Cleaned my 100th lens haze this morning and the number hit me

I was working on an old Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 that came in from a local shop. The rear element had that classic white fungal haze. After I got the group apart and cleaned it, I marked the tally on my bench log. I've fixed exactly 100 hazy lenses now. It made me realize how much of this job is just patiently bringing old glass back to life, one fungus spot at a time. Anyone have a favorite solvent mix for really stubborn haze that won't come off with just alcohol?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_black2d agoTop Commenter

Damn, 100 lenses is a serious milestone, congrats on the patience. I'd probably have thrown the 50th one at a wall. For the really stubborn gunk, I've had some luck with a tiny bit of acetone on a q-tip, but you gotta be so careful it's scary. Wendy628's lighter fluid trick sounds wild but honestly at this point I'd try anything, my last resort is just breathing on it and hoping my bad coffee breath dissolves something.

wendy6282d ago

My buddy swears by a drop of lighter fluid on a cotton swab for the really baked-on stuff (it sounds crazy but it works).

mila_murphy212d ago

Wait, you know what's even crazier? My friend's dad used to clean his old film camera lenses with a tiny bit of gasoline. Like, from the lawnmower can. He'd dip a toothpick in it for the metal filter threads that were totally seized up. Said it was the only thing that cut through the old grease. I heard that story and my whole face just went numb.