Glass cleaning "technique" :)

seeker

Yeah, I know ... this forum isn't for this type of "technique", but I couldn't figure out where else to post this. Moderator - please feel free to move this to a more appropriate place if there is one.

Tonight I bumped into my 28-70mm f2.8 lens and it rolled off a counter from about 4 feet onto the floor. The lens is extremely durable, as I demonstrated in my drop "test". However, the Promaster Digital UV filter ... is not.



I was able to unscrew the filter (with some gloves) after much effort, and blow/vacuum most of the glass particles off the lens surface, but many still remain as you can see in this close-up of the lens.



I am extremely nervous about simply taking a microfiber with plenty of lens cleaning fluid and scraaaaaping it across the surface to try and remove these. I also suspect that if I do *not* remove them, they will wreak havoc with my photos.

Any thoughts about how to deal with this mess I have created?

Brian

pathfinder

Brian, I would try gentle blowing with an air bulb first.

If that does not remove the glass fragments, I would use a camel's hair paintbrush. That is what I use if I get sand grit on my bodies too. But not the same brush for both places.

If neither of these techniques work, I would gently use a micro fibre clothe. That is what we routinely clean lenses with at work.

Lastly would I try using a spray cleaning solution for eyeglasses - this is usually distilled water and a few percent of isopropyl alcohol. Do not use enough of this for it to pool and run around the edges of your lenses to the inner surface.

The glass fragments should come off easily and do no harm. Hopefully, the lens was not damged internally by the shock.

seeker

pathfinder wrote:

Brian, I would try gentle blowing with an air bulb first.

If that does not remove the glass fragments, I would use a camel's hair paintbrush. That is what I use if I get sand grit on my bodies too. But not the same brush for both places.

If neither of these techniques work, I would gently use a micro fibre clothe. That is what we routinely clean lenses with at work.

Lastly would I try using a spray cleaning solution for eyeglasses - this is usually distilled water and a few percent of isopropyl alcohol. Do not use enough of this for it to pool and run around the edges of your lenses to the inner surface.

The glass fragments should come off easily and do no harm. Hopefully, the lens was not damged internally by the shock.

So far the lens seems to be ok. I took some practice shots and it seemed to operate just fine.

I have tried the air bulb, but never thought about a brush (camel's hair). I will give that a try!

- Brian

Glenn NK

If is was mine, I would take it outside for two reasons:

1. Bright sunshine will tell you if anything is left after you blow it,

2. I would also take my can of Dust-Off and starting with small short bursts attempt to remove the glass particles (they belong outside, and not on the floors in the house),

3. If No.2 didn't work, I would increase intensity and duration of the blasts.

I'm quite sure that this will remove the glass particles.

Under no circumstances would I touch the surface with anything until I was certain that every spec of glass was removed.

4. If No.3 didn't work, I would take my nearly full small bottle of lens cleaning fluid, and squirt the stuff UPWARDS at the DOWN FACING lens, and flush the shards off.

Does this make any sense to anyone else?

gus

Glenn NK wrote:

If is was mine, I would take it outside for two reasons:

1. Bright sunshine will tell you if anything is left after you blow it,

2. I would also take my can of Dust-Off and starting with small short bursts attempt to remove the glass particles (they belong outside, and not on the floors in the house),

3. If No.2 didn't work, I would increase intensity and duration of the blasts.

I'm quite sure that this will remove the glass particles.

Under no circumstances would I touch the surface with anything until I was certain that every spec of glass was removed.

4. If No.3 didn't work, I would take my nearly full small bottle of lens cleaning fluid, and squirt the stuff UPWARDS at the DOWN FACING lens, and flush the shards off.

Does this make any sense to anyone else?

I agree.

pathfinder

I agree with a good light source out of doors.

An air blower bulb should be all that is needed, but a camel's hair brush used with a light touch will not harm your lens either.

Icebear

Send it to me
I PROMISE I won't return it to you with one speck of debris on it.
John

TylerW

I had this same thing happen to me earlier this year with my 70-200mm f/4. once I got the big pieces of glass clear, the small dust fragments still remained. I blew off as much as I could using a hand bulb blower. From there, I used a generous amount of eclipse fluid on a clean pec-pad, and just dabbed at the glass particles using a wetted corner of the pad. the key part here was that I used NO PRESSURE in the dabbing process - only the flex of the pad itself. The glass particles were more keen to stick to the pad than the glass, and the eclipse helped lubricate the glass particles against the front element, making any potential damage nonexistant. Be patient, relax, work slowly.

As an aside, I think that filter did you a favor! I just removed and retired the promaster UV filter that I had in front of the same Tamron 28-75mm. In finer details I noticed it had a tendency to give me some discolored ghosting that was really displeasing. get a good filter on that lens, it can really be ruined by a poor one!