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Trouble with fungus cleaning
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:33 am    Post subject: Trouble with fungus cleaning Reply with quote

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and of course I like MF lenses Smile I say that is similar as with car transmission, it doesn't matter how fast and smooth the modern automatics are, they're boring...and it's fun manually Smile

I encountered some trouble lately with my lenses...fungus attacks. I haven't used them just for half a year and my beloved Flektogon 2.4 35mm (my father bought it new, quite some time ago Smile ) got some fungus, so I tried to clean it today using 100% isopropanol and wasn't that successful. The fungus was on the outside of the front lens and outside and inside of the back lens. Somehow I cleaned the front lens of the spiderweb look like fungus pretty good, but a lot of small dots still remained on the lens and I wasn't cleaning really gently. I didn't bother a lot with the back, just a quick clean of the most soluble dirt.
The other lens I have is a Sonnar that has some similar dots on the lens that are not easy cleanable with isopropanol, but the fungus didn't grow on it.

So is it possible that some of these dots on the lens are where fungus has etched the glass allready? Or what I just thought writting this message, could it be that I have something on my lenses that is not cleanable with isopropanol, and fungus really liked growing on it?

I am really sad about the flektogon, cause it was really mint, like new only half a year ago :/






PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't see the attached photos, so here is a link to them:
https://picasaweb.google.com/samosmrke/January52012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNKkj6uQgt2UuAE&feat=directlink


PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just if maybe somebody is interested. The strangest thing..., today I got some millipore water (very pure water from a chemistry lab) and the fungus got very easily cleaned out with only water!!! Isopropanol wasn't able to clean any of it, but water did. The lenses from the photos from the last post now look as new!


PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Problem with pure water cleaning , you can remove mold, but invisible parts are there. Will easily come back , stronger chemical can kill it without remain any living parts.. Anyway need to store properly and fungus will not come back.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Of course, after cleaning with water I washed again with isopropanol. Is this enough or should I once in the future clean it with peoxide/ammonia?


PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sammo wrote:
Of course, after cleaning with water I washed again with isopropanol. Is this enough or should I once in the future clean it with peoxide/ammonia?


Hi, if i were you, i would use cold cream, instead ... Great in removing fungus molds and killing it. Then use the isopropyl alcohol to remove the cream from the lens. If you want to check the capabilities of the cold cream, feel free to browse to my Pentax blog (link in signature) and then check the category "Repair" in the menu on the right ...

Hope this helps ...


PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I also use cold cream, it has proven successful in many cases.
Not forget UV radiation, is the best way to kill the mold spores.
UV to kill, cold cream to clean.

Regards.
Jes.