Talking to a museum archivist made me rethink my cleaning process

I was fixing a Pentax K1000 for a local history museum last week, and their archivist asked me what I used to clean the mirror box. When I said isopropyl alcohol, she told me they never use it on their old cameras because it can strip the thin coatings on mirrors and prisms over time. She showed me a Leica IIIf from their collection where someone had cleaned it too hard and the viewfinder was foggy. I've been using alcohol for years without thinking about it. Has anyone else switched to a different cleaner for vintage gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_chen7d agoMost Upvoted

My archivist friend swears by distilled water only.

david_fisher377d ago

Tbh my plants get tap water and they're judging me hard for it.