Moisture in hasselblad focusing screen

[rubyfalls]

So, I know that this happens. It happened to me. I am hoping that someone can share their experiences. Possible fixes, and whether I should take it apart (really don't want to) or recommend a place or person who can fix this. It is the acute-matte with grid. Thanks so much!


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[Chris Livsey]

Where did the moisture come from?
Because if it is dried, depending on the purity, it may well leave permanent marks, think film, sorry.

Three methods have been used:

Alcohol/other solvent- fail, the plastic of the screen is adversely affected, usually separation.
Drying with silica gel- a small container, lots of gel sealed and left, some reports of success, but marks left as a stain. (possibly dry rice as an alternative)
Drying with heat- hair drier (as usual !!) same result staining some report warping (too hot?), warm oven- most reports are of warping and some of staining.

I think there are sound reasons Hasselblad do not recommend wet cleaning of these screens, moisture entry seems to be usually either fatal or disabilitating.

The best approach I think is the gel or rice but stand the screen vertically not flat to encourage the water to the edge, not seen that reported but intuitively seems a good idea.
Don't be tempted to take the screen apart I have never heard of a successful outcome for that.

 

[Gunfleet]

Whenever I've had a bit of trouble with condensation in a camera I've found a fortnight in the airing cupboard works wonders. That's the British name by the way. .. Good knows what Americans call it!

 

[David Allen]

A long time ago I had this problem after a long session on a misty day.

What I recommend is that you get yourself a small fully sealable container (Tupperware or similar) and a packet of silica gel. Place the Accute-matte in the container with the Silica Gel and leave for several days. If then not totally clear, dry out the Silica Gel in an oven and then repeat.

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de

 

[John Koehrer]

Silica gel or rice. Both work pretty well. Rice is used to dry out a dunked cell phone or camera.

 

[rubyfalls]

Thanks everyone. I am fighting the urge to take it apart. I feel ok about doing it if nothing else works; I taken more delicate things apart and got them back together, but I'm not 100% confident here. I've read far more "mistake" tales than I have "go for it!" tales.

I am just worried about there being water stains. I will give it one more 24 hour period locked up in an airtight bin with silica gel before I reach panic mode. Ha ha.


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[Nuff]

I will 2nd bag of rice. It should suck all of the moisture out. In my snow days, when I got moisture in my double lens goggles, leaving them in a bag of rice overnight got all of it out.

 

[itsdoable]

I've taken apart a few Hasselblad screen for cleaning. There are a few threads floating out there about this.

Whatever the reason: rain, wet cleaning, humidity, etc... they get contaminated from time to time. Some just develope tiny droplets under the glass over time that are annoying when doing critical focusing.

The accute matte screens are 2 layers, the plastic focus screen with the fresnel on the other side, and a glass layer. The plastic scratches easily, and the glass is thin, so you can figure out what can go wrong. Both pop out of the metal frame. Popping them out is not hard, but not for the feint of hart. Once they are out, clean with a detergent (soap) and water.

 

[rubyfalls]

The end of the story is that I took it apart and cleaned it, which turned out to be the right decision as the substance, as I feared, was oil of some sort and not water. And ha ha - it is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. I don't recommend it, but as its doable wrote, it is doable. You just have to be careful, clean, confident, and meticulous. What its doable wrote is also pretty much what i did; (s)he must have ESP'd me.

But long story short, it is clean, shiny, and back in the body doing its beautiful bright ring-free thing. And I am drinking wine.


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