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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Greasy Lens (1 Viewer)

humakt

Well-known member
I've had a smear of grease on the lens for a while now. I keep wiping it but all I'm doing is moving the smear around.
So what's the best way to get rid of it?
Would it be safe to be use a small dab (and I do mean a small dab) of meths on a tissue and wipe it?
I have a box of those computer screen wipes in my desk at work - would they be better?

I dare say that someone sells a 'proper' lens wipe (at a premium price, no doubt), but experience has shown me that many things like that are exactly the same as a cheaper product (i.e. computer screen wipe) with a different name to fleece you of money (Specialised Binocular Lens Wipes).

But I don't want to be wrong and balls up the lenses!

Any advice?
 
I've had a smear of grease on the lens for a while now. I keep wiping it but all I'm doing is moving the smear around.
So what's the best way to get rid of it?
Would it be safe to be use a small dab (and I do mean a small dab) of meths on a tissue and wipe it?
I have a box of those computer screen wipes in my desk at work - would they be better?

I dare say that someone sells a 'proper' lens wipe (at a premium price, no doubt), but experience has shown me that many things like that are exactly the same as a cheaper product (i.e. computer screen wipe) with a different name to fleece you of money (Specialised Binocular Lens Wipes).

But I don't want to be wrong and balls up the lenses!

Any advice?

I would investigate using ROR (Residual Oil Remover). I think it's a form of detergent designed for lenses/glass. A small amount is all you need (after the usual brushing or whatever else you do to remove grit first). After a clean, you then have to carry out 'normal' cleaning operations, to ensure all the ROR is off the lens.
There's an awful lot of invisible stuff that collects on lenses, and i use ROR every 6 months or so, whether it looks like i need to or not.
I also have a lens cloth which is purely for use with the ROR operation. It really does the biz!
 
Well, I decided to take matters into my own hand.

I've cleaned them! I used a bit of meths on a lint free cloth and gave them a wipe. Then I wiped them again with a lens cloth to ensure the meths had evaporated.

I looked through them and all was crystal clear! Quite surprising actually.

I'll leave them for the day with the lens caps off just to ensure any residual meths has evaporated.

So if anyone else is wondering if they need to buy 'specialist' cleaning liquids for their lenses then the answer is, no! Just don't use too much (but use plenty of common sense) and give them a wipe off afterwards.
 
Humakt,

Commercial cleaning fluids like ROR are a mixture of alcohol, detergent and water and are very good at removing the mixture of the animal, vegetable and mineral detritus that accumulates on lenses. They can leave some residual detergent which is usually of little consequence but is easily removed with water or alcohol.

As you found out alcohol is quite good at removing grease, but care should be taking if using it neat. It won't dissolve stuff like the salt from sweat or sea spray which can end up as an abrasive. Slightly diluted Isopropanol would generally be a better bet.

David
 
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Baader Optical Wonder fluid.
About £12.
A small amount sprayed on a white lint free Kleenex for Men tissue. Then gently clean lenses infrequently.

Use cloth once, discard.

Genuine Zeiss optical wipes seem popular.

The trouble with fluid is it can get around the outer lens element and possibly affect and remove edge blackening or get inside lens.

I have a secondhand Samyang 85mm f/1.4 lens.
It had a smear, which I cleaned but made worse even with Baader Optical fluid.
I thought it was the coating coming away.

However, after a week all traces of grease had gone, leaving a crystal clear high transmission lens.

The Ross Wide Angle Xpres E.M.I. (Extra Marginal Illumination) 20 inch f/6.3 very fine 6 element symmetrical lens from the 1950s had/has soft inner coatings. The lens covers a very wide field.
I dismantled and cleaned some, which had internal fungus, and the coating came off in a gooey mess collecting at the edge.

Thankfully, I don't think soft coatings exist any more.

I got a Zeiss aerial triplet 120cm f/7 lens from c.1920 for a distinguished comet photographer.
He had to tap it about 1,000 times to undo it and clean the inside. A great lens that produced classic 5x4 inch negatives. Uncoated and carefully cleaned.

P.S.
I have some computer screen wipes that are rubbish.
 
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I've had a smear of grease on the lens for a while now. I keep wiping it but all I'm doing is moving the smear around.
So what's the best way to get rid of it?
Would it be safe to be use a small dab (and I do mean a small dab) of meths on a tissue and wipe it?
I have a box of those computer screen wipes in my desk at work - would they be better?

I dare say that someone sells a 'proper' lens wipe (at a premium price, no doubt), but experience has shown me that many things like that are exactly the same as a cheaper product (i.e. computer screen wipe) with a different name to fleece you of money (Specialised Binocular Lens Wipes).

But I don't want to be wrong and balls up the lenses!

Any advice?

