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How to Clean Dirt from Lens Rubbers
Spa treatments for photographic equipment are as necessary as brushing your teeth in the morning. Our cameras and lenses need constant care and need to be treated accordingly. Cleaning the lens gum is not a complicated procedure, but it is not rational to take your camera to a service center. It is time and money. That is why we will tell you how you can easily get rid of the grease and dirt on the lens rings at home.
Our specimen is a Nikon lens which is old, but quite good and reasonably priced for a camera with a cropped sensor. Over the years, besides accumulated dirt, the rubber bands have started to twist, due to loose fit. The solution is clear – clean!
Nikon rubber elements are fixed by their own tension. There is no glue. That is why they are easily removable – you just have to pry them up with a sharp object and pull them off to the narrower side.
Before cleaning rubber bands you will need to prepare a little: buy acetone, find a plastic container and a place where the cleaning procedure. Yes, it is desirable to have gloves and save your hands) So, we take off the rubber bands and put them in a pre-poured container of acetone. We leave for about an hour.
After about an hour you will see the following picture: rubbers get much bigger and the color of acetone changes to a dark brownish color.
When you take the rubbers in your hands and compare them to the lens body you will not be surprised) But don’t be frightened) This is normal. Take them out, wash with soap and water and wipe gently with a cloth.
Put the rings back on where they are located. They will now begin to taper.
Now you have to wait and watch periodically for the evenness of shrinkage. In the next hour you will know if they are shrinking correctly or not. But even if there is a slight shift, you can always correct it manually.
At the end of the procedure, wipe the rubbers again with alcohol or a damp cloth. If you see a white coating, that’s okay, just remove it. There you go. Now your lens is usable and pleasant to handle. Have fun taking pictures!