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Thread: Lens Cleaner

  1. #31
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Tin Can

  2. #32

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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Quote Originally Posted by Tin Can View Post
    I know that there are activated charcoal pens and whatnot for cleaning lenses, but AC seems too abrasive. Are there any good studies that show AC is safe for lenses and coatings?

  3. #33
    Alan Klein's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Anyone use KimTech Science wipes to clean lenses? Comments?
    https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-us...ate-Task-Wipes

  4. #34
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    To follow up for sake of Mr. Feldman, 3M has a dual numbering system which represents the specific packaging involved, rather than merely the contents. In other words, the same item might appear under different 3M numbers, depending on how it is packaged, and for whom - the targeted user category. As a former 3M Industrial distributor, I can attest that dealing with them can be downright hellish if one does not have specific numbers already at hand.
    But in this case, lens cloths are within a consumer retail rather than industrial division, and thus are easily identifiable. The stash I personally have on hand is the twelve pack version 9021-CS (case), or more specifically, their product number 70-029-8115-7. So if using sites like Amazon, simply look for any small dimpled 3M lens cloths with the prefix 9021 on them. They come in assorted colors and obviously are cheaper in quantity packaging. But don't confuse these with their larger microfiber "cleaning cloths", which are great for wiping down cameras and general darkroom usage etc, but not ideal for lens cleaning per se.

    For sake of Alan's query immediately above : Kimwipes are an old standby for cleaning all kinds of delicate things, including lenses. They are similar to traditional lens tissues. But I find them distinctly inferior to certain more modern options, like the one I have just noted above. Nowadays, microfiber is the way to go, provided one selects the right kind. Microfiber is also hypothetically washable if you opt to do that in the correct manner, whereas tissues like Kimwipes are always disposed after use, yet distinctly less expensive if you need a really large quantity on hand, like scientific and medical labs do.

  5. #35
    Alan Klein's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Drew: The Kimwipe model is Kimtech. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...a?sts=pi&pim=Y
    I haven't tried them on my camera lenses although they're suppose to be good. They're handy on my desk to clean my eyeglasses which I spray with Zeiss glass cleaner. They're handy because each lens sheet is new and you can throw out after each use. Microfibers are good too, but you have to wash to keep clean.
    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...l?sts=pi&pim=Y

    I ordered your 3M recommendation for microfibers cloths.

  6. #36
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Pros and cons. I wouldn't want to be stuffing my pockets with disposable wipes, much less littering a trail with them; therefore, microfiber makes more sense to me in camera bag. But they do eventually get dirty. One of these days I'll gather mine up and figure out what kind of solvent or detergent works best to rejuvenate them. I also use them in the darkroom. Kimwipes were what we used back in my ole Microbiology lab days, and prior to that, back in High School, nicely doubled as tossed spitwads when the Chemistry teacher had his back turned.

  7. #37
    Randy's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Lens cleaning solution:
    60ml - distilled water
    1ml - Dawn dish liquid
    9ml - 70% rubbing alcohol

    I seldom clean my lenses other than the use of a soft lens brush if there are stubborn dust particles.
    If I sneeze or inadvertently get nose-grease on the front element, I'll use the above concoction.
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52893762/bigger4b.jpg

  8. #38

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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Kodak lens cleaner. Carbon Tetra-chloride (CCl4) I'm sure it must be more refined/filtered. Back when I worked for Hooker Chemicals in one of their smallest Chlorine plants, in the seventies. Carbon Tet was our "go to" solvent. Not healthy stuff. But hey! we mixed long fiber and short fiber asbestos from a bin with just a fiber dust mask. We vented 50,000 cu.ft. H2/hr. into the atmosphere. (not worth much then).
    I guess when Carbon Tet was discovered a carcinogen, Kodak must have sought out another solution. I have a good supply of the old stuff and the tissue.
    Back when I was a freelance assistant. I was amazed at how many professional photographers did not/do not shoot through UV/skylight
    filters. They all used CC or 81a or ??

  9. #39
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    Carbon tet has been outlawed for a long time here. Across the State, a dry cleaning chem mfg was going bankrupt, so dumped all their reserve chemicals into a well just outside the city (highly illegal, of course). That whole area happened to be underlain with permeable Pliocene sandstone deposits. It was then farmland, but later had housing developments and became suburban sprawl. The past decade my nephew had a geophysics contract to trace the extent of the contamination. It turned out to be about 200 sq miles where all well water in now permanently condemned as being toxic and carcinogenic. Nobody to sue. The perpetrators took off, and are all probably deceased by now anyway.

  10. #40

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    Re: Lens Cleaner

    For a few years, I've enjoyed using a small retractable lens brush like one Neewer offers. It's red and easy to spot in a bag. I do minimal cleaning, but typically first with a blower. I don't keep microfiber because I get nervous whether abrasives have lodged in the cloth. I have used Zeiss lens wipes for several years, following blowing. As for the retractable brush, I tend to use it for the edge of the lens. I wanted a couple more retractable lens brushes to place in a few bags and my vehicle, and while browsing Ebay to compare prices and brands, I spotted some vintage or brass ones, most having lots of wear on them. One listing stood out, with an entire box of what looks to be unused retractable brushes.

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    M. D. Vaden

    www.mdvaden.com/redwoods.shtml || www.vadenphotography.com

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