otto.f Posted December 12, 2014 Share #21 Posted December 12, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) TTBOMK.... is this anglosaxon habit of acronyms really necessary on a worldwide forum? NIMBY please Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 Hi otto.f, Take a look here Sensor cleaning with isopropanol. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jdlaing Posted December 12, 2014 Share #22 Posted December 12, 2014 Who are you calling Saxon? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share #23 Posted December 12, 2014 I'm a Ph..D. chemist and use ethanol, methanol and isopropanol for cleaning lenses and sensors. Any of these seem to work well, but depends on the material coating the sensor. For oils, isopropanol will be the better solvent. For salts, methanol. The handling characteristics are quite different, isopropanol has higher viscosity, but it's not really an issue. It will dry off the sensor more slowly but it's a matter of seconds. My best advice for procuring pure grades of solvent is try Sigma Aldrich and buy a small bottle of "Analytical Grade". Anything that's 99+% should be fine, but test for residue on a clean sheet of glass. Don't worry about keeping these solvents dry, the small amount of water that they take up evaporates and is of no consequence. Pure solvents are usually sold in glass bottles as some plastics can leach cross-linkers and additives into the solvent. Denton Thank you for your advice Denton; very much appreciated. dunk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto.f Posted December 12, 2014 Share #24 Posted December 12, 2014 Who are you calling Saxon? The habit 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted December 12, 2014 Share #25 Posted December 12, 2014 Dunk, Some informations for you http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_CANenglish.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/Eclipse.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_E2.pdf Best Henry 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted December 12, 2014 Share #26 Posted December 12, 2014 As I said 1 X 500ml IPA ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL ISOPROPANOL LIQUID 99.9%~ Watertight Screw Cap | eBay other companies are able to supply Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share #27 Posted December 12, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dunk,Some informations for you http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_CANenglish.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/Eclipse.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_E2.pdf Best Henry Thank you very much …. everyone contemplating using these solvents should consider the health and safety aspects and take precautions e.g. wear masks and use eye protection. dunk 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Thompson Posted December 13, 2014 Share #28 Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) I'm a Ph..D. chemist and use ethanol, methanol and isopropanol for cleaning lenses and sensors. Any of these seem to work well, but depends on the material coating the sensor. For oils, isopropanol will be the better solvent. For salts, methanol. The handling characteristics are quite different, isopropanol has higher viscosity, but it's not really an issue. It will dry off the sensor more slowly but it's a matter of seconds. My best advice for procuring pure grades of solvent is try Sigma Aldrich and buy a small bottle of "Analytical Grade". Anything that's 99+% should be fine, but test for residue on a clean sheet of glass. Don't worry about keeping these solvents dry, the small amount of water that they take up evaporates and is of no consequence. Pure solvents are usually sold in glass bottles as some plastics can leach cross-linkers and additives into the solvent. Denton Thank you Denton. I work in the thermal interface materials industry where we have to think on a microscopic level. Many of the lab grade IPAs leave a residue. Test it on a mirror. You may need to scrub and rinse the mirror a bit before you get a clean surface due to the oils and surfactants in common glass cleaners. When the surface of the mirror is really clean you will feel the increased drag with a clean microfiber cloth. After the surface is clean leave a dollop of your intended solvent on the mirror. If you can see a residue after it dries it's not suitable for a camera sensor. Edit: The reflectivity of the mirror will aid in spotting any solvent residue. Edited December 13, 2014 by Mr. Thompson Content Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted December 13, 2014 Share #29 Posted December 13, 2014 Dunk,Some informations for you http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_CANenglish.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/Eclipse.pdf http://www.sensorcleaning.com/MSDS_E2.pdf Best Henry I liked the information on those sheets that these products have "a mild pleasant whiskey like odour". Well I think that is only true if you have been buying Cambodian Rice Moonshine Whiskey. Wilson 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted December 13, 2014 Share #30 Posted December 13, 2014 Wilson, it"s right and sometimes it's dramatic, adulterated rice wine that gives ulcers and destroys the nervous centers (problem encountered during my last humanitarian mission) Anyway methanol is carcinogenic when working with (so need an extractor fan to aspirate vapors) To return about Dunk thread, it is the fat projections on the sensor, which must be removed, for the dust there is other ways ! Best Henry Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share #31 Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) HEALTH AND SAFETY … PROCEED WITH CAUTION!! The forum really needs to fully emphasise the dangers of using solvents for sensor cleaning particularly if performed on a regular basis by e.g. camera technicians and dealers. Methanol is not only carcinogenic, it compromises the respiratory function especially if someone is already coping with respiratory disease e.g. bronchitis and emphysema … and repeated inhalation could cause nausea, systemic poisoning and even blindness. Sensor cleaning should be performed in a very well ventilated environment - preferably with an extractor fan operating - and operatives should wear suitable eye protection and face masks. Perhaps you've read how many years ago when luminous paint was first used for painting watch dials, manufacturers and operatives were unaware of the carcinogenic risks. Many operatives gradually succumbed to various cancers - because they were ignorant of the dangers and risks and no precautions were taken to prevent