Leica Summicron 50mm cleaning help

[Mozg31337]

Hello.

I am planning to perform some internal cleaning to remove fungus (about a few dozen of small fungus spots) and haze on the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 collapsible lens made in late 50s. I have got some rubber vacuum things of different sizes and a spanner tool for lenses, set of small screwdrivers. I also have some lens cleaning pads and liquid, which tends to do a great job at cleaning the lenses from rain drops, finger prints and other nastiness.

What else would I need to do the task and are there any guides or lens diagrams that you can share with me to help me in this task.

I have never cleaned or disassembled the lens before. I have a few inexpensive lenses that I can try on before doing the Leica lens. Like an industar and Zeiss lenses which I bought for under 15 quid from eBay. Any suggestions or help is appreciated very much!

 

[BrianVS]

Leave the aperture at F2 and DO NOT TURN THE LENS OVER WHILE OPEN!!!! The blades will fall out.

The front section unscrews from the rear section, exposing the aperture. That is where most of the haze occurs. The front element is in VERY tight. You will need the suction cup, and might need to dampen it with cleaning fluid to get a better grip.

The optics are similar to the type 1 rigid, which I documented.

Summicron_type1_disassembly by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/90768661@N02/albums/72157646919370244/with/15628021339/

The collapsible Summicron does not simply unscrew from the mount, but you will not need to do that.

I took apart a lot of lenses before taking apart Leica lenses.

 

[Mozg31337]

Brian, many thanks for the information. Very odd, as I've replied pretty much right away using my mobile and I don't see my reply here. Anyway, I will give it a bash with my Industar lens first, before doing the Leica. I hope I will not mess up the aperture blades as it will be a pain to put it back.

Does it make sense to lubricate the lens at the same time? If so, what lubricant would you recommend that will last a long time?
Cheers

 

[BrianVS]

I like to use Dow Vacuum Pump Grease, also use white Lithium grease. Took out some LTM lenses today that were done with the Vacuum Pump Grease almost 10 years ago- very, very smooth.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Hello.

I am planning to perform some internal cleaning to remove fungus (about a few dozen of small fungus spots) and haze on the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 collapsible lens made in late 50s. I have got some rubber vacuum things of different sizes and a spanner tool for lenses, set of small screwdrivers. I also have some lens cleaning pads and liquid, which tends to do a great job at cleaning the lenses from rain drops, finger prints and other nastiness.

What else would I need to do the task and are there any guides or lens diagrams that you can share with me to help me in this task.

I have never cleaned or disassembled the lens before. I have a few inexpensive lenses that I can try on before doing the Leica lens. Like an industar and Zeiss lenses which I bought for under 15 quid from eBay. Any suggestions or help is appreciated very much!

If you've never disassembled a lens before, send the Leitz lens to a professional and practice on simpler lenses. Leitz lenses are often complex, with very close tolerances and need specific tools used with skill and experience to prevent damage.

 

[BrianVS]

Several years ago someone sent me a Summicron Collapsible to repair- someone has inserted THREE of the groups in backwards. Common mistake that people make, not orienting the elements correctly when putting back together. I quickly learned to make a mark with a Sharpie marker when disassembling lenses to mark the Outside surface for proper orientation. I learned after doing a CLA on a cheap Zoom lens. Whoops. Learned a lesson, and spent another hour taking the zoom apart again.

 

[John Koehrer]

Several years ago someone sent my a Summicron Collapsible to repair- someone has inserted THREE of the groups in backwards. Common mistake that people make, not orienting the elements correctly when putting back together. I quickly learned to make a mark with a Sharpie marker when disassembling lenses to mark the Outside surface for proper orientation. I learned after doing a CLA on a cheap Zoom lens. Whoops. Learned a lesson, and spent another hour taking the zoom apart again.

Excellent advice, you only have to screw it up once to figure out why.

 

[dxqcanada]

Hmm, interesting conversation ... I will be getting on of those lenses in about a week that I will need to take apart.
... oh, and be very very gentle when cleaning the glass.

 

[Mozg31337]

Thank you all for valuable tips! Will keep you updated on the progress.

 

[dxqcanada]

Note: it's fairly simple to screw off the front group of elements.

 

[David Lyga]

One thing to never forget when cleaning glass. Unless your glass cleaner has a tiny bit of soap your dust will cling to the glass after you clean. The tiny bit of soap (dish liquid is fine, or even use a dedicated glass cleaner like Windex) greatly lessens the static electricity that makes the dust persist. - David Lyga

 

[Mozg31337]

David, yes indeed. I was thinking how to minimise the dust that is present in the air. My room is fairly dusty and has carpets ((( I could put things in a box while working on other parts, but still, not guaranteed. Perhaps they sell electrical gadgets like ionisers that attract dust and thus making it less likely that the dust will end up inside my lens. Alternative is to build a glass box with wholes for the arms, but unfortunately, I've not got much space in my house to keep those things.
How would the soap help? would it make glass more slippery and thus I can easily blow the dust off before putting the elements in their places?

 

[jim10219]

David, yes indeed. I was thinking how to minimise the dust that is present in the air. My room is fairly dusty and has carpets ((( I could put things in a box while working on other parts, but still, not guaranteed. Perhaps they sell electrical gadgets like ionisers that attract dust and thus making it less likely that the dust will end up inside my lens. Alternative is to build a glass box with wholes for the arms, but unfortunately, I've not got much space in my house to keep those things.
How would the soap help? would it make glass more slippery and thus I can easily blow the dust off before putting the elements in their places?

It's not worth messing with yourself if you don't have a clean space to do it in. I've taken apart several lenses, and at first, I didn't respect the dust in the air. I'd clean them, reassemble them, only to find that they're even more dusty than before. No matter how well you clean them, dust will re-accumulate before you can get them reassembled. Now, I do this work in a bathroom with tile floors and run an air filter in there for a few days before. I also thoroughly clean the room and turn off the heater or A/C and close the vents to prevent air circulation. It's a huge mess. And even then, I still always manage to get some dust in between the elements. However, if I'm careful, I can do a pretty good job at getting them cleaner than how they started. I also use gloves and try to keep my skin and hair covered up with clothes that aren't soft and frizzy (like a nice, pressed dress shirt). It's a lot of work, which is one of the reasons why I don't care too much about tiny dust particles in a lens anymore. Because even if a lens looks clean when you first assemble it, you can find out later that there was dust on the sides of the barrel which later migrates to the lens.

My method for keeping all of the lens elements in order and properly oriented is to lay out some microfiber clothes, and as I disassemble the lens, always place each lens front facing down, in a line from left to right. Even when cleaning the elements, I make sure never to turn them over, so the front always faces towards the ground. I'll lift the element over my head if I need to look at it from the bottom, rather than flip it over. Because once you've lost the orientation, it can be difficult and time consuming to figure it out again, especially if you can't find a lens diagram online to help you out.

 

[dxqcanada]

So how did the cleaning go ?
I already took one partially apart.

 

[Mozg31337]

dxqcanada,

I have been very busy with work and have had no time to work on the lens. I am now hoping to do it over Christmas, at least practice on the the Industar lens first. Will keep you posted