Originally posted by kdf9511 I went by Bedford Camera today and picked up a blower. They looked at my sensor with the loupe and hit it with the blower and a lot of the dust was removed. She said if I blow it out a few more times it should be dust free. I was glad to hear that as they charge $99.00 for a sensor cleaning.
At $99, in addition to materials and labor, you are likely play into a self-insurance cookie jar for the employee who screws up by not following training. That or new toys for the shop owner.
How most blowers work is via a pair of one-way valves. Intake is at the opposite end of the squeeze bulb from the exhaust. Air is sucked in at one end and ejected at the other end. Between dust in the air and natural degradation of the bulb, you can accumulate particulates in the bulb - therefore three hints:
A- use the blower in as dust-free environment as possible.
B- give a bulb a couple good squeezes away from the camera before using it on the camera
C- put a filter on the bulb intake. I suggest a couple layers of coffee filter material. Many people have this material sitting in their kitchen cupboard. On Rocket brand blowers, the intake valve is extended from the bulb. I cut a rectangle of filter, fold it and attach it over the intake with a twist tie.
HEPA material would be better, but the coffee filter is inexpensive and seems to work well. You want to avoid material that won't allow for any airflow or will pass its own lint along with the air.
A final note. Any filter is going to slow down air flow into the bulb, but this will not in any way reduce the efficiency of the blower. The volume and pressure of the bulb's exhaust will be the same once the bulb is filled.