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Ash polishing glass
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:37 am    Post subject: Ash polishing glass Reply with quote
I created a new topic for this interesting thing.

Quote:
interestingly, zeiss recommends cigarette ash for polishing marks after removing fungus!



OK, but what is the exact procedure? How can I perform it at home?
I have some lens with micro coating marks, I want to polish. Does it harm the coating?

Any experience or information?


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It will eventually take off the coating (and finally, the glass) just like any other effective polish, but the polishing agent in there is amorphous silica, which is very fine-grained and considerably softer than the quite destructive corundum or carbide particles in common polishes. If you can't get hold of special jewellers and opticians polishes, cigarette ash is a reasonable option.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cigarette ash also polishes silver beautifully.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
OK, but How? What is the procedure?


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Smoke a cigarette, drop the ashes on a clean tray (and don't let the cigarette rest in there, or a puddle of tar will deposit), dab a clean polishing cloth into the ashes, and polish the lens with light pressure and circular movements. Try on some damaged or useless lens first, to get a feeling for the right pressure and even movements.

And beware - cutlery and silver polishing cloths sold for household purposes often are presoaked in silver polish and potentially harmful to lenses. In doubt, wash it first.

Sevo


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
horvlas wrote:
OK, but How? What is the procedure?

i believe that the first step is to purchase couple of packs of marlboro Smile preferably lights.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
[quote="piticu"]
horvlas wrote:
i believe that the first step is to purchase couple of packs of marlboro Smile preferably lights.


Aaaaarrrrrrgh!!! I'm one year off Marlboro Lights - but think about them every day Twisted Evil


PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2022 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I purchased some cerium oxide optical powder on ebay. After trying the wax or lacquer techniqueI plan to give it a go. I have DIY'd a mold using a dremel bit, some saran wrap, and silicone. (Lens: saran wrap tightly wrapped: silicone puddle; dremel bit imbedded in silicone) I plan to use the silicon mold to try to polish it. I will report back.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2022 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Another old thread brought back.
Laugh 1

We sometimes use fire ash to clean the glass on our log burner. I would probably not use it on a lens though.

What's wrong with lighter fluid?

Last edited by martinsmith99 on Thu Mar 03, 2022 1:45 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
martinsmith99 wrote:
Another old thread brought back.
Laugh 1

We sometimes use fire ash to clean the glass on our log burner. I would probably not use it on a lens thought.

What's wrong with lighter fluid?


Nothing wrong with it, lighter fluid works really well on a log burner Wink

But joking aside, Jamaeolus revived this topic in context of polishing off a failed coating (i.e. removing the coating), not for cleaning.

For regular cleaning of a lens, a polish with ash is of course not to be recommended.
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