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Topic: cleaning reflectors

Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 07-21-2006 09:13 PM

Just don't use oven cleaner on metal reflectors like another semi local competitor told his customers. I sold many many new reflectors that year...some of them replaced were only a couple of months old. Louis

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Mike Croaro
Master Film Handler

Posts: 394
From: Millbrae, CA
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 07-21-2006 11:23 PM

I must be gettting old. I hear everyone speaking of reflectors - in this post and others. I always knew them as "mirrors". Verbiage seems to always change.

Mike

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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 07-22-2006 12:49 AM

At the Carmike 10, we had Knesley and Strong X-90 lamphouses. I don't recall enough detail about the reflectors to tell you whether they were Dichoric or Rhodium, but I think they had a coated look. Not really colored per se, but kind of like they were ever so slightly smoked. I know on the Kneisley's, being older, I'd wipe out the reflector, and my cloth looked like it had glitter on it. Obviously the coating was deteriorating and crumbling off on my rag, I made not of it, but I guess they'll wait until they fail altogether.

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Ian Bailey
Master Film Handler

Posts: 317
From: Nambucca Heads, Australia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 07-22-2006 08:36 PM

I use a product called SIDOL(French or Italian I think)on my Strong Reflectors with great success.It removes any dirt and haziness on the relector and brings it up like new.You apply it like a metal polish.Wipe it on with a clean cloth,wait till it dries and buff with another clean cloth.
Cheers Ian

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-24-2006 10:43 AM

Cleaning coated (dichroic) optics:

http://www.edmundoptics.com/techSupport/DisplayArticle.cfm?articleid=269

quote:
WHAT IS A PROTECTED COATING?
Metallic coatings are delicate and, without a protective
dielectric coating, require extra care during handling and
cleaning. The surface of a bare gold or aluminum coating should never be touched. A dielectric overcoat on a metallic coating allows for handling of the component, improves the durability of the coating and provides protection from oxidation. Isopropyl alcohol or acetone can be used to clean our Protected Aluminum and Protected Gold coatings. Please refer to The Importance of Cleaning Optics for tips on cleaning coated optics.

http://www.edmundoptics.com/techSupport/DisplayArticle.cfm?articleid=265

quote:
Mirrors and Larger Optics
After blowing off dirt and dust with pressurized gas, the drag method of cleaning can be used to remove fingerprints or other contaminants. In the drag method, lens tissue saturated with reagent-grade isopropyl alcohol or reagent-grade acetone is slowly dragged across the surface. If done correctly, the solvent will evaporate uniformly without leaving streaks or spots. Bare metallic coatings are delicate and cannot be cleaned in this manner. Dirt and fingerprints will permanently damage a bare metal-coated mirror, so preventive measures should be taken to prolong the lifetime of the coating.

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Phil Blake
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 558
From: esperance western australia
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 07-27-2006 08:04 AM

As a matter of interest, with proper care, what sort of life would one get from a dichroic reflector with a 2 to 3K xenon ?

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-27-2006 08:20 AM

If the reflector is cleaned properly, and has adequate ventilation to keep it from overheating, it should last indefinitely.

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