Cleaning fungus / mold on a mirror? Is this why the camera smells musty?

nicholasnicholas · Dec 19, 2023

What's the best way to clear our the smell / maybe clean the mirror - this thing *stinks* and the mirror is a bit cloudy / has white marks - not classic looking fungus roots, but just patches of something what won't clean off. Is this fungus?

One forum post said the best way is put vineger + water in microwave, let vaporize and then once cooled a bit put the camera in there and the vinegar thats vapor will kill anything. Would that also kill the focus screen etc etc?

Here's a pic of the mirror

Romanko · Dec 19, 2023

It might be easier to replace the mirror. Any attempts at cleaning a first surface mirror are likely to result in removing the silvering altogether.

You can try hydrogen peroxide (3% solution from a supermarket or pharmacy). Be very gentle.
Moderate exposure to Australian sun kills mold and fungus.
Baking soda is used to remove bad odor from moldy books but I never tried it on a camera.

What camera is this? If it is of any value, just replace the mirror.

nicholasnicholas · Dec 19, 2023

Romanko said:
It might be easier to replace the mirror. Any attempts at cleaning a first surface mirror are likely to result in removing the silvering altogether.

You can try hydrogen peroxide (3% solution from a supermarket or pharmacy). Be very gentle.
Moderate exposure to Australian sun kills mold and fungus.
Baking soda is used to remove bad odor from moldy books but I never tried it on a camera.

What camera is this? If it is of any value, just replace the mirror.

Would peroxide desilver the surface?
It's a konica autoreflex half frame - real gem i'd love to get it 100% restored

xkaes · Dec 19, 2023

Basically touching the mirror -- which has the silver on the front surface -- will create streaks, so your only real choice is to replace it -- or the camera. I can't imagine any "fume" removing "whatever it is".

Romanko · Dec 19, 2023

nicholasnicholas said:
Would peroxide desilver the surface?

It should not. It is used to remove fungus from lenses. It is less aggressive then vinegar that is for sure.

nicholasnicholas said:
real gem i'd love to get it 100% restored

Replace the mirror.

nicholasnicholas said:
put the camera in there and the vinegar thats vapor will kill anything

Subjecting your camera to a highly corrosive environment sounds like a patently bad idea.

nicholasnicholas · Dec 19, 2023

Romanko said:
It should not. It is used to remove fungus from lenses. It is less aggressive then vinegar that is for sure.

Replace the mirror.

Subjecting your camera to a highly corrosive environment sounds like a patently bad idea.

Okay thanks! I'll give it a go - does it look like this is fungus or something else on the mirror?
The scratches are a whole other thing.

All in all though it's such a wonderful camera! So long as the mirror (fungus?) doesn't spread i'll be content

Romanko · Dec 19, 2023

nicholasnicholas said:
does it look like this is fungus or something else on the mirror?

It is hard to tell from the photo but looks like fungus to me. Dry your camera well (use silica gel in a sealed container) take it out for a walk every now and then and you'll be good. As I said you can put the camera under direct sun for an hour or so and let UV kill the fungus. You might want to wrap the rest of the camera to protect the leatherette and paint from UV.

JimC · Dec 22, 2023

I doubt the mirror is the sole source of the odor, it can possibly come from underneath the leatherette cover
or anywhere there is a cavity, ie; bottom coverplate, prism housing...

If you're going to do a full restoration, I'd start with the leatherette, it may have produced odors from
sweaty hands over the years.

Another thought is that there may be some galvanic reaction between the steel and brass components.

JimC

spoolman · Dec 22, 2023

nicholasnicholas said:
What's the best way to clear our the smell / maybe clean the mirror - this thing *stinks* and the mirror is a bit cloudy / has white marks - not classic looking fungus roots, but just patches of something what won't clean off. Is this fungus?

One forum post said the best way is put vineger + water in microwave, let vaporize and then once cooled a bit put the camera in there and the vinegar thats vapor will kill anything. Would that also kill the focus screen etc etc?

Here's a pic of the mirror

Hello: I just finished cleaning fungus off the elements of an old brass lens. I use Listerine. Dip a q-tip into a small amount of Listerine and gently rub it across the fungus. Don't let it dry. Then follow up with another q-tip dipped in plain water then gently wipe the mirror dry. I've saved about six lenses using this method with no after effects.

Doug

dynachrome · Dec 22, 2023

This looks like a Konica. Various Konica Autoreflex T series cameras are available for very little. Just find one with a good mirror.

eli griggs · Dec 22, 2023

Musty, to me, generally indicates mildew.

The fact it's growing on a first surface of silver, a heavy metal known for killing microbes is interesting to me.

Put it into full sunlight exposure, between peak hours 10:00am - 2:00pm, for several days, with the body open to airing out the body, then try removing the middle and any mold.

