Optics Cleaning problem

[Mohammed Issa]

hello everyone,

im having difficulties cleaning my lens.

i have read almost every topic, here, about cleaning.

the problem im having is it feels like whatever i try is either scratching the lens or leaving a smudge.

i have took the advice of Rodne to get some DSLR optics cleaner solution (especially for camera lenses, as seen in the pictures) it came with an anti-static panther cloth and some rubbery swabs. the kit costed me $40 after taxes.

here is what i tried:

i have tried spraying the liquid on the cloth, then very gently cleaning the lens without applying any force. that ended up scratching it.

i have also tried applying the solution directly on the lens then waited for it to air dry, as expected, it left smudges where the liquid last dried

i also tried to spray it on the lens then tried to move the liquid with the swabs, that didnt work either.

what am i doing wrong? i did not try rubbing alcohol or acetone as i read somewhere that they are not good for the coating.

any suggestions?

thanks in advance!!

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[greg lindsey]

I used just "spit" and a old cotton t-shirt for years, never had a problem, lenses lased for years. I got a big job engraving pine boards (1300 pcs) long engraving times and noticed a build up on the lense and spit just wouldn't clean it off properly, so I started using DNA and it has worked everytime. I ran out of DNA once and used some Everclear. It worked just as well as the DNA, maybe better. Just my .02

[Joe Pelonio]

With the cost of replacement lenses, I have never used anything but photo lens cleaner liquid and Kodak lens cleaning paper. Both are still available at camera stores since it's used on digital cameras.

[Dan Hintz]

i have tried spraying the liquid on the cloth, then very gently cleaning the lens without applying any force. that ended up scratching it.

i have also tried applying the solution directly on the lens then waited for it to air dry, as expected, it left smudges where the liquid last dried

i also tried to spray it on the lens then tried to move the liquid with the swabs, that didnt work either.

The correct method is to apply a drop of cleaner to the lens, then drag the cleaning cloth across the lens in one direction... never drag back with the same cloth. This method, of course, is only for cleaning typical dust-level dirt. If the contaminant is larger and / or stuck, you may need to resort to some gentle pressure and / or scrubbing. If it comes to that, change clothes often.

Letting the solution just evaporate on the lens is useless from a cleaning perspective.

[Gary Hair]

If it comes to that, change clothes often.

Although I'm not really sure what that will accomplish, I'll try a tux next time and maybe casual wear after that...

[walter hofmann]

Hi there
I had the same probleme with this ZNSE lenses after a while this is why I bought a GaAs lense what is actually used in many industrial and comercial CO2 laser and I never had a probleme again this lenses are from the same material as chips and they are very scratch resistend I just use for dust removal a eyglas whipe and for more intense I use sears optical lens cleaner and they whipe. the price is about $ 23 to 50 on ebay.
the other good part of this is a higher cutting power up to 30%.
greetings
waltfl

[Dan Hintz]

I bought a GaAs lense... the other good part of this is a higher cutting power up to 30%.

On what do you base this claim?

[Mike Null]

Good question.

[Mohammed Issa]

thanks for all the help guys:

Greg: i appreciate your reply, but i dont think using an old cotton rag is the best thing to treat your lens with, im using a specialty cloth and im still afraid to scratch it (and it sort of is scratching it), i also dont thing saliva is the best liquid to use for cleaning, water (although not recommended) would be better than saliva.

Joe: i think im going to look for these lens cleaning papers to use. thank you for the suggestion

Dan: what type of cloths are you using? are you using a normal anti-static lens cloth? (like the one in the pic) or are you using what Joe suggested? (the kodak lens cleaning papers)

Walter: im not going to buy any new lenses until the ones i have wear out (i bought 1 spare lens when i bought the machine), so until then, i will not make the transition to GaAs...and i would also like to know how you got the 30% improvement in power.

Thanks again to all..

[Dan Hintz]

Dan: what type of cloths are you using? are you using a normal anti-static lens cloth? (like the one in the pic) or are you using what Joe suggested? (the kodak lens cleaning papers)

To be honest, I don't use lens paper at all... I stick with plain ol' Q-tips. A couple of drops on the tip (and maybe one directly on the lens if I think it's really in need)... lightly drag the Q-tip across the lens in one direction while twisting the Q-tip in reverse so it's always presenting a fresh spot to the lens and pulls away any dirt. Sometimes I have to do two swabs, but one usually gets it all. I'll clean more often just so I don't get stuck in the position of needing to clean with more pressure.

[Ray Beaty]

Could you please tell me what kind of lens cleaner you use?


Hurricane 60w, Coreldraw x5

[Richard Rumancik]

Mohammed, here is a link to the II-VI Infrared site (two-six infrared) that has instructions for optics cleaning techniques:

http://www.iiviinfrared.com/resources/optics_handling_cleaning.html

Walter, I've been trying to get a handle on the statement regarding "higher cutting power" for GaAs lenses. I don't think anyone knows what you meant here and some were taking this to mean that using a GaAs lens will cause an improvement in cutting. I don't think this is the case . . .

The transmittance of ZnSe optics is ~70% at 10.6um wavelength and the transmittance of GaAs seems to be about 56% or so. So in fact I think that you are taking a performance hit of about 20% using GaAs lenses. The upside is that they are more resistant to damage as you noted. But I can't figure out any context in which one could say a GaAs optic will improve cutting ability in any way.

Or are you just trying to say that GaAs can handle higher power lasers? I can't comment on that as I have no info, but it would not really be a concern to most anyone on the forum as we aren't pushing our optics in terms of power handling.

Personally I would not be willing to trade off the 20% loss in output for improved durability of the lens.

There is some info comparing ZnSe and GaAs on the II-VI site here:

http://www.iiviinfrared.com/Optical-Materials/optical-materials.html

[Mohammed Issa]

Richard,

thank you very much for that video, that helps a lot. just what i was looking for.

regards,

mohammed

[Richard Rumancik]

No problem, Mohammed.

I forgot one thing in my post about GaAs lenses. From what I see these lenses don't pass a red beam (visible light) so that may be a factor for some people as well.

[Mark Ross]

We blow off the lens with canned compressed air before cleaning, then clean with Epilog supplied lens cleaner and tissues.