How (and How Not) to Clean a Film Camera

For a few years now, I’ve slowly been learning the art of camera repair and restoration, and no matter the condition of the camera I’m working on, the process begins with a good, thorough cleaning. I tend to think of it as a key part of my bonding process, sort of like giving your baby its first bath, I suppose. In any case, I’ve established both a routine and a set of techniques that are working well for me, and after posting many of these restorations to social media, I’ve gotten more and more inquiries about how I approach the cleaning process specifically. This article aims to provide the answers.

WARNING — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

The cleaning of cameras, lenses, and other photography gear carries a very high risk of equipment damage. What seems so simple and straightforward can, with one careless move, ruin a camera, and/or its lens. All you need is a single drop of the wrong liquid to seep into a crevice or gap, and anything from a shutter failure to an unusable lens could be the result — which in turn may be expensive or impossible to repair.

In short, if your gear to be cleaned has any significant, measurable monetary value, I would highly suggest that you leave anything but the most basic of cleaning to a professional camera technician.

But, if you’re bound and determined to DIY, then at least heed the following in addition to using common sense:

• First, and foremost: USE EXTREME CARE NOT to get ANY excess cleaning liquids or agents into openings, seams, cracks, fastener holes, flash sync ports, door hinges, in or around viewfinder or rangefinder windows, in or around meter sensors, or in or around any other location where it can seep into other parts or areas of the camera. The best bet here is to not apply cleaning liquids or agents directly to the camera at all, but even when you don’t, liquids can still flow where you don’t intend them to.
• NEVER apply liquids directly to any part of a lens (barrel, or glass), under any circumstances. No common cameras lens is ever sealed against moisture penetration, so fluids very easily seep inside of things, and if they penetrate the air gaps between lens elements, the lens itself will have to be disassembled to correct it — if it even can be.
• DO NOT clean reflex mirrors if you can possibly avoid it. Even the most careful of cleaning methods will result in scratches on the mirror; they are unavoidable, and this especially true of acrylic ones.
• Use EXTREME CAUTION when cleaning bellows. Many of them are made with paper-based materials that can be damaged by any sort of wet cleaning. Use compressed air or a soft brush only.
• USE CARE when cleaning leather materials. It’s not always easy (or even possible) to tell real leather from synthetic or paper-based leatherette, but leather can be damaged by improper wet cleaning, as can paper-based leatherette. (I do not address leather care in this article.)
• BE CAREFUL cleaning around any paper labels (like the inspection labels on Japanese cameras) if you want to keep those labels intact.
• ANY grit or even just visible dirt on a cleaning cloth has the potential to scratch the surface you’re cleaning. BE GENTLE, start with a fully clean cloth, and move to a clean part of the material regularly.

The safest cleaning is done with single parts to be cleaned fully removed from the camera. Unless you’re an experience camera technician, this is not really possible — and isn’t always possible even if you area.

What follows are the methods, techniques, tools and cleaning agents that work for me. I have no control over you, or how you use this information, and I accept absolutely no responsibility for your use (or misuse) of this information, or any liability for the outcome of your doing so. You are proceeding entirely at your own risk.

General Cleaning: Smooth Surfaces

So many of the old cameras I work to restore first need a thorough, but very careful exterior cleaning. The amount of filth can sometimes be startling, but there’s no choice but to just get on with it.

Tools: Microfiber cloth
Agents: A few drops of dishwashing liquid in a small amount of warm water

I wrap a portion of the cloth over a fingertip, dip it just slightly into the cleaning solution, making such it’s not soaking or dripping wet, and gently rub the surface to be cleaned. I work on very small areas at a time. Look for signs of damage being caused, such a color (rather than dirt) lifting onto your cleaning cloth, or the surface becoming rough from the outer layer of material deteriorating. If you see any signs of damage, stop immediately and re-evaluate.

General Cleaning: Textured Surfaces

Many cameras have textured areas — typically things like deeply textured leatherette that tends to hold onto dirt.

Tools: Soft toothbrush; microfiber cloth
Agents: Small amount of dishwashing liquid in a small amount of warm water

The general idea is to dip the toothbrush into the water/detergent solution, shake off all the excess, and lightly scrub at the surface of the camera body, and immediately wipe away the moisture (and filth) with a microfiber cloth.

CAUTION: As already noted in the warnings above, this process can VERY easily result in cleaning solution seeping into cracks, crevices and voids, and in-turn cause irreparable harm to the camera or lenses. If you don’t know the architecture of the camera in and out, I would avoid using this approach.

I also generally try to limit the use of the toothbrush method to textured, synthetic leatherette. Everything else can be done with a moistened microfiber cloth as already mentioned.

The photo at the top of this article shows me rather violating my own advice. In that instance (a Graflex Crown Graphic), I am quite familiar with the camera’s architecture, and I knew what I was doing, and that it was comparatively low risk in that case. You can rest assured I did not treat all surfaces of that camera the same way as shown in that photo when cleaning it; that was one panel where I knew it’d be fine.

