Cleaning

We would like to offer as well cleaning tools but unfortunately selling chemicals has so many restrictions and rules that we had to give up this plan.
But we have selected some recommendations from the internet plus asked manufacturers with a high reputation how they are cleaning their products. We have listed them below but refuse to take over any responsibility or liability if they are wrong or you have miss-understood them and problems occur.

Organic Fluids

  • Acetone
  • Methanol / Ether 2:1
  • Isopropanol

An-organic Fluids

  • Water, type: distilled or 100% de-ionised water
  • Surface active agents (tenside)

1. Cleaning of optical surfaces (general)

  • Start cleaning heavy organic impurifications with Acetone – removal of an-organic impurifications with water / surface active agents.
  • Afterwards cleaning with Methanol / Ether
  • Final Cleaning with Isopropanol.

2. Cleaning of framed optical surfaces (e. g. lenses)

  • Remove dust with bellows or bottle of compressed air, keep the bottle in the correct direction to prevent that instead of air liquid or propellant gets out.
  • Frames should be cleaned with moistened cotton stick.
  • If applicable remove remains with moistened lens cleaning paper, wrapped around a wooden stick.
  • Optical surfaces clean with moistened lens cleaning paper or cotton sticks (pls. refer to 1.)

3. Bigger optical surfaces (e. g. mirrors)

  • Remove dust with bellows or bottle of compressed air, keep the bottle in the correct direction to prevent that instead of air liquid or propellant gets out.
  • Clean optical surfaces with moistened lens cleaning paper or cotton sticks (pls. refer to 1.).
  • Pour in a clean cup cleaning fluid; moisten a lens cleaning paper by dripping it – wrapped into a round shape – into the cleaning fluid.
  • Un-wrap the lens cleaning paper, fold it and wipe once with a light pressure over the optical surface.

4. Cleaning of non-framed optical components (e. g. FSM’s)

  • Remove dust with bellows or bottle of compressed air, keep the bottle in the correct direction to prevent that instead of air liquid or propellant gets out.
  • More intense impurifications on optical surfaces pls. clean with moistened lens cleaning paper or cotton sticks (pls. refer to 1.).
  • Pull moistened lens cleaning paper softly over the optical surface (pls. refer to 3.)

5. Checking the result
Have a look on the surface from various angles.

  • There shouldn’t be irregular spots when the cleaning fluid condenses.
  • Aspirate (carefully) on the optical surface – the condensate should look uniformly.

Eventually you must repeat the cleaning procedure.

Canon Broadcast Europe uses for cleaning their lenses always Acetone.
Schneider Kreuznach Optische Werke recommends for cleaning of optical surfaces a mixture of 5% surface active agents (tenside) and water.

And here another cleaning recommendation which we found in the internet for you:
„… If there is still a requirement to clean the mirrors you should proceed as follows:
More intense impurifications should be removed with Acetone or Methyl-Alcohol. You can use either a cotton stick (Q-Tip) or a lens cleaning paper (recommended: Kodak Lens Cleaning Paper) by moistening it with Acetone or Alcohol and pulling it gently over the mirror surface. If framed pull away from the frame. Use of the lens cleaning paper only once! Cotton sticks should be turned bit by bit so that you have always a clean part when you restart a move.
Never make the mirror wet with Acetone or Alcohol. …“