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Rant: Took me a year to admit I was using the wrong cleaning solvent

I was set on using denatured alcohol for everything. Sensors, lenses, the works. Then I helped a guy in Toledo fix a sticky aperture on a Pentax. He pulled out a bottle of isopropyl 99%. Showed me the before and after on his test shots. One pass with his method and the haze was gone. Made me try it on my own gear. Now I'm converted. Anyone else stick with a bad habit too long?
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3 Comments
henderson.oscar
henderson.oscar15d agoMost Upvoted
The denatured alcohol crowd has its reasons though. It evaporates faster and leaves fewer streaks on certain coatings if you know the technique. I've cleaned dozens of old Nikkor lenses with it and never had a problem as long as I used fresh q-tips and didn't let it pool around the edges. Most of the time operator error gets blamed on the solvent when it is really just impatience or using too much.
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stella_lane
Totally agree with you here. So many people just dump solvent on and rub hard without thinking. A steady hand and a light touch matter way more than what chemical you pick.
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the_anthony
Wait, are we supposed to be using the right stuff now?
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