Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Neumade Lens Cleaner

This is topic Neumade Lens Cleaner in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 07-31-2007, 05:56 PM:

I just received Neumade lens cleaner and so far I am not impressed with it. It leaves a cloudy film on the lenses and port glass. Anyone experience this?

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-31-2007, 09:52 PM:

I like Rosco Lens cleaner

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-01-2007, 12:04 AM:

Roscoe is nothing more than diluted Windex.... The best lens cleaner for glass lenses is 50% alcohol and 50% MEK. Thats all we ever used when I worked at Canon.

Mark

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-01-2007, 12:40 AM:

Never tried the Neumade stuff so can't say anything about it.
Some cleaners do leave a haze unless you really spend some time and lens tissue buffing it off.

Formula MC is what I've used for over 20 years on the most expensive of lenses, like $80,000 Fujinons. Highly recommended.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-01-2007, 12:41 AM:

..maybe not for cleaning lenses, but vinegar and water does WONDERS on regular glass esp with port windows. mix up a bottle of 3 to 4:1 mix of water and vinegar(regular vinegar is simply better since it's cheaper than cider vinegar..) and see how the glass can sparkle..

And, if you leave your car outside and the next door neighbor turns his sprinklers on and you got a good case of hard water spots.. straight vinegar out of the bottle on a dishrag eats up that hard water spots in nothing flat let alone cleaning up everything underneath all of the buildup that some cleaners can't remove.

..the same for front windows on your house..anything that has calcium buildup that the slight acid in vinegar can eat up .. just have to have a good tolerance of Vinegar smell - like opening up a can of film that's been in storage for a dozen years and has the classic VS aroma.

(and, if you get sunburnt, vinegar on a sunburn draws the heat away immediately even though you smell like pickle brine for awhle..lol)

-Monte

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 08-01-2007, 01:02 AM:

quote: Paul Mayer
Some cleaners do leave a haze unless you really spend some time and lens tissue buffing it off.

Tried that to no avail. The only way I was able to get it off was to use some straight 91% alcolhol. Had been using what was left of the CPI cleaner that was left behind when Regal turned this theatre over to the new owners back in 2001(yes there was that much inventory left behind). When this theatre was part of the Litchfield theatre chain we used Rosco fluid and tissues, but our current vendor (UCS) doesn't carry it. Thankfully I only ordered a few bottles of the Neumade stuff.

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
The best lens cleaner for glass lenses is 50% alcohol and 50% MEK.

Mark, where do you get MEK? And do you use 70% or 91% type Alcohol?

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-01-2007, 03:43 AM:

quote:
to use some straight 91% alcohol

.. which is a substance forbidden in REG booths ... have to chek your REG booth manual for allowed substances ..

(side topic-what level of certification have Jeremy received so far?)

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-01-2007, 08:25 AM:

Hadden stocks Rosco cleaner. Louis

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-01-2007, 08:44 AM:

Why not just stock bottles of Windex instead??

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-01-2007, 11:17 AM:

Windex and Rosco are nowhere near the same Mark! I don't know where you got that but Rosco has been an Alcohol based cleaner for at least the last 30-year. Windex is an Amonia based cleaner. Guess again. (BTW...I just checked both Windex and Rosco cleaner...they remain completely different).

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 08-01-2007, 01:20 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
.. which is a substance forbidden in REG booths ... have to chek your REG booth manual for allowed substances ..

(side topic-what level of certification have Jeremy received so far?)

I was one of their first certified booth trainers when they first started their training certification program back in late 2000. I left them when they turned this theatre over to new owners in early 2001.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 08-01-2007, 01:46 PM:

Windex ("Blue") MSDS. Ethylene glycol & alcohol-based. "Ammonia-like" odor but no mention of ammonia as an ingredient.

Of course there are many varieties of Windex but the "Blue" version is by far the most common.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-01-2007, 02:11 PM:

Interesting info there. It is mostly water with alcohol and ethelyne glycol mixed in...now I know where the "soapy" feel comes from...the anti-freeze...something the Rosco lens cleaner does not have.

