HELP!!!! - Fungus (1 Viewer)

Hello All,

Has anybody found a home way of killing and removing fungus without taking the binocular apart.

I am asking this because the Optics and Camera Technician that I normally use has closed shop after more than 50 years of doing business.

If I can help it I do not want to take a binocular apart , I will probably mess it up big time.

Optical Technicians are extremely hard to find in my country.

Thanks.

Cheers.

Hi 42za,
Exposure to UV light will stop fungus but will not remove it.
So leave it with the fungus affected parts exposed to sunlight.

However, glass stops some UV, so it would be best to at least partly dismantle the binocular.

I have a UV security checker torch. This might work but don't look at it. UV radiation is bad for ones eyes.

UV radiation will also reverse some of the browning in thorium glass lenses.

You could try a small driven astro mount to follow the Sun, or maybe you have an astro telescope.

I have sometimes been able to unscrew barrels, carefully marking positions and clean off fungus on the inside of the rear objectives.
I have cleaned many telescopes but these don't have prisms.

I also cleaned a Canon 50mm f/1.5 screw fit lens by unscrewing the front element.

If the binocular is low value then have a go yourself.

Eyepieces are a problem for me.

Maybe contact an astro club. They may have members who have made telescopes.

Binocular technicians are rare everywhere except maybe Russia.

My SA pilot friend brought me his old Pentax lens and I cleaned it partly but we threw it in the trash.
His PST scope also suffered
A humid hot place.

Movie lens technicians are expert at dismantling movie lenses for routine cleaning.
TTH lenses are made with dismantling as standard.

Hong Kong had many experts at removing fungus, but nowadays political turmoil.

Otherwise buy fully waterproof binoculars and just leave old binoculars to their fate. Nothing lasts forever.

Regards,
B.

What brand model to you have? Can you post photos?
Someone might have specific advice to give you.
Good luck

What brand of binoculars are they? A lot of brands have lifetime warranties so you could get them repaired or replaced by contacting them. If that is a dead end here is an Optical Repair where you fill out the repair form and send your binoculars to them and they will repair them. Taking binoculars apart and cleaning fungus is a job for a professional.

https://opticalrepairs.com.au/binoculars-optical-equipment/

Hello All,
Thanks for the quick responses , it is appreciated.

Binastro
I will certainly try the "exposure to sunlight" method , approximately how long should I expose the binocular to sunlight ?.
I realize this will not remove the fungus , but stopping any further growth will be good.

Foss
It is an old Japanese Plano 7 x 35 11 degree FOV porro , it still gives extremely good views despite the fungus infestation.
The fungus is on internal surfaces and I do not have the equipment to take photo's.

Denco
This bino is a vintage Japanese Plano 7 x 35 11 degree FOV porro.
It will cost too much to send the binoculars overseas for cleaning and repair , and with the present pathetic service in our country the binoculars will most probably be stolen or otherwise "lost".

Thanks again.

Hi 42za,
One has to be careful using sunlight to stop fungus as the intense rays of a largish binocular will probably affect the balsam or cement in the eyepieces.
In extreme cases it might crack the glass depending where the sun was focused.

UV radiation is not significant unless the Sun's elevation is more than 50 degrees.

It may be best not to track the Sun accurately as this would concentrate rays in one spot.
Maybe best to just move the binocular so it roughly faces the Sun.

A UV torch may be better, although the batteries won't last very long unless rechargeable batteries.

There are mains banknote UV checkers, but these have a guard to stop radiation reaching the eye.

You mentioned previously several binoculars, so I thought it was a general enquiry.

For a start one should have a climate controlled room either at home or work to store binoculars.
(Or move to the Atacama desert, where it hasn't rained for 400 years).
Probably 30% humidity and say 20C to 22C.
Fungus thrives at a humidity of more than 60%.

The binocular shown is good enough to get professionally cleaned and Dennis's link seems good.

There was an Australian who spent a year making a perfect gravitational sphere, the most accurate in the world, I wonder if it is him?

As a rule, I have become ruthless concerning fungus in binoculars, or indeed out of collimation binoculars.
Where a binocular repair costs more than the binocular is worth, I don't bother.
But there are sentimental optics that one does want restored even if little commercial value.

In WW2 binoculars became unusable in less than 6 weeks from new because of fungus, so many technicians were used.
Sadly today is a throwaway world.

Regards,
B.

P.S.
The eyepieces of the 7x35 are probably 5 or 6 elements including some cement.
Exposing the eyepiece end to sunlight should be no problem.
However, exposing the objective end may cause heat damage.

In England I would probably expose for a few days, but in Africa this may be too much.

