Tips and tricks for cleaning and maintaining your lights?

Just curious what everyone does as far as cleaning and maintaining their lights. I do not have a particular set schedule for doing cleaning and maintenance on my lights but what I usually do when I decide it is time to clean them is the following:

• Disassemble the light(s) and wipe down all contacts and threads with a paper towel.
• Use DeoxIt on all the electrical contacts. Let it soak for a couple of minutes, shake off the excess, then let it sit for a few minutes more.
• Use ProGold on all the electrical contacts. Let it soak for a couple of minutes, shake off the excess, then let it sit for a few minutes more.
• Use silicone grease on all the threads and O-rings.
• Use a Windex wipe on the lens after first blowing off loose dust.
• Re-assemble light(s). Switch on and off several times to make sure I did not break anything while I was mucking around with things.

I do not use my lights particularly hard so this cleaning routine works fine for me. So, what do you do to clean your lights?

I don't use paper towels because they can leave lint and may be a little harsh for lenses. I wouldn't use Windex either. I'm not sure it's safe for polycarbonate or for coated glass.

I just use a microfiber cloth and distilled water. It works well for my laptop screen too. Haven't cleaned any contacts though.

Here is what US Optics has to say about cleaning lenses. They make super high quality rifle scopes for sniper rifles, sort of the SureFire of the rifle scope world:

http://www.usoptics.com/sub_pages/tech.php?recordID=5

Basically, use sterile swabs and acetone.

I breathe on my lights and wipe them off with tissue. If they are really dirty I run them under the tap and scrub them with a soapy toothbrush. Do be careful of plastic lenses though.

Scott

h_nu said:

I don't use paper towels because they can leave lint and may be a little harsh for lenses. I wouldn't use Windex either. I'm not sure it's safe for polycarbonate or for coated glass.

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I have read of a couple of instances of people using Windex to clean camera lenses. For example, a quick google search brought up this:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0032uP

Hey, if it is good for the camera people to use to clean their camera lenses, it is good enough for me to use to clean a flashlight lens.

I should clarify that I use a paper towel on the threads and contacts, but I did not mention using it on the lens. I use a Windex cleaning wipe, which, in my experience, has never left any lint or streaks on any surface I have used it on (I have used it to clean, among other things, computer monitors and laptop screens). The packaging on the Windex cleaning wipes states that it is ammonia-free so it is probably safe to use even on coated lenses.

A few years ago a technician at Zeiss told me the same thing about using acetone.....never did though but it must be very good for glass lenses.
Where does one purchase quality cotton Q-tips?
Good info!

I really like a long pencil with an eraser on the end for cleaning the contacts on lights because I can see the oxidation coming off on the eraser as I work. When it gets dirty I clean the eraser with a piece of fine sandpaper and repeat the process until the eraser comes out clean.

the trick is to NOT clean it, then you have more excuses to buy new and better lights

Sub_Umbra said:

I really like a long pencil with an eraser on the end for cleaning the contacts on lights because I can see the oxidation coming off on the eraser as I work. When it gets dirty I clean the eraser with a piece of fine sandpaper and repeat the process until the eraser comes out clean.

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According to the newer computer hardware repair gurus - this is a practice that should be stopped. (Yep, used to do it myself, but I used a typewriter eraser pencil - even more abrasive.) The current thought is that erasers are rubber, abrasive, and glue compounds - rubbing with them removes the corrosion along with some of the surface plating - so if the contact is steel that is copper plated, you'll abrade away the copper and get down to bare steel which is even more likely to corrode. Gold plated copper will similarly be abraded leaving bare copper. The rubbing will also leave a thin layer of glue on the contact increasing the resistance (which is why you tried to remove the corrosion in the first place) and it even may generate static charges - very damaging to delicate circuitry - especially chip controlled lights. They all recommend chemical corrosion cleaners and very light scrubbing with a swab.

I use a t-shirt to clean my lights The filters protecting the lenses have it a bit better, I only OCCASIONALLY use a t-shirt to clean them. NEVER the lenses themselves

Isopropyl alcohol or methanol is typically recommended. Go and buy a cheap camera cleaning kit with the lens tissue if you're really particular about keeping your flashlights mint.

I use Windex on cockroaches.. it works - and its stopping power beats the crap out of those so-called pesticides. 2-3 good shots will put a cockroach on the floor gasping for breath. Wish I could say the same for pesticide.. makes me wonder if I grabbed the wrong can!


"Newer computer hardware gurus?"

*whips on old and jaded crusty old fossil who lived on serial terminals hat*

"Whaddya mean, stop it? We used sandpaper and motor oil in my day!"

Cleaning my lights?


My oldest light is a 2AA miniMag, and I don't think I've ever cleaned *any* part of it (well... maybe I've dunked it in soapy water once or twice, but that was to get mud off the lanyard!).


... now, more seriously: I've used rubbing alcohol and a piece of soft cloth to clean the reflector on ArcAAA's, and I've started cleaning the contacts of my small lights with alcohol too. Might move onto ProGold some time next year.

WOW!!! I guess I better turn in my Flashaholic membership because I've never cleaned any of my lights other than wiping them off if necessary. I keep forgetting to buy silicon grease for the seals. I better get my priorities in order for the new year. I guess that's an idea for a resolution.