Canned-air discharge caused mark on lens. Removal suggestions?

[Dustyman]

Lens is a vintage coated wide field Ektar. Canned-air spit out cold propellant and caused a small round spot dead center. I tried ROR, Naptha, even Windex, using Pec Pads.
Please, no scolding about canned-air. Learned my lesson.

Anyone have luck removing similar coating stains?

[Pfsor]

It is not a spit out propellant but very probably a cold damaged coating. Live and learn! You will not see any effect on your pictures, if that is some consolation.

[Dustyman]

Thanks for responding, Pfsor. Yes, I figured it wouldn't cause an effect on the images. But it would be nice to remove, if at all possible, on an otherwise very clean piece of glass : )

It is not a spit out propellant but very probably a cold damaged coating. Live and learn! You will not see any effect on your pictures, if that is some consolation.

[Pfsor]

It cannot be healed and if you removed it, it would remove the coating itself, hence out of the frying pan to the fire...
But again, if of some consolation, you're lucky not to have broken the lens itself...

[Bernice Loui]

That "Canned Air" stuff is BAD for optical coatings. Not recommended:

"Do not use any of the optical spray cans containing pressurized liquid air. The pressurized air from these sprays leaves a slight, but difficult to remove, residue."
http://zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/a...sics/care.html

^Above are optics cleaning recommendations by Zeiss Microscopes. Many of the optics cleaning recommendations, materials and procedures apply to high quality imaging optics in general.


Bernice

[neil poulsen]

I wouldn't let one of those canned air containers near my negatives, either.

[Bob Salomon]

That "Canned Air" stuff is BAD for optical coatings. Not recommended:

"Do not use any of the optical spray cans containing pressurized liquid air. The pressurized air from these sprays leaves a slight, but difficult to remove, residue."
http://zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/a...sics/care.html

^Above are optics cleaning recommendations by Zeiss Microscopes. Many of the optics cleaning recommendations, materials and procedures apply to high quality imaging optics in general.


Bernice

It is bad for lots of things, including your health! And since it is pressurized it is not allowed by TSA. It is a HazMat and has special shipping requirements! Just get a Giotto Rocket Blaster.

[Alan Gales]

The best way to clean a lens is not to get it dirty in the first place. I've always kept quality clear filters on my lenses and cleaned the filters when necessary. Of course even then you will have the occasional dust speck when changing filters.

I bought a set of 5 Zeiss lenses for my Contax camera back in the 80's. I sold the lenses a few years ago to fund my 8x10 Wehman camera. The Ebay buyers couldn't believe how nice the coatings were on the old lenses. I know, some will argue that a clear filter will ever so slightly degrade the image. I've never noticed that. Besides, those same people think nothing of using a polarizer or colored filters when shooting b&w.

[Mark Woods]

I keep a tank of Nitrogen in my darkroom for both lenses & negs (pressure set at 90 psi). Works great, never had a problem.

[Drew Wiley]

I use a small oilless air compressor (a good quiet one that runs cool - not a revved-up overheated screamer) with in-line micro-filtration. Canned air is expensive over time and potentially risky if any propellant gets out.