Hi,

Need some info on cleaning the lens barrel, especially the corners.

Thanks.

-- Anthony Yau (tonyy88@yahoo.com), June 08, 2002

Answers

The corners in the lens barrel?

;-),

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), June 08, 2002.

Yeah, those square lens barrels can be pretty tricky to clean. You need a square-ended Q-tip. I think Cambridge Camera sells them under the Cambron brand ;>)

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 08, 2002.

Yeh Jay, very funny. Why don't you come round to my house and I'll wipe that smile off your ugly face. Prick.

-- Anthony Yau (tonyy88@yahoo.com), June 08, 2002.

Easy easy Anthony... cripes!~

Just explain a little better about what you're trying to tell us please.

(now it only takes 3 posts to piss off someone)

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), June 08, 2002.

Anthony: My apologies for starting this, but you have to admit that your question is a bit puzzling -- what exactly is it you are trying to clean? If it is the nooks and crannies on the outer barrel, or other non-optical hard-to-reach places on the lens, there is in fact a useful tool available, and it is cheap to boot. Perhaps a quiet apology to Jay is in order, and I can let you know where to get it...

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), June 08, 2002.

I've used a DRY soft toothbrush to clean the grime off of the outside of my lenses. Maybe just a minscule drop of a mild cleaner on the brush if you can't get the gunk off dry.

-- Bob (bobflores@attbi.com), June 08, 2002.

Hi,

The nasty reply is not from me. Someone is playing games and used my name. This is indeed sad.

-- Anthony Yau (tonyy88@yahoo.com), June 08, 2002.

Try lighter fluid on a cloth and use your fingernails to get the cloth into the edges of the rings / ridges. Use the lighter fluid sparingly so that it doesn't seep into the lens.

-- Fred Sun (redsky3@yahoo.com), June 08, 2002.

Hi Tony:

My apologies to you... Yes, unfortunately this has happened before by Phill Kneen. It seems he gets his jollies from it and unfortunately, yes, anyone can type your name and email address into the user box. I believe this problem is controlled on our new forum location at Photo.net, so it should no longer be a problem.

I will post this apology to you on the board.

For cleaning the nooks and crannies on your lens barrel -- the non- optical nooks and crannies -- there are two useful items. One is a "smudging" tool available at most artist supply stores. These are little paper sticks with pointed ends and they come in a variety of sizes. The second are found in most drug stores, and are called "cuticle sticks". There are plastic and wooden ones, and the wooden ones are soft enough to not do damage if used carefully. They have a point on one end and a spoon tip on the other -- great for getting into those hard to reach places. Lastly, do not use petroleum-based solvents like lighter fluid unless absolutely necessary. They can damage finishes, and leave a difficult to remove oily residue. Instead, I use solvent grade alcohol which is generally available in the paint department of a well stocked hardware store. In extreme situations, it can be used to clean very stubborn residues from lens elements. It dries rapidly and leaves no residue.

Hope this helps!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), June 09, 2002.

Thanks for all the good advices. I really enjoy the forum. Thanks Jack for your kind words.

-- Anthony Yau (tonyy88@yahoo.com), June 13, 2002.