Solution # 1

The first is a light ammonium hydroxide mixture known to the more scientific among us as NH4OH. To make this chemical at home, start with 4 ounces of household ammonia, add 16 ounces of rubbing alcohol, and 1 tsp of dish washing liquid. After this, add enough water to finish filling a 1-gallon container.

I’m sure there are those who will point out the need to use distilled water. Sadly, even pure water will etch glass. And those with a recording microscope and a few thousand years to spare might be able to quantify just how much; I’ll wait.

Note: If you have a little more than 4 ounces of ammonia, a little less than 16 ounces of alcohol, don’t know your tsps from your tbsps, or take a drink of the water before mixing, it’s not the end of the world; your formula will still work quite well.

To those lacking in spare time or not caring to best their neighbor’s time-honored secret formula, I would recommend buying it off the shelf. It’s commonly called Windex®. Windex, formulated by Harry R. Drackett, has been around since 1933 and since 1993 has been part of the S. C. Johnson family of products. Over the years the formula has been modified several times, has grown to entail more than twice the original ingredients, and is now advertised for many household cleaning jobs. Perhaps better still would be the simple formula cited above as a number of people have reported the all-purpose cleaner sold in grocery stores today may not be as effective for cleaning optics as originally conceived.

Having a high alcohol content, the original formula is flammable and should be used with caution. I’ve found other things around the house to be more dangerous but the litigious times in which we live dictate I make this known.

Have the Blues?

The chemical giving Windex its blue color is called “Aqua Tint.” It’s unnecessary but originally filled an important marketing role; it showed homemakers they were buying something more than water. If you must have a blue liquid, and Aqua Tint isn’t readily available—and it won’t be—you may use a few drops of blue … food coloring. Please note the trade names Aqua Tint (or Liquatint) mentioned above shouldn’t be confused with the tinting process, ink, or wood stain of the same name.

According to some accounts noted eyepiece designer, former NASA engineer, and telescope maker, Al Nagler has been using Windex® and unoiled tissue for cleaning optics since the 1960s. :cat:

Bill
 
Bill,

I found what I think is a fairly old Zeiss document on cleaning microscope optics which broadly sounds applicable to binoculars and scopes. It suggests products like Windex should not be used routeinly and "Generally, anti-reflex coatings are composed of magnesium fluoride and should only be cleaned with agents free from ammonia and acid."

I guess some harsher formulae may be fine if used rarely and sparingly for servicing, but might be ill advised for frequent use?

David
 

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Bill,

I found what I think is a fairly old Zeiss document on cleaning microscope optics which broadly sounds applicable to binoculars and scopes. It suggests products like Windex should not be used routeinly and "Generally, anti-reflex coatings are composed of magnesium fluoride and should only be cleaned with agents free from ammonia and acid."

I guess some harsher formulae may be fine if used rarely and sparingly for servicing, but might be ill advised for frequent use?

David

Yes, David; I am aware. Furthermore, I trust the guys at Zeiss. However, after successfully cleaning thousands of optical elements with no problems from the element or the consumer, I will hang on to what I know and what is readily available to observers.

I will, however, make the warning available to my readers. Thanks.:cat:

Bill
 
I’m sure there are those who will point out the need to use distilled water. Sadly, even pure water will etch glass. And those with a recording microscope and a few thousand years to spare might be able to quantify just how much; I’ll wait.

Note: If you have a little more than 4 ounces of ammonia, a little less than 16 ounces of alcohol, don’t know your tsps from your tbsps, or take a drink of the water before mixing, it’s not the end of the world; your formula will still work quite well.

FUNNY! LOL!
 
Hi,

I use either Baader Optical Wonder (If I have some) or 70% isopropyl alcohol / 30 % aqua dest from the pharmacy and some q-tips for application (starting in the middle and spiralling outside) and a microfiber cloth fro dabbing off the rest.

And lots of care - no rubbing.

Joachim
 
I liked the Baader Optical Wonder fluid better than any other I've used. I ran out a few years ago and was dismayed to find that it was no longer imported into the US because it can't now be legally shipped by air.
 
Henry,
I suppose you could get some by sea.

In 1959 a family member needed prune juice. Lots of it.
This was not available in the U.K.
I took 24 really large glass bottles from New York on a pallet on the Queen Elizabeth.

When she docked at Southampton I watched the crane unload the pallet.
The crane driver dropped the lot.

One bottle survived. The rest of the prune juice covered the quay. :)

You would probably be luckier with a few bottles of Baader Optical Wonder fluid.
 
I've had a smear of grease on the lens for a while now. I keep wiping it but all I'm doing is moving the smear around.
So what's the best way to get rid of it?
Would it be safe to be use a small dab (and I do mean a small dab) of meths on a tissue and wipe it?
I have a box of those computer screen wipes in my desk at work - would they be better?

