Reflector sensitivity-how to clean them?

[ergotelis]

Hello, i own a dbs, i swapped the standard lens with a UCL(difference is noticeable) and tried to clean the reflector with a soft piece of cloth for eyeglasses .Now i see some very very thin lines on the reflector when i turn on my flashlight. If i put on the old lens i see them again but not that much. Could i have damaged the reflector? Might this affect performance? Is there any possibility that the reflector is made so and i noticed that right now after cleaning it and puting on a UCL? What do you think?

 

[Ty_Bower]

Never try to clean a reflector.

If you touch it with anything (t-shirt, paper towel, lens tissue, microfiber cloth, compressed air, washing up fluid, etc.) you will damage the coating. You've already gone and touched it. Now you've got very fine scratches in the surface. There is nothing you can do to repair it, and anything you try will only make it worse.

The overall impact to the light's output will be very minimal. At this point, the damage is mostly psychological. It'll bug the heck out of you. Try to forget about it, and never touch another reflector again.

 

[ergotelis]

I guess the same is for the lenses? :huh:
I wish i could find someone else here with a dbs to measure the difference.My lux meter is on way. Maybe i should get a second one!It is so nice flashlight! :naughty:

 

[ergotelis]

Sorry for new post, i could not edit the previous one, don't know why;

The scratches on the lens cannot be seen when the flashlight is off. Only when it is turned on high mode,under specific angle and look like shinning very small lines (and a lot of them) on the reflector. I can't tell if there is difference in performance, the only measurement i can tell is that it looks as bright as it was against tiablo A8. Also, i think that the reflector now looks like a bit more reflective generally, but with these small lines on it.

 

[Marduke]

Lenses are a bit more robust, but still clean them with a microfiber cloth only.

Add yourself to the ranks of people who have learned the hard way to NEVER tough a reflector

Don't worry, it's a big club. Most of CPF is in it....

 

[chmsam]

The only thing I have ever used successfully to clean a reflector was a camera lens cleaning "puffer brush" -- it's a VERY soft camel hair brush with a small built in bellows to puff air at the object you are cleaning. Do not use the cheapo versions! The cheap ones do not have a soft enough brush and you'll scratch stuff. By the way, I use an incredibly gentle touch and do not recommend most people try this. I cleaned quite a few cameras many years ago and have some practice at using the gentle approach. It is not as easy as most people think.

Best advice for most people is to never touch or try to clean a reflector unless you have a spare on hand. The coatings on reflectors are far more delicate than even camera lenses.

 

[Oddjob]

Try not to let it bother you. You probably won't notice any difference in actual use. I had a lond very noticeable scratch on one of my reflectors aftar a mod and the beam was still perfect. It's a tool and now it has some character.

 

[Yapo]

Yeah i got annoyed seeing dust all over my smooth reflector in my dereelight P60 droppin...i got even more annoyed seeing rings of scratches all over it after i tried cleanin it.
I think cleaning it with pressurized air or washing with ethanol and blowdrying is the best option...or maybe just never touching or fiddling around/taking the light apart may be the best

 

[Ty_Bower]

I think cleaning it with pressurized air or washing with ethanol and blowdrying is the best option...

Compressed air is likely to have water or oil in it, and will leave a residue. Canned air is guaranteed to have something in it (fluorocarbons?) that will leave a residue. Even if you had a source of pure CDA or OFA (clean dry air / oil free air) you would inevitably blow particles of dust across the surface of the reflector. The dust would end up scratching the surface.

Both ethanol (Graves? Everclear?) and drugstore isopropyl alcohol have water and other impurities in them. When the alcohol evaporates, the impurities get left behind and leave a haze.

Seriously - if you are asking how to clean a reflector, there is no way for you to do it without risking at least minor damage to the surface. Just leave it alone, and try to be happy with the few bits of dust or the odd fingerprint smudge that is there.

 

[saabluster]

Don't let people get you down. Check out this thread.

 

[Double_A]

I hear some people can clean them but I am not one of them.

The closest I've come is to use the squeeze puffer with the brush removed for loose dust.

I can clean camera lenses, microscope lenses, telescope lenses, but not reflectors

If you can get 100% methanol and 18meg ohm distilled water and know when to use each you might have a chance.

 

[Sgt. LED]

I had to kill a few to learn the hard way.

Don't clean them at all!

 

[ergotelis]

I have to add to that topic that fortunately the reflector doesn't seem to be that damaged. I can see that line but they are not easily seen and i can tell with safety that i haven't done that great damage.Because the fact that the light from the led reflects under a great angle, these tiny lines do not cause that much problem,under the same angle i cannot see them even with a magnifing lens. The flashlight is as bright as it was.

 

[tstartrekdude]

I spray some citrus based fruit cleaner in the reflector, than i have a small squirt bottle with liquid soap and hot water that i spray the reflector with, after this use warm water to rinse off the soap of the reflector. done

 

[dogan2006]

Don't touch....It's too late.... learned know. Why reflectors so delicate, about cost

 

[bykfixer]

X2 on the "puffed" air/gentle brush thing.

Regarding cleaning plastic lenses anything you'd clean plastic eye glasses with would likely be ok provided you have gentley blown away any potential grit. Glass lenses are more durable but again all potential grit should be "puffed" away first.

Now for cleaning a sure enough dirty/smudged reflector it can be done but it is a risky proposition at best. Good camera lens cleaning tools are a must as todays lenses in many cases arrive with a micro thin anti reflective coating on them. Most experienced photographers know that until you can actually see the smudges and fingerprints "fuzzing" up the photo to leave the lens alone. Particularly outdoor photographers eventually end up having to clean a lens at some point. Stuff as gentle as a Q-Tip can wreck the coating, yet the fine scratches won't show in normal photos. (Extreme close ups is a different matter.)

I found myself in a high end sunglass store one day. (Not the Hut where any ole 22 year old will try to sell you Ray Bans). It was the kind that cater to those who don't have to ask "how much are these?"... (For clarity I was there looking for a long since out of production model of Maui Jim's for my wife to no avail) They reccomended the puffer/camel hair brush mentioned above. They offered to sell me some kinda liquid but I passed and went to a camera store and bought their reccomended cleaning kit and a bottle of liquid they called "last resort solution".

I have never felt the need to move beyond "puffed" air for modern lenses. But when restoring vintage lights with silver plating over brass have found good old fashioned spit and a microfiber cloth gives excellent results at bringing back the luster they had 75-100 years ago.

 

[seery]

Like many, learned years ago to never touch a reflector.

The only way I clean the lenses on expensive flashlight and Canon "L" glass [unless it's absolutely unavoidable] is under warm water with original Dawn dish soap. Then set the light [lens down] and let it dry.

 

[jorn]

I use soap and water with great results, as long as i never toutch the reflector with anything. And use air to dry it.

 

[Connor]

It's also important to only use distilled water. Normal water has minerals in it which will deposit on the reflector never to be removed again. :hairpull:

 

[jorn]

Thats why i blow them dry with pressuriced air. Leaves no marks after minerals or dusty water droplets etc.