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Author Topic: Cleaning with canned air?  (Read 9098 times)

Glenn NK

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2014, 12:49:45 pm »

+1

"Dust off" is also my first line of attract of crap on the sensor.

BUT, do not attempt while driving, under alcohol, etc.

Do this with lots of caution!

Just finished cleaning sensors on both bodies with Dust-Off, one needed a wet cleaning as the spots were round and looked as though they were "glued" on (this is the older 30D body with no sensor cleaning mechanism).

In an attempt to address the issue of the possibility of "freezing" or otherwise damaging the sensor, I tried longer blasts of perhaps one to two seconds long immediately after using several much shorter blasts to clean a sensor.

I then immediately directed the blast at my face.  I was surprised at the temperature - while the top of the can became quite cool, the gas coming out was not cold - perhaps cool, but certainly no where near the temp where it could harm anything.  Even blasting continuously for several seconds did not cause the gas to become cold.

I'm convinced that the fear of freezing or damaging the sensor or any part of the camera is completely baseless.  And there are no new spots from the refrigerant gas.

I'm seriously wondering if the conventional wisdom wasn't based on someone's hypothesis and it gained an internet life of its own when no one questioned it.  On the face of it (cold temperatures, propellant contamination) seem somewhat logical - but then so did Aristotle's theories for two thousand years.

Urban Legend?

Glenn
« Last Edit: July 19, 2014, 01:08:03 pm by Glenn NK »
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Justinr

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2014, 01:12:16 pm »

Just finished cleaning sensors on both bodies with Dust-Off, one needed a wet cleaning as the spots were round and looked as though they were "glued" on (this is the older 30D body with no sensor cleaning mechanism).

In an attempt to address the issue of the possibility of "freezing" or otherwise damaging the sensor, I tried longer blasts of perhaps one to two seconds long immediately after using several much shorter blasts to clean a sensor.

I then immediately directed the blast at my face.  I was surprised at the temperature - while the top of the can became quite cool, the gas coming out was not cold - perhaps cool, but certainly no where near the temp where it could harm anything.  Even blasting continuously for several seconds did not cause the gas to become cold.

I'm convinced that the fear of freezing or damaging the sensor or any part of the camera is completely baseless.  And there are no new spots from the refrigerant gas.

I'd hold the trigger longer, but don't want to waste any more of the gas.

Glenn

I used an 'air duster' on the D3 yesterday and it seems to have done the trick. Short shots in and around the body from 4 - 6 inches away was how I did it and I can't see any dust at all from some shots I took of the sky afterwards.

The latest refrigerants brought in to replace the old ozone killers were no way near as effective as the CFC's which is why they required larger refrigeration circuits. Gas in some chillers could be swapped over but they would run for longer while freezers needed a whole new compressor unit if I remember correctly from my days in the refrigeration business. This may account for the propellents now being used not having the the chilling effect of older butane filled cans. Mr Boyle et al would know!
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Glenn NK

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2014, 03:05:27 pm »

I used an 'air duster' on the D3 yesterday and it seems to have done the trick. Short shots in and around the body from 4 - 6 inches away was how I did it and I can't see any dust at all from some shots I took of the sky afterwards.


I  hold the end of the plastic tube (which attaches to the nozzle of the can) about 5 mm (1/4 inch) away from the sensor and keep moving it around.  Always have done this.

Oddly enough, sometimes after a few shots and a check at f/16 or so, I actually see new dust particles.  Dust particles look just like dust or threads.  Spots don't usually come off though as they seem to be of a totally different nature (almost like some drops of liquid spilled on the surface).  For that I use a liquid cleaner and a swab.  Note that the spots are on the sensor surface before I start any cleaning - the first step is to take a shot and examine the nature and location of any spots/particles/dust.  Wet cleaning is always the last step and the last resort.

One reason I use the Dust-Off first is to ensure that I've blown any potential loose particle off the sensor surface and out of the mirror box to ensure nothing gritty is on the sensor surface when I wet clean.

Interesting information about the refrigerants and their lower capacity for cooling.

Glenn
« Last Edit: July 19, 2014, 03:08:22 pm by Glenn NK »
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Justinr

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2014, 05:28:17 am »

I  hold the end of the plastic tube (which attaches to the nozzle of the can) about 5 mm (1/4 inch) away from the sensor and keep moving it around.  Always have done this.

