WD-40 Specialist Fast Drying Contact Cleaner

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3462 Location: Northern Ireland

I saw a lens repair video on YouTube where, after removing the lens elements, this WD40 contact cleaner was sprayed onto the aperture blades to unstick them without removing them from the lens barrel.
Has anyone used this product for this purpose and would you recommend it?

eddieitman · Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 1247 Location: United Kingdom

I have used similar stuff electronic cleaner I normally buy mine from eurocarparts and it's £4

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

I'm sure that or any other contact cleaner will get the job done, as long as it dries clean. You'll still have a residue left that you'll still need to clean out from the lens, if you've left the iris in the barrel.

Typically when I do this, what happens is the rear of the element in front of the iris gets a coating of the oil that was on the blades. So this residue must be removed from that glass surface. I usually use lens cleaner and lens tissue until all traces have been removed.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 632 Location: New Zealand

I've tried ethanol, CRC carburettor cleaner and Acetone. The ethanol was not really effective, the CRC product left slight residue it seemed, because the action did not improve. The acetone is not available in spray form as far as I know, but is quite effective applied with a small cotton bud, gently. Often many applications are needed, working the aperture to remove grease. Sometimes, despite all that, disassembly is still needed.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

Definitely not recommended but probably quite effective would be Carbon tetrachloride https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tetrachloride

In 1970s I used it on extremely sensitive digital ac voltmeter frequency compensation components such as glass/metal adjustment capacitors to get them absolutely clean and free of all residues. The large corporation had a heated tank with sprayer and filter to continually recycle the stuff... EXTREMELY TOXIC -- NOT RECOMMENDED!!!

HansMoleman · Joined: 12 Jul 2019 Posts: 145 Location: MD USA

Aren't lens coatings susceptible to degradation from strong solvents? That would be my concern.

Zamo · Joined: 08 Feb 2019 Posts: 163

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1121

I'm using the contact cleaner (any brand ,as they are for electronics basically) , for cleaning sensors on my car MAP and MAF and first help a lot. I've also used it to clean flek blades and rinsing after that with iso, it worked well. I wouldn't dare to use it on glass though ,never.

Irina · Joined: 20 Nov 2021 Posts: 1

Thanks guys for sharing your. views. I learned something from these posts.

RokkorDoctor · Joined: 27 Nov 2021 Posts: 1271 Location: Kent, UK

I've personally never had success cleaning the oil off aperture blades from the outside. The oil tends to re-appear after a few weeks.

I now always remove the assembly and clean the blade holders & blades individually. That does usually involve re-calibrating the aperture, which is easy on the classic iris apertures of the older preset-lenses, but can be a bit fiddly on the more modern Harrison aperture design that most SLR lenses use.

I tend to find that capillary action has led to a significant oil build-up underneath the actuator rings that hold the aperture blades, which explains why cleaning from the outside never works for me; the blades have plenty fresh oil supply waiting to re-emerge.

Alternatively if the lens assembly that holds the aperture can be isolated from the rest of the lens and helicoid, a full submersion and rinse in a solvent bath has also worked. But by that stage the extra work of removing the aperture blades is usually worth it anyway.

Gardener · Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Posts: 950 Location: USA

Any aperture "repair" without complete disassembly and cleaning of each individual element is like putting a bandaid on a gun wound.