I dare say that someone sells a 'proper' lens wipe (at a premium price, no doubt), but experience has shown me that many things like that are exactly the same as a cheaper product (i.e. computer screen wipe) with a different name to fleece you of money (Specialised Binocular Lens Wipes).

But I don't want to be wrong and balls up the lenses!

Any advice?

Get any debris or dust off first with this
https://www.amazon.com/Giottos-AA19...F8&qid=1498585923&sr=8-1&keywords=lens+blower

Then get the grease off with these.
https://www.amazon.com/ZEISS-Lens-W...d=1498585670&sr=8-2&keywords=zeiss+wipes&th=1

Then follow up with these. For any residual marks.
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7072-L...=1498589194&sr=8-1&keywords=lens+cleaners+pen
 
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I dare say that someone sells a 'proper' lens wipe (at a premium price, no doubt), but experience has shown me that many things like that are exactly the same as a cheaper product (i.e. computer screen wipe) with a different name to fleece you of money (Specialised Binocular Lens Wipes).

But I don't want to be wrong and balls up the lenses!

Any advice?

Hummy

Lens wipes don't cost the earth and their price should be set against the following:

They contain a limited amount of the right stuff to clean your lens.
You don't use more than you need.
Somebody has gone to the trouble of finding all of this out for you so you don't have to go to the trouble of experimenting and either finding out you were wrong (and chuffing up your lenses) or using far more cleaning agent than you need and not realising that your cheap way is costing you more.
I use Zeiss wipes but there are other brands so shop around and pay what you can.

And wipes are the last resort.
Brush and blow your lenses clear of dust and debris then use a microfibre cloth and your breath to remove any smears if there are any. Don't do this if there aren't any. If the smears just spread around and don't wipe off after a couple of breathy wipes, use a lens wipe and finish with a microfibre cloth. Wash your microfibre cloths regularly and when you have rinsed them out as much as necessary, rinse them out again.

OK?

Lee
 
I liked the Baader Optical Wonder fluid better than any other I've used. I ran out a few years ago and was dismayed to find that it was no longer imported into the US because it can't now be legally shipped by air.

Well, it probably could be done using a specialized carrier like Fedex dangeous goods service, but there is a lot of paperwork involved and it won't be cheap...

Getting surface transport is surprisingly difficult nowadays and means you will need at least a pallet full of the stuff or maybe a whole container...

Joachim
 
Baader Optical Wonder Fluid has on the plastic spray top bottle ' Xi'
Health Danger and irritant.

It is lower on the list of European hazard signs than nitroglycerin or Tsunami.

Xi is 'Irritant' Sodium hypochlorite, acetone, ethanol.

I don't know whether it can be carried on board a ship as a passenger.
 
Baader Optical Wonder Fluid has on the plastic spray top bottle ' Xi'
Health Danger and irritant.

It is lower on the list of European hazard signs than nitroglycerin or Tsunami.

Xi is 'Irritant' Sodium hypochlorite, acetone, ethanol.

I don't know whether it can be carried on board a ship as a passenger.

Hi,

don't know - on my bottle it says flammable and I tried yesterday... burns quite well, which might be the reason.

Not sure what the rules are for ships, but fedex lists flammable liquids as possible from DE to USA. But it will be neither cheap nor hassle-free, so that might have been the reason why nobody went that route yet.

Joachim
 
Zeiss Wipes are laced with about 50% alcohol (ethanol + isopropanol) and the fumes burn quite nicely. However the current Zeiss lens cleaning spray is only about 5% isopropanol and has refused to ignite so far. ;)

David
 
Is Baader Optical Wonder fluid more dangerous than a bottle of cognac?

Lithium batteries are the main offender nowadays.

Hassleblad XPANs were stopped because of tiny amounts of lead solder. Redesign prohibitive cost.

Minolta SRTs need mercury batteries for CLC meter. There are alternatives but not so good. Anyway the viewfinder prisms need separating and rebalsaming to work correctly, as they deteriorate over time.

Then there are products I used for 50 years but are no longer.

Lux plain soap.
Johnson baby powder ruined by a change in cap holes design.
Boots baby powder 200g. Can't get Mail Order because of product glitch in their software? Mad.
Boots Cream soap. Dropped.
Toothpicks. One type no longer imported. I buy $50 worth from U.S.
Other type stopped for 2 years. I bought a stock.

Tungsten bulbs. Still available frosted Rough Usage only 60W. No candle ones. No clear. I have stock.

SD cards 2GB, 1GB, 500 MB. I have stock for old cameras.

Red Label high quality loose tea. Available but difficult to get.

The most ridiculous is M and S men's classic briefs. No longer made causing pain to many men who use the newer version. Recognised medical condition.

Is New better? Often not.
 
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