How to remove haze from lens elements?

Greg Heath · May 2, 2015

David,

For Fungus removal. I have used this on a Rolleicord as well as other vintage lenses. You probably won't even have to soak it more than 10 minutes. Make sure the area is well ventillated. Ammonia is wicked strong. How bad is the fungus on the lens ? Is it a light haze you saw while shining a flashlight through a wide aperture ? If it is then it will easily remove all of it. I used Qtips very lightly to brush it away. Then I filled a plastic jar and got Dawn dishwashing liquid ( yeah dishwashing liquid) like one drop and used that solution to wash the lenses, then a distilled water rinse and then pat the water off with a soft paper towel. You will now have super clean lenses.

Let me know how it works out. It would be kind of neat if you could post before and after photos. This cleaning tip is the one I got from the Camera Repair Forum. I have rebuilt many different cameras, and really enjoy this feed.

http://kyphoto.com/classics/forum_message.html

Greg

Greg Heath · May 2, 2015

Greg Heath said:
David,

For Fungus removal. I have used this on a Rolleicord as well as other vintage lenses. You probably won't even have to soak it more than 10 minutes. Make sure the area is well ventillated. Ammonia is wicked strong. How bad is the fungus on the lens ? Is it a light haze you saw while shining a flashlight through a wide aperture ? If it is then it will easily remove all of it. I used Qtips very lightly to brush it away. Then I filled a plastic jar and got Dawn dishwashing liquid ( yeah dishwashing liquid) like one drop and used that solution to wash the lenses, then a distilled water rinse and then pat the water off with a soft paper towel. You will now have super clean lenses.

Let me know how it works out. It would be kind of neat if you could post before and after photos. This cleaning tip is the one I got from the Camera Repair Forum. I have rebuilt many different cameras, and really enjoy this feed.

http://kyphoto.com/classics/forum_message.html

Greg

Here is another site you can look at...

http://www.travel-images.com/cleaning-lens-fungus.html

paul ron · May 2, 2015

Denatured alcohol.... The stuff you get in paint stores. No residue or film.

If that doesn't remove it, your coating may be deteriorated or its in the balsam between the elements.

Algo después · Oct 28, 2020

shutterfinger said:
Another method is to heat an oven to 175°F-225°F, turn the oven off, place the cells in the center of the oven, close the door and leave for 15 to 30 minutes. Sometimes such heating will "fix" the Balsam and it will clear upon complete cooling.

a dummiest question: what if I can´t separate this part.
Would it work to put all this part in the oven?

Dan Fromm · Oct 28, 2020

Curses! Mr. Later, your photo shows an Apo Tessar front cell. It contains two singlets. They're not cemented together. The CZJ Tessar front cells that I've taken apart have a retaining ring at the rear that should unscrew to release the rear singlet. Make sure that the elements are oriented correctly when you reassemble.

thuggins · Oct 28, 2020

For stubborn haze, I have had luck with Lime-A-Way or Hydrogen Peroxide. Depending on the nature of the haze, one will work better than the other.

Meddan89 · Oct 28, 2020

You should use Greg, I've also used it. It really works.

Algo después · Oct 28, 2020

Dan Fromm said:
They're not cemented together. The CZJ Tessar front cells that I've taken apart have a retaining ring at the rear that should unscrew to release the rear singlet. Make sure that the elements are oriented correctly when you reassemble.

yes Indeed Dan, I feel that the lens knows that it is in the operating room BUT WITHOUT A SURGEON

flavio81 · Oct 29, 2020

Nodda Duma said:
I didn't see if the lens was coated or not. Haze on coated optics is rarely an issue with the glass. Rather it's interaction between the coating and the surrounding environment (obviously a very general statement).

Unremovable haze not attributed to fungus or abrasive damage could be surface damage to the top coating layer of MgF2 from condensation on the lens surface. MgF2 is soluble in water. I've seen this before.

In this case the only thing left to do is polish the old coating off and re-coat the lens. If it's the outer surface of the front lens and you're not worried about resale value, just polish off the coating. And by the way, if this doesn't make you nervous then don't attempt it.

Finally an answer from an actual lens designer! (Nodda Duma is one)

I was getting worried about some claims made on this thread (Windex being abrasive?! come on...)

Whenever i think of "haze" i think of what you say: Irreparable damage to the coating. Otherwise it's just fungii, oil, dirt, etc.

So, when I find this haze, my only option is to remove it by polishing with an abrasive (even toothpaste works, although I guess the ideal is cerium oxide or cigarrette ash). This restores the lens element. However light transmission will never be as good as before, because that element lost its coating. Thus, if you're Nodda Duma and can recoat the optic, that would be the best thing to do.

albada · Nov 5, 2020

How does one polish off coating? I've found that MgF2 is very hard, perhaps harder than the glass.
Mark Overton

RalphLambrecht · Nov 5, 2020

j-dogg said:
I have tried optics cleaner and a lens wipe and I got most of this stuff off but theres still a small film......its a cheap lens I got to hone my lens repair skills and I managed to successfully get it apart and mostly clean it but I still have this small film.

try to wipe it off with bleach followed by lens cleaner again.

flavio81 · Nov 5, 2020

albada said:
How does one polish off coating? I've found that MgF2 is very hard, perhaps harder than the glass.
Mark Overton

Mechanical polishing, like with cerium oxide, etc. Also note that coatings aren't MgF2 all the time, there're more compounds, see patents on anti reflection coatings.

j-dogg · Nov 13, 2020

Windex you have to be very careful to not spray it directly on the lens if its assembled. If you have compound elements it can get between them and fog it, had it happen with a Nikkor 50 1.2 I was able to set it in the sun and it evaporated.

Apply it to the cloth and make a quick pass or two then immediately dry it.

Nodda Duma · Nov 15, 2020

Coincidentally enough, I just polished off fungus / haze from the surface of a lens for a friend.

How to remove haze from lens elements?

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