A number of years ago I stumbled across this large Darlot magic lantern petzval at an antique store and, of course, quickly added it to my collection. The problem was I didn't have a camera of sufficient weight or with a large enough lens board to accommodate it's sizable flange. Fast forward to this week and I've finally got it mounted on a board and ready to go but the intervening years (both since I acquired it and it's original manufacture) have left a rather thick layer of dust/grime on the elements -- that's tough enough to withstand a blower and camel hair brush.
I was wondering if anyone might be able to recommend a good method of cleaning the elements reliably and safely. I was thinking of just disassembling the lens and using water/my fingers on the elements to spiff it up. Is there any danger to this and, if so, what might be a better method? I was particularly concerned that this might somehow affect the integrity/seal of the cemented doublet pair. Thanks so much for the help!
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