How do you clean scanner glass?

[Poohblah]

Will Windex and a paper towel do?

 

[PVia]

Microfiber cloth is lintless, and will leave no streaks...

I use Windex, doesn't hurt a thing. Apply to the cloth rather than the glass...

 

[iamzip]

Seeing as it is a fine optical instrument, rather than a means of keeping out bugs and cold weather, I use stuff intended for cleaning optics - either camera or eyeglass cleaner, plus lens wipes or microfiber cloth. I would imagine a paper towel would leave lint, maybe even cause scratches over many years.

 

[Marco B]

I usually simply use 70% alcohol and a paper towel to remove any grease, than finish off with something like a microfibre cloth and a good blow from an Kenair Airduster canister to remove any remaining dust. Still wish for some antistatic device though...

 

[holmburgers]

I've got some terrible out-gassing in my Epson 4990. I opened it up once and cleaned it, but I didn't do a good enough job apparently.

Opening it is not so hard, but I would like to do it one more time, get a perfect clean and never have to do it again.

So first question, what is a truly lint-free wipe that will not scratch glass?

2nd, what is the best chemical to clean glass with? Something of high purity ideally.

3rd, is there any kind of substance that will absorb the out-gassing? Activated carbon for instance. I could put a bit in a baggy of sorts and put it inside the scanner. Just a thought, I'm more concerned with just getting it clean.

Thanks for your consideration.

 

[Keith Taylor]

So first question, what is a truly lint-free wipe that will not scratch glass?

I use these on Plexi and glass Brillianize SofKloth Polishing Cloth. They say they can be used on lenses, but I'm not sure I'd go that far.

Keith.

 

[holmburgers]

Thanks Keith, those look great.

 

[Clay2]

A good cleaner for optics is ordinary Vodka. 40% ethyl alcohol, 60% distilled water,

and also tunes up the photographer.

Best regards,

/Clay

 

[pellicle]

Will Windex and a paper towel do?

assuming you're speaking of a flatbed scanner then yes, windex and a paper towel. Its not optical glass and I've seen no evidence of chromatic coatings on the top surface.

Cleaning the inner surface can be of benefit. I'll probably get around to that soon on my 4870

while you're thinking of this, this is fun to read
AjaxNetPhoto.com Photography news and information: Digital solutions for film lovers - Flat bed scanner fustrations

 

[holmburgers]

A good cleaner for optics is ordinary Vodka. 40% ethyl alcohol, 60% distilled water,

and also tunes up the photographer.

Best regards,

/Clay

Well, sounds like I've got my Saturday night figured out!

Thanks for the input guys,

C.H.

 

[Rudeofus]

Its not optical glass and I've seen no evidence of chromatic coatings on the top surface.

No idea what kind of glass my V700 has but it sure doesn't look like regular window glass. It looks slightly rough if I look at it from the side.

 

[pellicle]

No idea what kind of glass my V700 has but it sure doesn't look like regular window glass. It looks slightly rough if I look at it from the side.

that's bad ... do your lenses look rough when looked at from the side? It should look mirror smooth. Optical and plain glass both

 

[Rudeofus]

that's bad ... do your lenses look rough when looked at from the side? It should look mirror smooth. Optical and plain glass both

I may have been unclear: I referred to the glass plate on which the documents or the film holders are placed, not the lenses. To be honest, I never looked at the lenses.

 

[pellicle]

I may have been unclear: I referred to the glass plate on which the documents or the film holders are placed, not the lenses. To be honest, I never looked at the lenses.

I know you did ... but both have to be equally perfect in surface

 

[holmburgers]

Quick update on my attempts at cleaning the interior/underside glass on an Epson 4990.

If you haven't taken one apart, it's a fairly easy operation; just 4 screws on the hinge-side of the body, and make sure the scanner-transport is locked so that you don't lift that part with the frame. This will take some fenagling, and gentle bending of the plastic frame... just be careful and don't go overboard. The front end just snaps in & out; no screws there.

The best advice is just to take it slow and know that the glass & plastic top will come off by itself, leaving all the moving parts in the chassis. This top section will still be tethered to the main body by a small flat cable at one corner, but this gives sufficient slack to turn the glass on its back and lay it flat on a good surface.

The hardest thing is lighting the glass so that you can tell if it's clean, and indeed, I failed at this. After assembling it, I discovered that there were still cleaning streaks and basically it was worse that before... *sigh*

I used distilled water and denatured alcohol, but I think my micro-fiber cleaning cloth wasn't sufficiently "pure". Honestly, I think the best method is a lens cleaning cloth and fogging the glass with your breath. That's what I'm going to do this next go around, as it worked quite well on the top.

Dust is a whole 'nother issue though...

 

[keithwms]

I used windex and it was fine.