You might as well try to remove the growth, it's only going to get worse over time and you don't want to have it near a good lens.

If this means streaks, let there be streaks, just so long as the offending smell and growth is delt with, in an escalation of chemical harshness, to discover the threshold of compleat removal.

There are many mistakes to be made in life; shooting an SLR, with a clean but streaked mirror is not one of them!

IMO.

reddesert · Dec 23, 2023

The OP said it was an Konica Autoreflex that is switchable full/half frame (original model) - those are not very common. It costs nothing but a little time to try to save it.

You can try killing the fungus with UV (sunlight) as Eli suggested, or something like alcohol very gently applied - that may be the active ingredient in the Listerine method. Try to clean the mirror with something very gentle like an extremely soft microfiber cloth or an optical wipe (not a facial tissue, but a lab grade tissue).

The mirror is not in focus so if there is a small streak, mark, or remaining fungus damage on it, it will be out of focus when you look through the finder. And of course, it's not in your images.

Dustin McAmera · Dec 23, 2023

eli griggs said:
The fact it's growing on a first surface of silver, a heavy metal known for killing microbes is interesting to me.

Are camera mirrors silver? I thought it was aluminium these days.

tokam · Dec 23, 2023

I have read elsewhere that the gentlest way to wipe a front surface mirror is with a feather. Just dip a feather in the Hydrogen Peroxide and gently wipe across the mirror repeat as required to remove the mould.

Disclaimer: I have successfully removed mould from several old prime lenses but I have never had to attempt this with a front coated mirror. (The lens elements were placed in a shallow dish on a piece of soft cloth and then immersed in Peroxide for a couple of minutes. Beautifully clean afterwards.)

Ian Grant · Dec 23, 2023

Dustin McAmera said:
Are camera mirrors silver? I thought it was aluminium these days.

They are Aluminium, usually with a Silicone coating on top.

I get my mirrors made by a Vacuum Coatings Ltd in London, they aren't very much, and the price comers down if you order a few at the same time. I'm about to order quite a few for SLR restorations, however there are quarter plate and larger. 5x4 and 9x12cm, Postcard size, etc.

Echoing what others have said these camera bodies are really cheap, they sell for about £10 at the camera fair I go to in far better condition. If the mirror is like that
the rest of the camera will have issues.

Ian

eli griggs · Dec 24, 2023

Dustin McAmera said:
Are camera mirrors silver? I thought it was aluminium these days.

That's an interesting question.

Anyone?

Ian Grant · Dec 24, 2023

eli griggs said:
That's an interesting question.

Anyone?

Ian Grant said:
They are Aluminium, usually with a Silicone coating on top.

I get my mirrors made by a Vacuum Coatings Ltd in London, they aren't very much, and the price comers down if you order a few at the same time. I'm about to order quite a few for SLR restorations, however there are quarter plate and larger. 5x4 and 9x12cm, Postcard size, etc.

Echoing what others have said these camera bodies are really cheap, they sell for about £10 at the camera fair I go to in far better condition. If the mirror is like that
the rest of the camera will have issues.

Ian

eli griggs · Dec 24, 2023

Cheers.

maltfalc · Dec 24, 2023

the only thing you should ever do to kill fungus on photo gear is keep it dry. that's it. uv won't kill any fungus that isn't on the outer surface. sunlight will only kill fungus by warming up and drying out the camera, and if you put the camera back in a damp environment, the fungus will come right back. vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will corrode all sorts of things.

the aluminum coating on the mirror has been etched by fungus. you can't clean that off and polishing a first surface mirror without destroying it is not a job for amateurs.

airing out the camera in the sun will help drive out odors, or wiping it down with a wet wipe or paper towel and rubbing alcohol (on surfaces that are safe to clean, don't touch the focus screen). ozone works great for getting rid of odors, but will also corrode metal and break down foam, fabric, lubricants, etc. if you overdo it.

Sirius Glass · Dec 24, 2023

Exposure to the Sun can kill fungus, but if the fungus is built up it may not be enough on its own.

Romanko · Dec 25, 2023

UV kills fungus and other life forms including humans. Every Australian knows this.

BMbikerider · Dec 25, 2023

Ian Grant said:
They are Aluminium, usually with a Silicone coating on top.

I get my mirrors made by a Vacuum Coatings Ltd in London, they aren't very much, and the price comers down if you order a few at the same time. I'm about to order quite a few for SLR restorations, however there are quarter plate and larger. 5x4 and 9x12cm, Postcard size, etc.

Echoing what others have said these camera bodies are really cheap, they sell for about £10 at the camera fair I go to in far better condition. If the mirror is like that
the rest of the camera will have issues.

Ian

Some mirrors are not rigid metal or glass and the reflective coating is on a plastic base so introducing something that will eat plastic may well consign your camera to history

Cleaning fungus / mold on a mirror? Is this why the camera smells musty?

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