ingestion of the paint via skin and oral contact. Please proceed with great care when sensor cleaning - especially if mixing your own concoctions dispensed from relatively large containers. Please fully read Doc Henry's links in Post 25 herein - two of which relate specifically to the sensor cleaner 'Eclipse' - its potentially dangerous ingredients - and recommended precautions in use. dunk Edited December 13, 2014 by dkpeterborough 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted December 13, 2014 Share #32 Posted December 13, 2014 I used to mix my own historic racing car fuel from 130R Avgas (with very high tetraethyl lead content), Benzene, Toluene, Aniline and Furan. These are an order of magnitude more toxic and carcinogenic than methanol and IPA. I went and bought a military surplus nuclear biological warfare gas mask to mix them. I am always horrified how casual some people are over these fuels, which make your eyes water when you are anywhere near them. We had a problem with a fuel leak on the carburettor on our 1938 Maserati 6CM GP car on the grid at Goodwood a few years ago. I was appalled to see our car man, Phil, coming out from under the car, literally soaked from head to toe in methanol. I shooed him straight off to the showers. The use of anything other than pump gasoline or straight methanol is now banned for European competition use, due to the toxicity. The "funny" super octane gasoline was very convenient to use compared with methanol, which has to be removed after every race and the system flushed through with regular gasoline. Methanol absorbs water, then reacts with metals, causing severe corrosion and eating away solder on fuel unions and fuel chamber floats. This is also becoming a problem with high ethanol content in regular pump gasoline. Wilson 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoism Posted December 14, 2014 Share #33 Posted December 14, 2014 Methanol can possibly cause blindness if ingested in large enough quantity and I can't imagine it doing any good if inhaled repeatedly (doing sensor cleaning) in closed quarters. The dilemma is you want to do it in a dust free area, so freely flowing air stream is not ideal, on the other hand you don't want to suck in toxic fumes either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted December 14, 2014 Share #34 Posted December 14, 2014 There are lots of things that can affect health when sensor cleaning, getting over obsessive can give you an ulcer or just send you doolally. The commercial sensor wet cleaning products have been on the market for many years, and many are probably isopropanol, but they have been tried and tested by hundreds of thousands of people, each many times over, and they work if used sensibly. The only thing this thread is leading to is an overblown solution () to a simple problem, typical of LUF. Steve 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted December 14, 2014 Share #35 Posted December 14, 2014 Steve yes , it evidently not put his nose on it but quickly clean the sensor . For your information, but you already know, methanol is also in cigarettes (for smokers) Best Henry Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share #36 Posted December 14, 2014 There are lots of things that can affect health when sensor cleaning, getting over obsessive can give you an ulcer or just send you doolally. The commercial sensor wet cleaning products have been on the market for many years, and many are probably isopropanol, but they have been tried and tested by hundreds of thousands of people, each many times over, and they work if used sensibly. The only thing this thread is leading to is an overblown solution () to a simple problem, typical of LUF. Steve Exactly .. hence the need for H&S guidelines if people commence ordering the raw ingredients themselves in relatively large quantities compared to smaller volume proprietary sensor cleaning products which already have H&S information printed with the instructions. Communicating H&S issues is a prudent and reasonable course of action when we have been advised to use e.g. isopropanol without the advisor issuing or mentioning health and safety precautions. If just one forum member suffered any side effects as result of reading a forum post and then experimenting with toxic substances discussed with inadequate H&S warnings, someone could be deemed liable for consequential physical / chemical body damage. We live in a ££$$€€ compensation orientated society and there are those opportunists who try and take advantage of situations handed to them on a plate. And BTW, ulcers are usually caused by bacterial imbalance in the digestive system rather than by e.g. worry or obsessions. dunk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 14, 2014 Share #37 Posted December 14, 2014 Methanol can possibly cause blindness if ingested in large enough quantity and I can't imagine it doing any good if inhaled repeatedly (doing sensor cleaning) in closed quarters. The dilemma is you want to do it in a dust free area, so freely flowing air stream is not ideal, on the other hand you don't want to suck in toxic fumes either. :confused:How many liters do you use to clean a sensor?? Two drops on a swab do not even make a homeopathic dose, let alone a lethal one... 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoism Posted December 14, 2014 Share #38 Posted December 14, 2014 :confused:How many liters do you use to clean a sensor?? Two drops on a swab do not even make a homeopathic dose, let alone a lethal one... I was mere pointing out the potential toxicity of a certain chemical and suggest that we should use caution whenever we are handling such substance over time. No, I don't use cleaning fluids by the liters. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbaddley Posted December 22, 2014 Share #39 Posted December 22, 2014 I also use Eclipse fluid (contains methanol) made for cleaning sensors. Many cleanings over several years with no problem at all. - David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicklotb Posted December 29, 2014 Share #40 Posted December 29, 2014 I hope you do not mind a question. On my M9 sensor there are a couple of pale lilac/white spots that I presume might be oil spots, they are dark spots on the image. I have tried cleaning with Visible Dust V swabs and Dust-aid Ultra clean fluid; also with an eyelead sensor gel stick, but to no avail. I cannot find out what the Ultra Clean fluid consists of, is it Isopropyl alcohol; if not, what would be better to tackle these resistant spots. Many thanks , Nick Bradford, New Zealand Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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