Here is Rosco's MSDS sheet...note the MUCH higher alcohol ratio. Furthermore, ROSCO uses Ethanol versus Windex's isopropyl.

RSCO Lens Cleaner MSDS

Steve

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 08-01-2007, 02:44 PM:

In the 80's, I used to get Kodak lens cleaner locally at the camera stores. Lens tissue, too.
Ben Kehe gave me a lesson on lens cleaning 101 when he saw me applying drops directly to the lens.(The Centurys at this location did not have turrets.)
Some yahoos around here used to use denatured alcohol and toilet tissue, but I refuse to do that.

Posted by Josh Rosen (Member # 4291) on 08-01-2007, 02:55 PM:

We just started using a bottle JackRoe lens cleaner and so far I have liked it. It doesn't seem to leave a residue and works quite well. I haven't tried it on the port glass yet, although the bottle says it is for lenses and projection portholes.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 08-01-2007, 03:48 PM:

I tried some; I don't seem to have a problem (it's called "XeKELEEN".) I usually use very little. I tip the bottle opening with a once-folded-over tissue until the fluid just 'wets' the tissue. As I clean, I move the tissue over to the dry end, sort of polishing as I go. Most lens cleaners will leave a little residue; XeKELEEN doesn't seem better or worse than any others.

Once I found out that someone had tried to use some lens cleaner as a general-purpose cleaner, and let some oil 'migrate' back into the bottle.

Jeremy, if you call me at 203 270-1100 I'll arrange to send you a free replacement bottle. You can check to see if your bottle got contaminated.

As a suggestion; If you can, just use a lens brush to clean off any dust.

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 08-01-2007, 04:15 PM:

Hey John,

I'll give you a call tomorrow. I put clean atomizers on the bottles so migration of foreign substances wouldn't be an issue.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-02-2007, 01:38 PM:

More information plz.....

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
The best lens cleaner for glass lenses is 50% alcohol and 50% MEK.

OK, so what is MEK and where do I get it. You mix it with what type of alcohol? So if it's so good, do you guys bottle and sell it? Say yes, and you've got an order right out of the gate.

quote: Paul Mayer
Formula MC is what I've used for over 20 years on the most expensive of lenses, like $80,000 Fujinons.

Well THAT'S certainly an endorsement -- but what is Formula MC and where does one get it?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-02-2007, 04:49 PM:

MEK = methyl ethyl ketone. It is primarily a solvent and very similar to Acetone (part of the ketone family) in make up but with a higher boiling point.

I have found MEK at some Home Depots where they keep their paint thinners and such (MEK is popular in the paint industry).

Steve

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-02-2007, 06:34 PM:

Jeez Steve.... I know all that... I was just setting up Louis.... then you had to step in [Big Grin]

.

At Canon we cleaned all the optics that came through with that mix of Alcohol and MEK. The MEK helps to dissolve any gum and residue and the hi-test alcohol does the evaporation part. You need to clean quickly with this stuff! While there I assisted in cleaning, winterizing, and calibrating all the television camera lenses that were used at the Lake Placid Olympics. Some of those lenses were valued at over 300K back then, the "Mix" was used on all those optics as well.

Mark

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-03-2007, 04:20 PM:

For Frank, I used to get mine at any of the local photography shops - Lamb's Camera Repair was the last one I think. Still have two little dropper bottles of the stuff in my tool box.

Here's some links to Peca Scientific and the MSDS for Formula MC:

http://www.pecascientific.com

http://www.pecascientific.com/lens_cleaning.htm

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 03-06-2009, 12:43 PM:

It has been 580 days since the last post.

Posted by Bob Brown (Member # 1205) on 03-06-2009, 12:43 PM:

Bumping this up...

I to love the ROSCO Lens Cleaner, anyone know of a supplier for it?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-06-2009, 01:43 PM:

Many dealers...including us.