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Re: [OM] Fungus in the lens

Subject: Re: [OM] Fungus in the lens
From: HI100@xxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 01:05:26 EST
pcacala@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

<< It depends on the species
 of fungi, also. Even when you do remove it, it might take the coating
 with it. But when you catch it early it may be removable without a trace
 of damage. You never know until you try. 
>>
     Here is my recent experience and some tips:  I bought two lenses riddled 
with fungus and dust for a very nominal amount. (Difficult to see through, 
with a white forest inside, and as the web site advertised them "fungus 
throughout".)  I thought it would be an interesting learning exercise to try 
and clean them and with luck I might get a good lens out of it.
     In one case the lens cleaned up so well (after complete stripdown) I 
cannot tell that there was ever fungus even with a loupe. The lens barrel 
itself showed signs of heavy use and from the engraving seems to have been 
used in a police lab or some govt agency. The helicoid also needed greasing 
which I did while stripped down. 
     The other lens cleaned up fairly well on the more accessable internal 
surfaces but being a zoom I did not want to a do a complete stripdown since 
it can be tricky to get the groups in the correct relative spacing on 
assembly. The result the lens still shows some signs of dust deep inside 
where I did not get to. 
     I used a variety of cleaning fluids (alchol,ammonia based and Kodak) on 
cotton buds wrapped with lens tissue. I also used a lens pen covered with 
lens tissue. I finished off with a lens pen without tissue. The cotton buds 
with lens tissue allow both very soft and hard scrubbing. Use lots of 
"dust-off" or compressed air as you clean to prevent scratching the coating 
and inspect with a loupe all the time. The magnifying (stereo) goggles like 
watch makers used to use (they flip up) make it very easy to inspect as you 
work.  The cheap Chinese import goggles like this, sold at flea markets or 
even through tool catalogues, seem to work quite well.(<$10).
      Bottom line even surfaces that at first seemed permanently marked 
cleaned up well with persistent attention.
      Lens pens with the round flexible rubber heads are nice because they 
allow you to clean to the edge of the glass fairly easily. If you use a lens 
pen don't use it until you have cleaned the worst muck off and start with 
lens tissue on it as otherwise it is easy to trap muck and thereby cause 
scratches. Keep cleaning fluid off the pen's pad. If the pen leaves any 
obvious film, just remove it with tissue over the pen's head.
      In general zooms are a lot more complex to strip  clean and reassemble, 
so think twice and think again before you try unless the fungus is obviously 
"near the surface"

                  Regards,
                 Tim Hughes
                >>Hi100@xxxxxxx<<

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