Polishing Brightwork

Many cameras have brightwork, either in the form of chrome-plated cranks or levers, or perhaps edges of castings that have intentionally been left unpainted. Some cameras, and the Kodak Signet 35 comes to-mind, have extensive exposed aluminum castings that are an inherent part of the design.

It can be extremely difficult to clean and polish these areas of a camera, and in many cases — again, the Signet 35 comes to-mind — a camera has to be disassembled partially or fully to truly access the parts to be polished in a way that you can successfully avoid damaging something, which is not something I’d recommend to casual users.

IMPORTANT: If you can’t remove the parts to be polished and/or properly and fully protect lenses, leatherette, glass windows, cracks or seams or gaps, and other areas, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO POLISH THE BRIGHTWORK. You are asking for trouble.

Tools: Microfiber cloth, or an old T-shirt cut into rags; disposable gloves or nitrile-coated fabric gloves; cotton swabs/buds (such as Q-Tips)
Agents: Blue Magic metal polish (commonly available in the USA at auto parts stores), although other metal polish liquids suitable for both aluminum and steel should work; polishes not intended for aluminum, in particular, should never be used on cameras

Remove parts or protect areas as needed. I then shake the container of polish, dip the very tip of the swab into the polish (use barely any), and lightly apply to the area to be polished. I then use an old T-shirt rag to rub at the surface of the metal until it’s bright and shiny. Multiple passes may be required, especially for heavily corroded aluminum surfaces. Note that this rubbing can spread the polish to adjacent areas where it’s very hard to remove, and/or can damage those areas. Use extreme care, and keep your eyes open for signs of damage you may be causing and STOP if you see signs of it.

ALTERNATE TECHNIQUE: I’ve found that residual polish on the polishing cloth, even after it’s long dried, can be an effective metal polish all on its own. If you’re as worried about getting metal polish into cracks as I am, use a rag previously used with the metal polish, and/or moisten the cloth very lightly with it and use that to rub at the metal surface.

Work slowly, work in small sections, tape-off areas of with very low-tack masking tape if necessary (though the tape itself can damage surfaces when removed), and don’t attempt to avoid doing these things by glopping a bunch of polish on the end of the swab and just spreading it everywhere! It’s actually quite difficult to remove Blue Magic from crevices and cracks and textured parts, if you even can fully, so best to avoid it to start with.

ONCE COMPLETELY DRIED, you can often remove residual polish from things like textured leatherette and engraved areas by using a completely dry, soft toothbrush to gently work it loose. I often then use compressed air to chase away any residual dust.

Restoring Painted Surfaces

I don’t generally attempt to restore painted surfaces on my cameras, but if you want to clean-off the patina on black painted areas, I’ve used Blue Magic metal polish to do so, using the same technique I described in the previous section. I will caution you against using it on other colors of paint, especially silver colored, and it’s not always easy to tell what’s metal, and what’s silver paint.

While I’ve never personally damaged the paint on a camera with Blue Magic, the product is not designed for use on painted surfaces, and it is both possible, and likely, that permanent damage could result. I strongly encourage you not to use it for this purpose, or to proceed with caution if you do.

All the previous warnings and cautions around cleaning apply equally here, with one addition: BE SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS; ONCE YOU’VE STARTED, YOU CAN’T UNDO IT, OR GO BACK! Blue Magic will not just remove the patina from most painted surfaces, but will also make the surface VERY SHINY, almost unnaturally so. Whether this is a plus or a minus is subjective. If possible, test a hidden area before you commit fully. If you want to try it, my suggestion is to apply a very small amount of polish to the rag, and lightly rub against the surface, versus applying the polish to the paint directly, or heavily.

Do not use Blue Magic (or any metal polish) on textured paint, such as “crinkle paint,” like that found in the background of the nameplate of many TLR cameras.

As for touch-ups, I almost never touch-up paint on my cameras, and when I do, I limit it to the paint fills on engraved surfaces. I do not recommend touching-up painted body edges where scratches and wear are present. Both enamel and lacquer paint touchups, no matter how well executed, will merely wear-off again sooner vs. later; it’s fighting a losing battle. My advice: Let your camera show its history.

Cleaning Lenses

Lens cleaning is something all of us have to do pretty regularly. Here’s how I do it.

Tools: Lint-free cloth specifically designed for lens cleaning
Agents: R.O.R. (Residual Oil Remover) solution

R.O.R. is not a lens cleaning solution per se, but it’s widely recognized as a great choice for cleaning lenses; it was what it was designed for. It emulsifies residual oils and makes it easy to wipe it away, leaving nothing behind for dust to adhere to. It’s the best thing I’ve found for lens cleaning, and I use it on my cameras, as well as eyeglasses. My procedure for using it is as follows:

1. Use compressed air (canned, or a compressor) to blow-away any surface dirt, dust or grit. This is critical.
2. Put a few drops of R.O.R. onto a clean cloth designed specifically for lens cleaning.
3. Lightly wipe straight in one direction, do not press forcefully against the glass, then move to a clean section of the cloth, and repeat the steps until the lens is fully clean.
4. Using a fresh, unsoiled part of the cloth, moisten it with a few drops one more time, and gently clean the lens again across its entire surface with a circular motion. Don’t scrub at it.
5. Move to a fresh, unsoiled part of the cloth, and dry the lens using the same circular motion.

