Cleaning Aleph Head

I am a 1st time Aleph owner, and have been really enjoying my A-3. Tried it out this weekend at our country place, and it was great at critter spotting. Very nice throw, and what a gorgeous and effective overall beam!

I would like to properly care for this little beauty, and so would appreciate any advice on the best way to clean-- and dry--the lens, inside and outside, on my A-3.

Thanks very much.

I don't own an Aleph, but I can pass on what I know from my PD and other lights.

For the head, the best thing to do is keep it closed up whenever possible, so as to avoid any dirtying up of the internals in the first place. If you do open it, make sure any O-rings are lubricated (but not the threads) and avoid getting any dust anywhere inside. The most cleaning you should have to do on the inside is with a can of compressed air, to blow out specs of dust.

For the outer lens, the LensPen does a decent job. They cost near or under $10 and last pretty much forever. In any case, you first blow off any loose debris with a can of compressed air, then use a soft brush to remove any other debris, then wipe clean with a lens cleaner - the LensPen works well for both brushing and cleaning; a camera cleaning kit will work as well.

As for the body, keep the O-rings lubricated, clean off older lubricant and replace periodically, and simply wipe clean with a non-abrasive cloth when and if necessary.

For lubrication, NyoGel works well to maintain seals on anything that only gets moved occasionally, and Krytox is good for stuff that gets moved daily. So, if you screw/unscrew something to turn it on or off, use Krytox on any O-rings and threads there, for anything else you want the thicker & gummier Nyogel. Either can be used for either role if you like, and even a generic plumber's silicone grease will work, but this is what myself and some others consider to be the optimal approach. FWIW, Don ships the PD with GLY, a high-quality silicone-based grease that lasts a long time. Use your own judgement based on how you use the lights that you own and what you're able to find; the search feature is your friend as this has been discussed at length in this and other forums.

Hope this helps.

Kenny,

Thanks very much for all the helpful info. I know John C. @lighthound.com (surefireparts) sells Nyogel, and it looks like flashlightlens.com sells the LensPen. Where do you buy Krytox and GLY?

Thanks again,

Andrew

I got mine here: http://www.aeroconsystems.com/misc/krytox.htm

The 223 regular or anti-corrosive is the grade you want; other places have small syringes of Krytox but not always the right kind, and some don't even specify at all.

GLY, I think Don gets it from McMaster-Carr, marine supply stores in your area might have it or at least something similar.

Thanks again, Kenny. I'll check them out.

Andrew

Once the *inside* of the lens is clean, just leave it alone - is my best advice. To clean them when I assemble the lights, I use nothing more than my breath (ewww) and an optical-grade micro fiber towel. Too much polishing WILL remove the AR coating.... but it is also pretty tough. Regular gentle cleaning will not harm it.

Hi, Darell. Since I bought the A-3 head from you, you should know! Thanks for more good advice.

Andrew