Oddly enough, sometimes after a few shots and a check at f/16 or so, I actually see new dust particles.  Dust particles look just like dust or threads.  Spots don't usually come off though as they seem to be of a totally different nature (almost like some drops of liquid spilled on the surface).  For that I use a liquid cleaner and a swab.  Note that the spots are on the sensor surface before I start any cleaning - the first step is to take a shot and examine the nature and location of any spots/particles/dust.  Wet cleaning is always the last step and the last resort.

One reason I use the Dust-Off first is to ensure that I've blown any potential loose particle off the sensor surface and out of the mirror box to ensure nothing gritty is on the sensor surface when I wet clean.

Interesting information about the refrigerants and their lower capacity for cooling.

Glenn

Would you believe that the tube supplied with the can was too big to fit into the head! Still, going gently at it seemed to work and I have an event to cover today so we shall see for sure when I get the images back home and up on the screen.

On the refrigerant side I can remember there being all sorts of commotion when the new gasses came in and as a company making display cabinets we had to beef up the systems to cope. THe holy grail of the chemical companies were replacement gasses that could be swapped over without any changes to the machinery but that never happened. However, this was about the time our youngest was born and she is twenty today. Ouch, that hurts!!

« Last Edit: July 20, 2014, 05:30:47 am by Justinr »
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Justinr

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2014, 06:21:14 pm »

Voila! Couldn't find a speck of dust on it.

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luxborealis

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #25 on: July 20, 2014, 07:43:19 pm »

FWIW, I used a manual bulb blower, which does some good, but find two or three clean, dry cotton swabs followed by the bulb blower takes care of the rest (2 or 3 swabs because I give only a once over with each). I'm also careful to clean the whole mirror chamber, lens mount and rear elements of lenses so as not to simply move dust around.

BTW, I'm curious about where the dust goes when propelled gas is used (into other areas of the chamber?). When I clean the sensor, I keep the camera on a tripod pointed downwards so that gravity can help. Doing this with propelled gas would mean tilting the can upwards which could mean propellant coming out. Anyway, that's why I've avoided using compressed gas.
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Glenn NK

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2014, 11:36:07 pm »

I keep the camera on a tripod pointed downwards so that gravity can help. Doing this with propelled gas would mean tilting the can upwards which could mean propellant coming out. Anyway, that's why I've avoided using compressed gas.

There is no propellant in Dust-Off - it's all refrigerant and it goes into the air.  And it's not a CFC (ozone destroyer).

This is one of those internet urban legends - like "use a Swiffer and if your dog licks the floor it will die".

Glenn
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Rhossydd

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #27 on: July 21, 2014, 05:07:00 am »

we read everywhere about using puffer brushes just doesn't work,
As I said puffer brushes are hopeless, but hurricane bulb blowers DO work well. The important difference is the absence of any brush that brings in new contaminants.
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Glenn NK

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #28 on: July 21, 2014, 03:39:07 pm »


BTW, I'm curious about where the dust goes when propelled gas is used (into other areas of the chamber?).

My apologies for missing this question.  The clean gas blows in very closely to the sensor, and dust particles go out with it into the surrounding air.

As I noted in a previous post, there are instances when the first blow and check reveals a new thread-like dust particle on the sensor.  When this happens, I blow and check again (repeat as necessary).

The primary reason I blow is to ensure that any particulate matter that could potentially be gritty and scratch the sensor surface during wet cleaning, is blown out before I do a wet clean.

I suppose I am anal about this but I wet cleaned the sensor on my 30D when it was quite new without blowing.  I scratched the sensor surface (filter), and had to have it replaced.  The only explanation I could think of is that some hard tiny bit of grit was on the surface and the wet cleaning dragged it across the surface causing the scratch.

Glenn
« Last Edit: July 21, 2014, 03:42:20 pm by Glenn NK »
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ripgriffith

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #29 on: July 23, 2014, 02:47:05 pm »

Maybe it's comparing apples with ponies here, but back in the day, I worked in the clean room of a print lab and we used compressed air for cleaning negs, filmstrips, slides, etc.  We adapted a low pressure desktop airbrush compressor with micro-fine air filters on both the intake and output sides.  We definitely would not use canned "air" in any form.  At that time, they all seemed to use some form of freon as a propellant, the slightest drop of which could totally destroy a piece of film; turn the can upside-down and you could freeze the entire room :)
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Glenn NK

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #30 on: July 23, 2014, 05:02:14 pm »

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. Max Planck

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OldRoy

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Re: Cleaning with canned air?
« Reply #31 on: July 31, 2014, 07:02:16 am »

Some years ago I cleaned my FM2n using canned air. From that instant on the micro switch which shuts down the metering when you park the film advance lever stopped working; fortunately it still times out.
And that was an FM2n...
Roy
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