Fungus is a serious problem in the U.K. especially in unheated garages or poor indoor conditions.
Also in seaside towns.
It is much worse in jungle conditions but no problem in very dry places.

P.P.S.
It was Achim Leistner in Australia who spent a year polishing the world's most perfect sphere about 2008.

Unless professionally cleaned you will never get all the fungus out of those and they are not worth shipping for cleaning and repair. Your best option is too buy a new pair of binoculars like a Nikon Action Extreme-All-Terrain 7x35 for $120.14 at Amazon.com. They are waterproof and fogproof which I think would be necessary in Africa and they would have less chance for fungus formation in the future. They ship to Africa for reasonable rates.

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7237-Extreme-All-Terrain-Binocular/dp/B0001EFIGG
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=596186

That is very sensible advice.
The only downside is the 9.3 degree field of the Nikon 7x35 EX.

However, the 11 degree field may not be accurate on the Plano 7x35.
Some similar binoculars are only about 10.6 degrees FOV.

The Minolta 7x35 Standard MK is 11.05 degrees measured, at least my one.
But the Minolta is not waterproof.

As fungus seems to be a problem here then it makes sense to only buy fully waterproof binoculars.
New ones have warranties.

Regards,
B.

[email protected] said:

Unless professionally cleaned you will never get all the fungus out of those and they are not worth shipping for cleaning and repair. Your best option is too buy a new pair of binoculars like a Nikon Action Extreme-All-Terrain 7x35 for $120.14 at Amazon.com. They are waterproof and fogproof which I think would be necessary in Africa and they would have less chance for fungus formation in the future. They ship to Africa for reasonable rates.

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7237-Extreme-All-Terrain-Binocular/dp/B0001EFIGG
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=596186

Click to expand...

+10!!!

The Nikon Action Extreme 7x35 is excellent, binocs with much better eye relief than the standard Nikon Action offerings. In addition, it is waterproof and fogproof, albeit not a svelte roof design.
Nikon quality at a budget price, a bargain glass imho.

etudiant said:

+10!!!

The Nikon Action Extreme 7x35 is excellent, binocs with much better eye relief than the standard Nikon Action offerings. In addition, it is waterproof and fogproof, albeit not a svelte roof design.
Nikon quality at a budget price, a bargain glass imho.

Click to expand...

B&H has more detailed specifications if interested:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/319406-USA/Nikon_7237_7x35_Action_EX_Extreme.html/specs

Those are nice photos of the binocular. However, there is no APPARENT photo of fungus. One of them illustrates the results of microscopic particulates—dust—deposited by the repeated condensation and evaporation in a dusty—even if no one notices—environment.

If you try to solve the problem yourself, you’ll want to scribe the bell AND the objective cell at exactly the same location that collimation not be disturbed. If you do not do that, and you don't know what collimation is, you will be on the fast learning curve of what it is. Remove the lens cell and the remedy will be obvious. At least if that one photo SHOWS the problem. Most fungal problems are on prisms ... or at least start there.

All fungal problems are not equal; there are MANY types. Some etch glass! Thus, when you remove them from the glass, they leave the tell-tale signs of where they were. :cat:

Bill

42za said:

Hello All,

Has anybody found a home way of killing and removing fungus without taking the binocular apart.

I am asking this because the Optics and Camera Technician that I normally use has closed shop after more than 50 years of doing business.

If I can help it I do not want to take a binocular apart , I will probably mess it up big time.

Optical Technicians are extremely hard to find in my country.

Thanks.

Cheers.

Click to expand...

Hello All,

An update.

After a very frustrating search I eventually found a qualified Optics Technician who cleaned and refurbished this binocular at a price of approximately 55 British Pounds or approximately 65 U.S. Dollars.
I am glad that I took the bull by the horns and had this done.

The binocular now performs very well and will now be part of my rotation.

The binocular now gives a very pleasant view and is easy and a joy to use with its wide field of view.

OK the optics do not compare with modern glass and coatings , but nevertheless the performance is not very far behind modern mid priced binoculars , it is now very usable.

But on the other hand the mechanical build and construction is far superior to most modern binoculars , the focus wheel and diopter adjustment controls are superb , smooth , positive and just give a feeling of quality.

In my opinion these old classic binoculars are very under-rated.



Cheers.

Hi 42za.

Well done and praise be.

The price is similar to U.K. prices.

If he or she does good work let him or her clean any other binoculars that need care and attention, at least while able to do this work.
Telescopes also?

There are not many good binocular technicians.

Regards,
B.

"There are not many good binocular technicians".

Seems like that is the trend now, more glass is of the replace variety, so more and more low end glass is being made and sold. One cannot even get a fridge that lasts over 10 years anymore, and electronic manufactures are now making them. Guess where they are all made?

Andy W.