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How to clean Yashica D viewfinder + fungus on mirror?

rchae94

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Hello all,

My WLF for my Yashica D is really dim and dirty, so I want to clean it, but I don't have the right equipment and know-how. I tried searching on google multiple times, no cigar. I also noticed that when I look through my viewing lens, that the mirror has some fungus on top of it. If I can clean everything myself, I would like to.

Any assistance would be great,

Thanks.
 
Basic cleaning tools are some isopropyl alcohol (pharmacy) and cotton buds. Be extremely gentle, that mirror is probably a "first surface" type where the reflection coating metal is exposed, and the fungus may have attacked the metal, it is very easy to permanently damage a first surface mirror even with gentle rubbing.
 
To clean a view screen remove it from the camera then wash it in warm water with dish detergent (I use Dawn) then rinse under warm running water with a final rinse in a weak PhotoFlo solution then stand on edge to air dry or use a lint free towel.
Plastic screens are easily damaged, some are laminated and should not be submerged in water, never rub across the ribs of a fresnel only with them. Use a very light pressure using your fingertips only while holding by the edges.
The reflex mirror can be cleaned with glass cleaner or alcohol as stated in post 3, again use a very light touch.
 
I've cleaned up a few old TLR's and all the mirrors have been tarnished due to age and have lost their shine .
I don't even bother trying to clean them now , I just replace them with a new one .
I've bought quite a few from this ebay seller ; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yashica-A...hash=item3d3abf2e05:m:mTR0xUF6wHfYWwqqugU36Lw , it makes a huge diferance , much brighter and clearer .
At the price he sells them for , it's not worth messing around with the old one .

For cleaning a lens with fungi on I use a 50:50 mix of amonia and hydrogen peroxide .
This cleans it off and kills any remains and spores .
After cleaning with that mix , the lens elements are cleaned with a normal lens cleaner before reassembly .
 
Yeah, marty1107 on Ebay is great for mirrors. I'd suggest not even trying to clean the mirror in your camera and just install a new one. A nice thing about marty's mirrors is that they have a front coating on top of the reflective surface that hardens the surfaces, reduces tarnishing, and even allows for light cleaning.

The screen in the D is two pieces. If you use liquid and it wicks between the two pieces you'll need to open them up. I suggest planning on removing the screens. The lower screen is plastic; do not use any solvents or such on it. Dishwashing soap and warm water will do, lightly rubbing around with a finger tip or small paint brush.. Also do not rub it as you can scratch the fresnel grooves and it will look bad. Make a note when you remove the plastic piece as to which side is facing which direction; one will be similar to ground glass and one will have the circular grooves of a fresnel lens. The top piece is actual glass so standard glass cleaner is fine, although the lines might get removed. Let both pieces dry well before installing.
 
Thank you this was very informative! I guess I will just try and save up some money and maybe just get a new mirror as you've mentioned. I also actually need to find the right screwdriver so that I can take out the screws. Thanks again!
 
rchae94 said:
I did download that but it wasn't what I was really looking for thank you though!
Click to expand...

Well, with all the other good advice here, you'll need a schematic to know how to tear the camera down to get to the mirror and clean it properly! Glad you found it.
 
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