Getting mud off your camera

jcdill

OK, Tough Smuggers, how do I get mud off my camera after spending 2 days on the exit side of Electroshock Therapy (at Tough Mudder Diablo Grande), getting splattered? On another photog's advice, I used rubbing alcohol and q-tips to remove caked on mud. Now I have fine mud "smears" on both the smooth and pebbled parts of the body, and the lens (x2, 2 bodies, 2 lenses). What should I use to get this stuff off?

waywardfool

What kind of mud?

Hopefully not red clay like we got around here.

ziggy53

Unfortunately, some muds have the ability to permanently stain, and that includes clothing, skin and even camera/lens bodies. If that's what happened, the only true remediation is sending the affected articles to a service center for replacement of the affected parts. (Yes, that can get terribly expensive.)

In the future, it's best to avoid mud splatters using any method or device which acts as a "shed" or "water shed" to protect your equipment.

I certainly hope that you got some great images.

jcdill

waywardfool wrote: »

What kind of mud?

Hopefully not red clay like we got around here.

Follow the "tough smuggers" link and you will see Don's photos, which show the mud - lots of mud. My photos are on brightroom.com, look for the "electroshock therapy" photos at Tough Mudder, Diablo Grande.

jcdill

ziggy53 wrote: »

Unfortunately, some muds have the ability to permanently stain, and that includes clothing, skin and even camera/lens bodies.

It's not a "stain" - it's residue. If I apply more rubbing alcohol and rub on it, it removes some but not all. And it spreads it around - areas that did not have the mud smear will gain it if I rub wider than the area of the current mud smear. What I need is to PICK UP this smeared mud, not spread it around. Is there some other product other than rubbing alcohol I should use to get the mud UP OFF THE CAMERA instead of smearing it around ON the camera? And how do I get it up out of the tiny crevasses in the pebbled rubber areas, out of rubber grips on the lens rings, etc.?

puzzledpaul

Never tried with cams, but adhesive tape - as used for getting lint etc off clothes - might work?
Check first that the tape doesn't leave a residue...

Old toothbushes, after it's really dry?

pp

ziggy53

jcdill wrote: »

It's not a "stain" - it's residue. If I apply more rubbing alcohol and rub on it, it removes some but not all. And it spreads it around - areas that did not have the mud smear will gain it if I rub wider than the area of the current mud smear. What I need is to PICK UP this smeared mud, not spread it around. Is there some other product other than rubbing alcohol I should use to get the mud UP OFF THE CAMERA instead of smearing it around ON the camera? And how do I get it up out of the tiny crevasses in the pebbled rubber areas, out of rubber grips on the lens rings, etc.?

A gentle detergent in water, and a cloth with high absorbency and frequent changes, should get the bulk of it off. Don't use any more water/detergent than necessary and avoid drips that could leak into the equipment. Use a reverse rolling motion with the cloth to keep a clean surface to the equipment to avoid spreading. Practice with some flour sprinkled on a table to understand the process.

When the mud is reconstituted from the above technique and similar to fresh, use a soft-bristled toothbrush, or a soft-bristled equipment brush, to gently "whisk" the mud from cracks and crevices. Keep the brush clean through frequent rinsing and drying on a clean cloth.

Repeat these methods as required using lots of clean brush and clean cloth.

Zerodog

As someone who frequently has dirt covered camera gear here is my advise. I like using soft microfiber towels. (yellow ones from costco) But any auto place or walmart has them in the car wax area.

My procedure: I like to use a rocket blower first to remove loose dust from around the lens mount and buttons. Then use a damp rag and wipe everything clean. No mud or dirt has resisted this method yet. But all dirt is different.