Re: [Leica] ROR, yet again/Acetone

["Bill Larsen" <ohlen@lightspeed.net>]

I would strongly suggest that you do not use acetone as a
lens cleaner.  You will most likely dissolve the coating and
if you are sloppy with it you will dissolve the lens cement.
Acetone is/was the base for commercial nail polish remover.
It will also leave a film on glass.

I don't know what you are cleaning in the laboratory, but my
first job was with a manufacturer of paint and varnish
vehicles.  We never used acetone for cleaning.  (Well,
instead we used a mixture of toluene and xylene...the
acetone was reserved for putting in our gas tanks to clean
the engine valves...one pint and you  cleaned the
valves...two pints and you burnt the valves).  I guess that
I'll have to get some ROR and sniff it.  Usually optics are
cleaned with a solution using a wetting agent.  In extreme
case they are cleaned with an acid or a base.  Solvents
would only be used in extraordinary cases such as tree sap
on the lens.  Then the solvent would probably be a toluene
based solvent (such as the commercial tar removers used for
automobiles).

With regards,
Bill Larsen  ohlen@lightspeed.net

- -----Original Message-----
From: Michael Garmisa <elmar@webreach.com>
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
<leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 1998 10:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] ROR, yet again



Michael writes:

|I've been working in a chem lab all summer...  Acetone is
used to clean
|all the glassware (and some instruments)  before they are
used.  Acetone
|is an excelent, solvent why not use that to clean lenses?
Yeah, I know
|its a carcinogen but if you don't inhale the fumes you're
fine and anyways
|I'm sure many of the other cleaners are carcinogens too.
|
|I HAVENT TESTED THIS AND IT VERY WELL MAY RUIN YOUR LENS.
|
|Just wondering if anyone else has tried it as it seem to
make sense to me.
|
|--
|Michael Garmisa <elmar@webreach.com>
|