all sorts of places where it has no business being, including lens surfaces.

I am aware that WD40 creeps, that is one of the things it was designed to do, so I used a minimal amount, I was careful not to let it go anywhere near the lens surfaces, and I wiped off any surplus after getting the tube moving freely. What would have been a better lubricant to use?

A toothbrush, and an interdental brush. And no WD-40 near it.

If the camera is really gunked up, consider a CLA with a cleanup job. It's much easier to clean the parts when disassembled (preferably using an ultrasonic cleaner) and it will have the added benefit of getting the mechanics in order, too.

It's not really gunked up, it's more cosmetic. The camera is actually in pretty good shape and I want to put a few rolls of film through it before I judge whether it needs a full CLA.

Thanks for your comments.

Regards - David

 

[rxmd]

I am aware that WD40 creeps, that is one of the things it was designed to do, so I used a minimal amount, I was careful not to let it go anywhere near the lens surfaces, and I wiped off any surplus after getting the tube moving freely. What would have been a better lubricant to use?

WD40 isn't really a lubricant. It's a mixture of two different oils, a light penetrating one and a viscuous one. The former is the reason why it creeps, but when the light coponent evaporates, it leaves the heavy component to attract dust and gunk, often leaving the mechanism worse off than before the WD40 treatment. Also it may actually remove grease in places where having grease is desirable.

If you need to lubricate light mechanisms around a camera, better get a good sewing machine oil. However, around a lens it's rare that you need to lubricate anything with a light oil in the first place. For lubricating focusing helicals etc. you'd use a thick grease. In order to apply it, you need to take the lens apart, clean the helical, and then apply a little bit of grease to the helical threads before putting it together again.

 

[johannielscom]

Gunked up lubricants can be freed up again with naphtha, aka lighter fluid. It dilutes the lubricant and often restores its lubricating aspects. It evaporates completey.

Just clean the lens front once, after you have made sure there are no sand grains etc sticking on it. I use an unused paint brush to remove bigger crud sticking to the lens surface, then just breathe on the glass and use the soft cloth to clean it.

Once cleaned, leave it. Do not worry about specks of dust etc on the lens, they will not affect your shots. Rubbed off coating or scratches in coating or glass will!

Can't remember when I last wiped the front of any of my lenses, its that long ago.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Try a pencil rubber on the chrome but be gentle. I'd leave it but you might think differently. Rolling Blue-Tack over the knurled bits will sometimes remove lodged in dirt. Equally, make a sharp point to a bit of BT and push it into crevices to remove muck.

Best of all, do nothing but send it to Malcolm Taylor for his opinion and checking etc.

Regards, David

 

[David.Boettcher]

I use an unused paint brush to remove bigger crud sticking to the lens surface, then just breathe on the glass and use the soft cloth to clean it.

Hi Johan,

I have a Blower Brush that I bought years ago for dislodging the loose bits, it has very soft bristles designed not to damage glass or coatings - I'm not sure I would trust a paint brush.

And soft cloths can be very harsh and abrasive depending on what they are made of, no matter how soft they feel, leaving millions of micro scratches on the surface of a lens which look like a faint dull haze - I wouldn't use anything than a Calotherm microfibre cloth which I already mentioned, they are specifically made for cleaning optical surfaces without damage. If you don't already use one of these you should check them out, you won't go back to your old soft cloth afterwards for any optical item. (I should point out that I am not associated with Calotherm in any way apart from being a satisfied customer.)

Regards - David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I have no idea what the WD-40 will do to the felt strip inside the mount.
WD-40 for me is a very last-resort solution and only in VERY small doses.
(Usually in a very small 50/50 mix of WD-40 and watch-maker's oil and then applied with a needle tip)

For cleaning chrome I normally stick to denatured alcohol and a lot of cotton buds

 

[wolves3012]

I think it's been pointed out on this forum before but WD40 is not designed to be a lubricant at all. It gets its name from Water Dispersant 40th attempt - it's designed to displace and keep out water. It does that by having a volatile water-displacing component and a film-forming component that dries and seals out water. WD40 is possibly the most mis-used product going.

Lens helicals need disassembly, de-greasing and cleaning then lubricating with a suitable grease. Suitable grease usually means something like the white lithium cycle grease or a silicone type (which won't age and harden).

 

[David.Boettcher]

Here are the results of some gentle cleaning with Servisol and tissues and cocktail sticks to get in the corners, and the lens gently cleaned with a Calotherm cloth and some breath. Most of the gunk is gone and, although it doesn't look like it just came from the factory, I am very happy with it. It has a nice aged period look, and everything seems to work OK.

The vulcanite has gone a bit brown on the front. Any suggestions for restoring a bit of colour to this without making it look too new?

I have been reading about how to load film and bought a couple of rolls, FP4 Plus and HP5 Plus. Next step is to get loaded and shooting!

Regards - David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Looks like you're ready to go.

I have not tried this myself, but someone told me to use shoe polish to restore the color of vulcanite. KIWI polish to be exact. Kind of weird idea as Vulcanite is rubber, not leather.

 

[Livesteamer]

Isn't there a warning on the Cameraleather site not to use shoe polish? If I remember, it does not dry but can rub off on fingers and other stuff and make a mess. Joe

 

[greyelm]

Here's a bad case of sunburn on my 1927 I to II conversion..
I haven't done anything to darken it, it might make the rest of the camera look shabby 😀

 

[Mr_Flibble]

My Leica III also has a less acute case of sunburn, haven't really bothered to do anything about it either. 😉

 

[David.Boettcher]

Here's a bad case of sunburn on my 1927 I to II conversion..

Wow, sunshine did that...!?!?

I thought about shoe treatments and I think the Kiwi polish might work as it is just wax with a black dye in it, but it's messy to apply and would probably come off on your fingers.

I then thought about the type of car product designed to restore black rubber trim and bumpers. A bit of research (OK, a quick Google) turned up a product called Forever Black which is designed to dye rubber black, and also has a UV sun screen to help shield against future fading. You can read about it here: http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/How_to_get_the_Bumpers_on_your_car_back_to_black.html.

However, like greyelm says, if the vulcanite looks too pristine and black it might make the rest of the camera look shabby. Any thoughts?

Regards - David

 

[David Hughes]

There's no such thing as a shabby leica: the correct word is "character" . And I thought you understood ebayspeak...

Regards, David

 

[greyelm]

FAQ on vulcanite


http://www.nemeng.com/leica/032b.shtml