Cleaning TLR Mirror

[WolfTales]

Anybody have any success with cleaning their TLR mirror?

My YashicaMat 124 G has accumulated a fine layer of dust and making the image dim.

I can't figure out how the dust got in there in the first place.

Maybe I can jam an air nozle in there and try to blow it around a bit....

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[archphoto]

First blow it out, or even better jet: use a very soft brush and a vacum-cleaner.

If there is still a haze use alcohol and a very soft tissue to clean the mirror after that.

Peter

 

[Sirius Glass]

First blow it out, or even better jet: use a very soft brush and a vacum-cleaner.

If there is still a haze use alcohol and a very soft tissue to clean the mirror after that.

Peter

And not pressure with the brush because it is a first surface mirror.

Steve

 

[rternbach]

I much prefer to vacuum as it is less likely to force dust into the camera and cause problems later.

 

[Denis K]

I have a Yashica A and was talked into disassembling it enough the clean the mirror. I can only thank the guy who talked me into this because it made a world of difference. Since your camera is a YashicaMat I don't know the procedure but I'm sure you can get someone who had done it to tell you even if you have to go to a TLR news-group. In the case of the Yashica A, it is a simple process of removing 4 screws and the ground glass assembly lifts off in one piece.

I think the dust and gunk get on the mirror there through a nonlinear flow channel through a 4th dimension quadrant transform. More or less...

Denis K

 

[Sirius Glass]

I think the dust and gunk get on the mirror there through a nonlinear flow channel through a 4th dimension quadrant transform. More or less...

:confused: :confused:

Which one? More? Less?

Steve

 

[Lightproof]

My way: Remove the mirror, clean with water and soap.
Use a soft paintbrush and work under water with next to none pressure.

After that, clean the brush and use destilled water for a final rinse. Let the mirror dry in a dust protected place.

Take a very small Paintbrush and apply 3 drops of destilled water on the mirror's surface. Use the paintbrush to navigate the water over the surface, it will take up the small amounts of remaining dust and residues. As most glass surfaces, mirrors and matte glasses used in cameras are somehow hydrophobic, no further drying is neccessary after this last step.

This also works perfectly fine for (coated!) lenses. Dont go near the borders of the glass, as the drop will be sucked in due to capillary effect.

The method is very safe, and the ONLY way to mechanically clean SLR and TLR mirrors without adding more dust (brush, blower) or demaging the surface (micro fibre cloth...).

For some SLRs you not even have to remove the mirror. Just use MLU, remove finder & matte glass and do the job. Surfaces can get REALLY clean this way.


Regarding vacuum cleaners: Do not hold it directly against gaps on your camera. Remember, you do not evacuate the camera. The air you pull out of the gap has to flow through the cameras other gaps and so you collect dust again.

 

[Scruff McGruff]

When I cleaned my Yashica 12's mirror, I noticed that the seal foam between the top front facia (where the light meter is) and viewfinder assembly was disintegrating; that may be where your dust is coming from.

 

[Sirius Glass]

My way: Remove the mirror, clean with water and soap.
Use a soft paintbrush and work under water with next to none pressure.

Warning: A first surface mirror is very delicate. If you touch it, the mirror material will be removed and the resulting mark cannot be fixed.

Steve

 

[archphoto]

I would never take out a mirror unless I have to replace it.

The focussing screen can be taken out and cleaned with a mild detergent.
If the ground glass is made of plexi-glass the shiny side can be polished by laying it with the shiny side up on a flat surface and use a cotton rag and Brasso (copper polish). After the copper polih treatment it needs to be cleaned again with a mild detergent.

And while you are at it: check all the seals and replace them as necesary with the products from Interslice or others.
In that way your camera will be as new again and ready for lots of good photo's.

Peter

 

[Denis K]

Since the mirror in a TLR is not in the image plane of the viewfinder, small imperfections or cleaning streaks or even small black spots will not make much if any difference in what you see on the ground glass. What you want to do is clean off the layer of gunk that causes a general dispersion of the rays leading to greatly reduced contrast in the viewfinder image. Let's put this in perspective, this is the viewfinder we’re talking about. We're not building pianos here.

Denis K

 

[WolfTales]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

 

[brofkand]

Be very careful. The reflective surface is on the TOP of the mirror, not on the bottom with a protective coating over it. So if you scratch it, you'll have to either live with it or get a new mirror (but as Dennis said, it isn't a huge deal since the viewfinder has nothing to do with the image projected on film).

I'd either try to remove the mirror if it isn't too difficult and blow it off with a rocket blower or wipe it off with a cigarette paper, or just stick a rocket blower into the mirror chamber and get rid of the dust that way.

However, it's very likely that dust has been there for a LONG TIME and simply blowing it won't do anything. Don't use any kind of detergents because that can make the silver come off. Instead use a paintbrush or cigarette paper to wipe it off.

EDIT: and I have had success doing it. I've cleaned the mirrors on my Voigtlander Brillant, and a few old Kodak box cameras as well. Just treat it gingerly.

 

[Laurent]

On a 124G, I remove the hood (4 screws) and then could remove the mirror (it's held in place by some springs) to clean it with alcohol. Looks nice, but I haven't used the camera yet (too much things to do in the house, too many films to develop/proof/print...) and it still needs a good CLA

 

[Q.G.]

Mind you: not only is a first surface mirror rather vulnerable, the position of the mirror is critical for good, accurate focus too.
Most need their position recalibrated when removed and reinserted again.

 

[steven_e007]

Are you sure it is dust?

I recently tried to very VERY gently clean off the powdery dust off the front of a semi silvered mirror in a range finder, only to discover the powdery dust WAS the remains of the semi silvering!

Dust you can blow off, VERY gentle cleaning (make sure your cotton-bud / Q-tip or tissue is WET, wash, not rub) will remove the gunk, but careful that you are not looking at a damaged surface rather than a dusty one.

 

[rjr]

In worst case you can replace the mirror with a new, clean one ripped out of a Polaroid camera - the reversing mirrors of these fit into a few TLRs without much adjustment or cutting.

 

[elekm]

That's right. The mirrors from the cheapie Polaroids that can be bought for a few dollars at most thrift shops work perfectly in most TLRs. Occasionally, you'll have to cut it, but no big deal.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Mind you: not only is a first surface mirror rather vulnerable, the position of the mirror is critical for good, accurate focus too.
Most need their position recalibrated when removed and reinserted again.

The Yashica mirror position is not like the Rollei system. Isn't the Yashica mirror determined by three points that are cast into the body directly? I haven't seen any adjustment on the mirror inside of a Yashica-Mat, D, or EM.

There is a set screw on the side of the viewing lens. Release this, turn lens in and out to get focus to match taking lens (ground glass inside of guide rails with a loupe). Maybe I'm missing something here.

 

[mablo]

My YashicaMat 124G came with a very dim mirror. I tried to clean it but clearly it was beyond that. So I bought a new one from Uscamera.com (http://www.uscamera.com/yashicatlr1005.htm). Replacing the mirror is pretty easy after you remove the viewfinder module (4 small screws). At the same time I did new light seals that I bought from Jon Goodman. Now my Yashi is happy, I'm happy too.

If only I could get that dar**d meter working properly...