cleaning supplies

[Tom Schulze]

I'm starting to prepare everything as I wait for my laser engraver to arrive. I'm curious as to what everyone has on hand for cleaning and maintenance supplies that they use on their laser engravers. I bought some Denatured Alcohol from Home Depot, the Klean-Strip Green stuff that's 90% ethanol. Is this good for use on the lenses and mirrors? what about the swabs, what should I be using? What other cleaning supplies should I have?

Thanks everyone.

Tom

[Craig Matheny]

Well I now use acetone for all the mirrors and lenses. Believe it or not Windex for cleaning the inside of the machine works great on wood fumes and Industrial purple cleaner form Home depot for the grid, then I have lithium type grease from the manufacture for lube and compressed air and a vacuum.

[James Tan]

I just use denatured alcohol and microfiber cloth , and i do a monthly maintenance of the rails by cleaning and re-oiling them.

James

[Dan Hintz]

I just use denatured alcohol and microfiber cloth , and i do a monthly maintenance of the rails by cleaning and re-oiling them.

James
the microfiber cloth is a bad idea unless you use a new one each time... cloths collect dirt/grime and over time will start to scratch the optics. Use Q-tips... soft and disposable.

Do not oil anything in the machine. Oil collects dirt/grime. Use a quality grease (lithium) and you shouldn't have to do anything to the rails but maybe once a year. If you have to do it once a month, you're either working in a nasty environment or you're wasting time cleaning a non-dirty machine.

[Michael Hunter]

Epilog recommend cleaning the rails weekly and re-greasing every three months. (Epilog's bearing system is very different to the ULS type).
Since the Epilog bearings are not adjustable and work best when packed with grease, I re-grease mine every time I clean the rails.

Cotton buds are great for cleaning and come in big packs very cheaply. You do need to make sure that no strands of cotton are left behind though.

[Roger Leiva]

I'm starting to prepare everything as I wait for my laser engraver to arrive. I'm curious as to what everyone has on hand for cleaning and maintenance supplies that they use on their laser engravers. I bought some Denatured Alcohol from Home Depot, the Klean-Strip Green stuff that's 90% ethanol. Is this good for use on the lenses and mirrors? what about the swabs, what should I be using? What other cleaning supplies should I have?

Thanks everyone.

Tom

Listof items I use to clean my machine:
-A soft cloth lint, which moisten with Windex
-Liquid "Windex"
-Cotton Swabs (batoncillos) to clean lenses and uncomfortable parts.
-"Laser OpticTissue" (laserbits), wrap the stick with this paper to clean the lenses and mirrors.
-Multi-coated filter and lens cleaner (Epilog) for lenses and mirrors.
-Bearing Grease (Epilog),for the roles.
-Liquid "IndustrialPurple"(ZepCommercial),hive-cleaning table.
Once a week, a habit of cleaning, I keep my machine as new.
Roger Leiva (Costa Rica) Helix 24 60 Watt

[Dee Gallo]

I use microfiber cloths too - they are washable, they do not shed like cotton swabs do and they grab dust like mad whether dry or damp. But I only use them on the bed, sides, basic surfaces - not the rails or encoder strip or mirrors. Here's my list:

Laser Optic Tissue - from LaserBits - and liquid lens cleaner from Epilog (Multi-Coated Filter and Lens Cleaner) for mirrors and lenses
Bearing Grease from Epilog applied after cleaning with a micro-brush (which is like a tiny Q-tip but with a microfiber ball on the end - fits right into the grooves)
Distilled Water with a Q-tip on the encoder strip to wet and dry
Vacuum cleaner to clean out the bottom and exhaust holes ( a small paintbrush helps to loosen dust while you vaccum)

Another tool I find handy is a little blower with a brush on the end (like a turkey baster bulb) I think they are used for camera cleaning - works well for in between cleanings of the side mirror to remove dust. I also do what Roger does, wrapping the tissue paper around a q-tip to dry off the lens and mirror.

These are the things that were recommended to me by a professional Epilog technician. He saw my lasers recently and told me they are immaculate! Yay!

The only "chemical" I use for my lasers is Krud Cutter for cleaning the metal plate and honeycomb, rinsed off with water and dried well.

~ dee

[Tom Schulze]

thank you everyone, this is great information for a new laser owner!

[Tom Akers]

We use LazrClean and it works really well for us. It's a non-solvent bio cleaner that works really well on wood smoke residue and almost everything else we cut. You can get it from JDS or directly from them.

[James Tan]

the microfiber cloth is a bad idea unless you use a new one each time... cloths collect dirt/grime and over time will start to scratch the optics. Use Q-tips... soft and disposable.

Do not oil anything in the machine. Oil collects dirt/grime. Use a quality grease (lithium) and you shouldn't have to do anything to the rails but maybe once a year. If you have to do it once a month, you're either working in a nasty environment or you're wasting time cleaning a non-dirty machine.

Thanks for the tips, will go get some quality grease, guess i am too paranoid about the rails getting dirty.