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  #1  
Old 24th January 2016, 11:41 PM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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Unhappy Lens cleaning frustration

I've recently braved dismantling and overhauling (with proper tools) a couple of manual lenses; a Carl Zeiss Jena lens from my Pentacon Six, and a very dirty Practicar 50mm f1.8.

In each case I cleaned the glass with ROR fluid, and it looks sparkling clean, but shining a torch through the lens reveals a disappointing amount of dust. After several re-cleaning attempts I concluded that every cloth I used (including a proper Sigma microfibre lens cloth) leaves a small amount of 'fluff' behind, which even a rocket blower doesn't completely remove.

In truth this small quantity of dust probably doesn't matter, but any advice on getting a better result would be appreciated.
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Old 25th January 2016, 09:25 AM
John King John King is offline
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Can I firstly ask, where was the work carried out. Airborn dust will be everywhere so a room with no carpets, curtains, or draughts is the 1st thing I would consider.
A camera repairer I know will not even have an electric light close to his workbench because of the possibility of increasing static electricity. The general level of lighting is high and overhead, but for close up work, he uses a LED head torch which uses low voltage from 3 x AA batteries.

Cleaning fluid which has antistatic properties would also help.
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Old 25th January 2016, 10:47 AM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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I really hadn't thought of airborne dust, and I have to admit that on one occasion I was sitting in bed working on a tray !

Disregarding the now obvious problem of floating dust, it does seem remarkably hard to dislodge the stuff from the lens even with the use of proper cleaning fluid and its antistatic properties. I use a loupe to examine each lens element as I clean it, and as I wipe off one batch of dust spots I deposit more

So I need to find somewhere cleaner to work... That's going to be hard in our house. The enclosed back porch might be good, or possibly outdoors in this cold damp weather - at least there won't be any dust or pollen floating around out there.

Last edited by EdmundH; 25th January 2016 at 10:48 AM. Reason: error
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Old 25th January 2016, 01:12 PM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is offline
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Be careful about working out doors at this time of year - Catkins are producing loads of pollen at the moment.

Anti-static cloths and fluids leave behind residues which become opaque films over time.

For what its worth - I use the brush from a Lens Pen to dislodge dust from lenses.

Silverprint do (or did ?) sell ant-static brushes, I have a couple and they work well too at brushing off specs of dust.

In my experience the most dust free room in my house is the kitchen (no carpets and no soft furnishings) and the bedrooms the worst.

Your experience may be different.

Martin
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Old 25th January 2016, 03:36 PM
JohnnyAtari JohnnyAtari is offline
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Hi,

you could try building one of these, shouldn't be too much hassle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPEa0Wc9iUc

Also, take a look at the range of antistatic brushes from http://www.kinetronics.com/ - I've got their StaticVac for removing dust from film, and I use a couple of their StaticWisk brushes for lens repairs. They make brushes with an earth strap to ground the brush before you start work to ensure there is no static build up in the brush.

Also take a look at a Milty ZeroStat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvr7uNZ_WaE
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Old 25th January 2016, 05:28 PM
John King John King is offline
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Are these still available? I had one in the early 80's to deal with dust on my negatives. (and yes it worked) I lost it during a house move and never bothered replacing it.
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Old 25th January 2016, 05:33 PM
John King John King is offline
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No need to answer the last question. Who else but Amazon have them but are priced at nearly £50. I think I paid about a tenner for mine. I have laste for 30 years without one so I won't bother now.
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Old 25th January 2016, 09:37 PM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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Some very helpful ideas there. I've found that ROR lens cleaning fluid doesn't have antistatic properties, so that probably explains why the more I wipe the lens elements, the more dust arrives.

Looks like an antistatic brush would be a good start. Also, the room I'm starting to renovate for use as a darkroom is largely dust free, it's a lean-to cloakroom on the back of the house, and so separated from the general household activity.
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Old 26th January 2016, 04:37 AM
cndnlfartist cndnlfartist is offline
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With all the equipment, boxes, etc how can you possibly keep a darkroom dust free?
In my opinion the most dust free room in most houses is the bathroom. Just because the steam from the shower will cause the dust to stick to the walls.

Dust is largely dried out skin cells. So if you want to keep it as dust free as possible a shower before a darkroom session doesn't hurt.
Plus if you don't mind looking weird a shower cap or plastic bag over your hair would also help.
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Old 26th January 2016, 05:58 AM
RichardWarom RichardWarom is offline
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I use a Kenro anti static brush for brushing my film before it goes in the enlarger it always works very well, they are still available I just checked, type in "kenro anti static brush" in google and you'll find a suitable supplier at about 11-12 pounds they are a good investment.
Richard
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