Cleaning general haze

xkaes · Nov 8, 2023

I'm not referring to General Rutherford B. Hayes, who later became President, but a haze on glass that won't come off.

It's a simple UV filter with a distinct haze. I've tried Kodak lens cleaner, but this stuff won't budge.

Then I tired 90% isopropyl alcohol. Nothing. It's not horrible, but definitely stubborn.

I can throw out the filter, but I'm curious as to what I should try next.

It might not be bad enough to impact the pictures, but I have not done any tests.

KerrKid · Nov 8, 2023

I have nothing to add, unless the haze is purple.

Chuck1 · Nov 8, 2023

Before you throw it away hot water and dish detergent

Paul Howell · Nov 8, 2023

Considering what you have tired, best guess is a deterioration of the coating.

Sirius Glass · Nov 8, 2023

Paul Howell said:
Considering what you have tired, best guess is a deterioration of the coating.

Either that or sent it to or take it to a lens repair place and see if they can fix the problem.

Kino · Nov 8, 2023

Headlight cleaning compound?

Dan Daniel · Nov 8, 2023

Alcohol (I know, tried). Naphtha. Acetone (melts plastics and paints). Eclipse lens cleaner. Ammonia. Soap and water. If you like the feel of your liver turning into pudding, xylene (melts plastics and paints).

The issue is finding the right match between the haze material and the cleaner. So alcohol dissolves fats so is good for skin oils, while naphtha won't dissolve fats but will dissolve petro-based oils. Sometimes just need to keep trying solvents until one works.

Or none work. Bad coatings, etc.

Also depends on the filter itself. Some older filters are a thin material laminated between two sheets of glass.

All in all, unless the filter is valuable, not certain it's worth spending much time on it.

MattKing · Nov 8, 2023

It may not be haze. It may be damage.

Sirius Glass · Nov 9, 2023

Kino said:
Headlight cleaning compound?

That would probably destroy the lens coating, see post #5.

Kino · Nov 9, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
That would probably destroy the lens coating, see post #5.

Might do so, but OP says he can just discard it, so it would be worth a try to see what does work.

I would also try a bit of Lime Away on a spot to see if it will dissolve in acid.

Of course, if it were a lens I would never try it, but if it's a filter that would be tossed anyway, why not?

xkaes · Nov 9, 2023

I'm not sure that the glass is coated or not. Definitely not MC. I don't want to destroy it, but it might not be a problem. I need to test it first. I just thought that what I learn might be useful in cleaning other HAZY glass in the future -- especially glass that I DON'T want to trash.

albada · Nov 10, 2023

As @Dan Daniel mentioned, acetone is worth trying.
Toothpaste contains abrasive, so try it as a last resort. BTW, toothpaste works well on chrome plating on cameras.

Mark

250swb · Nov 10, 2023

Organic 'stuff' can go hard and adhere to the lens, so after everything else you've tried you could have a go with bleach. If the filter is by a reputable manufacturer my first thought was T-Cut because although you are going to get it into contact with the coating, the coating should be harder than the glass it's protecting. Which is why I agreed with @Kino idea for headlight cleaner which is essentially a mild abrasive compound.

Dan Daniel · Nov 10, 2023

Metal polishes like Brasso or Simichrome can be worth trying when you give up on any solvent solution and want to move into mechanical removal. Generally a finer cut than polishes for plastics. Cerium oxide is slow but used to polish glass itself so as a last attempt...?

Cleaning general haze

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