CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[incova]

As the title states I want to clean the c elements as they have quite a bit of dust on them as well as my lens I have read threads on this before but cannot find them now, best way of doing this guys? I am going to ceiling mount so before I do that I thought I would clean it a bit.

[Tom.W]

I would say a Luminex microfiber cleaning cloth after compressed air. The c elements are usually coated with an aluminized material and it is also made of plastic so be careful !

For oily finger prints or smoke problems you can try this...

Guy Kuo

Dry air blown across the lens. If that isn't enough, William Phelps described his cleaning solution....

1 drop dishwashing detergent (not soap!)
(or Kodak Photoflo if you have it)
1/3 cup 99% Isopropyl alcohol
1 2/3 cup distilled water

It works very well indeed and does not harm the lens coatings. It's dirt cheap to make to boot. Cheap enough to use on your car windows. You won't believe what using an optical cleaner on a car window will achieve. Windex is residue city by comparison and should NOT be used on your projection lenses for fear of the ammonia dissolving the anti-reflection coating.

Don't get overzealous about cleaning. Every time you clean the lens, you will create some minor scratches. In other words, clean when cleaning does more good than harm.

The above solution can be misted on and wiped off with a soft lint-free cleaning cloth. Use each portion of the cloth only one pass. Start at the center and work outword. You will need to lightly buff until dry or else there will be visible residue.

Another cleaning product I very much like is Formula MC-1. I was turned onto this by Steve Smith. It leaves absolutely the cleanest lens surface I have ever seen. Use as a last step. Just a few drops do the job. The lens will appear to fog over as this dries. Buff the "fog" off and the lens will be cleaner than it ever has.

In either case, never never grind dirt back into the lens. Remove as much dust as possible with dry, compressed air. Very very lightly dust with a CLEAN soft brush. It is so easy to scratch the lens with a slightly soiled brush. Don't wipe a dirty lens while it is dry. Use a cleaning solution to loosen and lift the debris onto a clean soft lens cloth.

Be enthusiastic in throwing out multiple cleaning cloths. You're trying to preserve the lens, not the cloths.

MC lens cleaner.

http://www.amazon.com/oz-Formula-MC-Lens-Cleaner/dp/B00012BZGK

[Sparky015]

Having just installed C-elements, some of them were dusty. In concurence with Tom, hit htem with air to take the bulk of the dust away, and then use a good micro-fiber cloth. I did that for the 3 installed C-elements, as well as two spares, and it worked great. I would not use anything other than a microfiber cloth. they are made for cleaning optics.

[Sparky015]

By the way, I also rinsed the C-elements under water as well when I had them out. Not sure if you can, but if you can do that as well, I think that's better than compressed air. Unlike the lenses which are not sealed, the C-elements are sealed from the glycol chamber, so if you can maneuver it under some water carefully, I think that's a best first step.

[incova]

thanks guys I have the most of that stuff so thats what I guess I will just make the solution up, Tom thanks a lot man thats exactly what I was looking for.

[David_Web]

NEVER use compressed air. Small particles will be shot at the surface at high speed and WILL damage it. Not to mention oil if it's from a compressor.
If the stream is clear enough you might not even notice any damage though, but you won't know that until after.
But then you have to trade that risk against other ways to remove dust, so some damage vs dust. Your call.

[dvh99]

i wouldnt use compressed air either.
i rinsed the c elements under warm water with some dishwash detergent and after that dried it with a microfibre cloth.
these are the ones used for cleaning glass or crystal.

[Tom.W]

Ive been using this stuff for years on lenses and negatives without ill effect and you can adjust the pressure. I would NOT use a standard compressor due to oil and contaminants.

http://www.filmtools.com/31-fal-fgs.html

[Sparky015]

Yes, I didn't mean to use a standard air gun at close range! I used a an air gun with a filter when I dusted my lenses. I kept the gun back about 3 feet so that the air was dispersed by the time it got to the lens surface. No issues. For C-elements, water and a microfiber cloth work the best IMHO.

[stefuel]

Don't make it any more difficult than it needs to be. Remember that even though the c-element is in the light path, It is no where near the focul point. Small specs of dust even lite scratches won't be seen on the screen. With that said, I wash my c-elements right in the kitchen sink with a mild solution of dishwashing liquid and the softest cloth I can find after it's been soaking in the warm water for a couple of minutes. Rinse with clean water and stand them on edge so the drops run off.

[Spanky Ham]

I have found that distilled water is the best for getting things clean. I used to rinse mine off with RO + DI water.

Another option is there is some spray on cleaner that hardens and you then peel it off. I don't remember the name, but Darinp2 says it works very well.

[Tom.W]

I used distilled water for years as a final rinse for negatives but a couple of drops of Kodak photo flow doesn't hurt either...

No water or mineral spots residue

[AnalogRocks]

[AnalogRocks]

[incova]

Thankd Curt for this Forum!