[brewmaster15]

I wasn't completely sure where to put this ..I almost put it in General but Its a about a repair of sorts. If it fits better somewhere else, please move it. Thank you.


Like many here I have a bad case of LBA. It sometimes gets the best of me even when I know it should not! As would have it,I saw some pictures posted elsewhere with a particular lens and decided I wanted that lens. The lens in question was TELEMEGOR-4-5-300-mm-by-MEYER-OPTIK-GORLITZ. Once my mind is made up, thats it. I eventually came across onethat was in some pretty bad shape. From the pics you could tell it had lens fungus in a bad way. I made a real low offer as I really wanted to 1) have the lens 2) see if it was salvageable. I paid $25 plus shipping of $14 so all said, about $40. I figured worse case scenario it would be a good conversation piece and keep me busy an afternoon or two.

I did get it and it was in sad shape optically.

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[brewmaster15]

I took it apart and cleaned the lens elements with a mixture of hydrogen Peroxide and distilled white vinegar. I was pretty sure it would not be salvageable and was probably etched by the fungus.. I was committed to see this through though. Its a pretty easy old metal lens to take apart.

When done...

[brewmaster15]

The focus ring was also really bad. The grease was hardened to point it was real hard to turn. I ended up taking that apart too and cleaning the grease and re-greasing it. I did not have any helical grease but I have used another specialty grease before called apiezon grease and its worked well so I used that as well...

[brewmaster15]

So I put it all together again... and gave it a test spin on my K20D. Its an m42 mount and the K20d I use for these has a split screen which helps alot for my eyes. I took some test shots not really expected much. I was a bit surprised though.

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[brewmaster15]

A few more..

[BigMackCam]

I've moved this to "Pentax SLR Lens Discussion", as that's the forum for all things lens-related.

Thanks for sharing this... What a great post!

I really enjoyed seeing the start-to-finish work you did, and the final shots which prove it was a very worthwhile project! You were brave to take on such an optically rough example, but what a result!! Well done!

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Mike! It was a fun project! I am sure the Lens was impaired a bit by the fungus but I am really surprised by how well it still works. I plan on trying to pick up a better copy and compare the two when come across a good one. That will be another project another day. For what I paid and the amount of fun I had playing with it for a weekend I think It was worth it! I definitely would not recommend anyone go this route on a lens unless they were ready to have an expensive paperweight ! But it is a great way to learn.

al

ps..thanks for moving it!

[patrick9]

Looks like a keeper. thanks for the shots.
I did that with an OOOOld Nikkor lens just to see how . Turned out to be easier than I though. I now have a nice 55 micro nikkor in my collection.

[BigMackCam]

For what I paid and the amount of fun I had playing with it for a weekend I think It was worth it!

It was definitely worth it... You did a great job, really

I've recently started servicing lenses out of necessity, as some of those I bought for my collection needed attention. I'm finding it extremely rewarding to resurrect old lenses that were previously unusable. Even if the final result can't be absolutely perfect because of irreversible faults and/or damage, knowing that you've saved a lens from the trash is very satisfying; and if it's capable of taking great photos, that's even better

[clickclick]

What was the ratio of hydrogen peroxide to white vinegar, and how long did you let it soak, and I assume you just immersed the element, or did you wet it down and keep it wet on the surface without submerging it? I have a Pentax M series 100 macro waiting for me to attempt a cleanup on. Your post gives me hope. Thanks!

[ZombieArmy]

As far as I know it's actually pretty rare for fungus to etch coatings. This is because very few types of fungus will actually eat the coatings.
Most fungus you find in lenses are long dead since they ran out of the dust/otherstuff they were feasting on.

[pathdoc]

What was the ratio of hydrogen peroxide to white vinegar, and how long did you let it soak, and I assume you just immersed the element, or did you wet it down and keep it wet on the surface without submerging it? I have a Pentax M series 100 macro waiting for me to attempt a cleanup on. Your post gives me hope. Thanks!

Ditto here. These things are really important for those who are thinking of getting into tearing old lenses down and seeing if no-hopers can be restored to shooting condition.

Maybe I have high standards for presentation of materials and methods because of my profession, but things I would like to know include:

1) Helicoid grease - while I know some might hesitate to recommend a particular brand or seller, knowing at least one option of what to buy (right down to a picture of the container and where bought if possible) can be a good starting point.
2) Ingredients, mixtures and methods for clearing off fungus.
3) Ingredients, mixtures and methods for clearing off haze (if possible).
4) Any links to known demonstrations of disassembly methods & routines (e.g. on YouTube).
5) Pre- and Post-cleaning shots not only of but also with the lens, so we can see the awe-inspiring transformation (and this one looks pretty akin to the Raising of Lazarus; hunting the world for a pristine example just to take comparison shots with it against the rescued one does seem extreme).

[brewmaster15]

What was the ratio of hydrogen peroxide to white vinegar, and how long did you let it soak, and I assume you just immersed the element, or did you wet it down and keep it wet on the surface without submerging it? I have a Pentax M series 100 macro waiting for me to attempt a cleanup on. Your post gives me hope. Thanks!

Hi,
I don't mix the two together. If you look it up on the web you will find a million articles that swear by mixing them and those that swear at those who that mix them! When they are combined they make Peracetic acid.. Not something you want too much of being around you and not good to breath. ...but its very effective at sanitizing. The two though are used in the food services industry ...where they are stored separate... then you spray one first on the subject and then the other...let dry. Thats what I did. so iots basically 1 to 1 ratio. after I did that I used you typical lens cleaner to remove any debris. I am sure theres other ways to kill the fungus, but this way is easy enough and very effective. I do use nitrile gloves when I use this.

hth,
al

---------- Post added 03-12-17 at 02:18 PM ----------

As far as I know it's actually pretty rare for fungus to etch coatings. This is because very few types of fungus will actually eat the coatings.
Most fungus you find in lenses are long dead since they ran out of the dust/otherstuff they were feasting on.

I have no clue if this true, but I have read that in many cases, Fungus secretes acids that etch the glass. That could be old wives tales, but biologically fungus do secrete some serious stuff.

al

[brewmaster15]

Ditto here. These things are really important for those who are thinking of getting into tearing old lenses down and seeing if no-hopers can be restored to shooting condition.

Maybe I have high standards for presentation of materials and methods because of my profession, but things I would like to know include:

1) Helicoid grease - while I know some might hesitate to recommend a particular brand or seller, knowing at least one option of what to buy (right down to a picture of the container and where bought if possible) can be a good starting point.
2) Ingredients, mixtures and methods for clearing off fungus.
3) Ingredients, mixtures and methods for clearing off haze (if possible).
4) Any links to known demonstrations of disassembly methods & routines (e.g. on YouTube).
5) Pre- and Post-cleaning shots not only of but also with the lens, so we can see the awe-inspiring transformation (and this one looks pretty akin to the Raising of Lazarus; hunting the world for a pristine example just to take comparison shots with it against the rescued one does seem extreme).

Lol.. thats alot ! Honestly , I am only sharing what I did here... I can't vouch for it being a legit process. I am not worthy! I am not worthy!!!! I am sure there are better ways. My background is one part biologist,one part DIY, and one part hack. I just like to share what I try and hopefully learn from others along the way.

I do have one image I took before the resurrection..

[ZombieArmy]

I do have one image I took before the resurrection..

I have no idea why you bothered, looks mint