Shoutout to the moment I stopped cleaning lens contacts with alcohol wipes

I spent 2 years scrubbing lens contacts with isopropyl alcohol wipes until a customer brought in a Nikon F3 that I just couldn't get to work after cleaning. He told me, "I think you're stripping the coating off the contacts." I looked online and found out you're supposed to just use a dry microfiber cloth or a contact cleaner pen. Now my repair success rate went from about 60% to 95% on dirty contacts. Has anyone else been using the wrong cleaner for years too?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt_green3124d ago

Two years of scrubbing contacts like you were prepping for surgery and a dry cloth was the answer the whole time. That Nikon F3 guy probably saved you from burning down your workshop in frustration eventually.

ben_nguyen24d ago

Wait @wyatt_green31, you mean he scrubbed contacts with alcohol for TWO YEARS?

veram9924d ago

Man, i gotta push back on this. 70% isopropyl alcohol is actually pretty standard for cleaning optics and electronics because it evaporates fast and doesn't leave residue. I've been wiping down my camera sensors and lenses with it for years with zero issues. And a dry cloth? That's just pushing dirt around and scratching the surface. My buddy used a dry microfiber on his glasses once and ended up with micro-scratches everywhere. Alcohol kills bacteria too which matters if you're touching your eyes. Sounds like that guy just got lucky with his dry cloth method honestly.