NEVER, EVER APPLY R.O.R. (OR ANY OTHER LENS CLEANING LIQUID) DIRECTLY TO THE GLASS. It can very easily seep through the sides of the lens element, and into the air gaps between lens elements, or onward into aperture blades, lens focus helicoids, and other places where it doesn’t belong, causing permanent and/or expensive-to-repair damage.

Additionally: Do not use cotton swabs for lens cleaning. Do not reuse parts of the lens cleaning cloth, as grit collected could scratch the lens. Do not clean your lenses any more than absolutely necessary.

Routine cleaning of lenses is best done with compressed air alone if possible.

Cleaning Reflex Mirrors

As mentioned above, I generally do not recommend cleaning reflex mirrors in SLR or TLR cameras, but unfortunately, it often can’t be avoided — like in the photo above. For TLRs, I strongly suggest removing the mirror from the camera, and rinsing it under a running tap to remove grit, then proceed as for cleaning lenses. Please note that fine scratches will result no matter how careful you are — especially with acrylic mirrors.

For TLRs, cleaning them in situ is not ideal, as it’s hard to clean around the retaining tabs holding it in-place. Some cameras have the mirrors glued in-place and it can’t be avoided; just follow the process for cleaning a lens.

For SLRs, I try to avoid it entirely, as they are acrylic in all modern cameras of the type, and any procedure you follow, no matter how carefully executed, will scratch the mirror. If you must do it for some reason, use a pristine, absolutely clean lens cleaning cloth, and R.O.R., and be certain to use compressed air first to remove all possible grit. Once again, please note that fine scratches will result no matter how careful you are. If you don’t want that, don’t clean the mirror.

Cleaning Focusing Screens

I do not clean focusing screens on modern (1960s or later) SLR cameras. Ever. I blow them off with compressed air only, as they are all acrylic, the fresnel engravings are easily damaged, and it’s not worth the risk.

Focusing screens on TLRs and large format cameras are less delicate, but fresnel lenses in them are still very easily damaged. I never clean the fresnel lens panels in such cameras; I may rinse them under tap water and use compressed air to dry it, but nothing more. For the glass portion, I proceed as I outlined for reflex mirrors. One thing about TLR and large format focusing screens is that they often have grid lines screen printed onto the surface, generally the ground side (but not always), and those printings can be damaged by aggressive (or sometimes ANY) cleaning. For that reason, if a glass surface is printed, I only rinse it under tap water, and use compressed air to blow the water off, never using a cloth of any kind. If the printing is already disintegrating from age, know that you’re going to remove some or all of it, no matter how gentle you are. The unprinted surfaces of the glass I clean as I would a TLR reflex mirror.

Other Miscellaneous Things

Here’s a grab bag of additional items.

• I go through a lot of cotton swabs / buds (a/k/a Q-Tips). They’re quite useful when a microfiber cloth wrapped around my finger is just too big to fit in a space.
• Toothpicks are a useful item as well. They are too rough to use in many circumstances, but I clip off the sharp tip and/or whittle them down with a craft knife in situations like cleaning the gunk out from around a PC flash sync port on a TLR. They can be useful for removing accumulated gunk from crevices too. Don’t use them on anything you don’t want scratched, because they will scratch.
• Removing label residue can be tough. Sometimes just the water-and-dish-soap solution is enough. Other times I use oil-based adhesive removers like Goo-Gone. Other times, rubbing alcohol is the best answer. Still other times, I use naphtha or paint thinner. Note that I try them in that order. See my note on alcohol (next item). Be aware that many solvents can do a massive amount of harm to painted surfaces, or really any surfaces, not just etching paint, but etching metal or plastics — and you can’t undo the damage one it’s done. NOTE: Goo-Gone and similar products have a nasty tendency to get on EVERYTHING; apply it to a cotton swab well away from your camera and work surfaces, and then use that to apply to the adhesive residue you’re trying to remove.
• Rubbing alcohol is quite useful on my workbench, and I keep a supply of alcohol swabs, the type used before an injection at your doctor’s office. Alcohol of any type can easily damage leather, and remove leather dyes, so exercise care. But alcohol in general is the least aggressive general solvent I know of, so it helps with greasy spots and some label adhesives. As outlined elsewhere, look for signs of damage being caused… It’s the least aggressive, perhaps, but it can still do a lot of harm to a surface depending on the material, and if you’re not paying attention.
• Leatherette (i.e., synthetic) camera coverings can often be polished with a common plastic polish, such as ArmorAll or Novus #1 (pictured earlier). Both are runny, and like any other liquid, can seep all over place and get on parts (or in things) where you don’t want it. Resist the temptation to apply or spray it directly on the camera. Apply a small amount to a rag or your fingertip, and otherwise follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

In Closing

I will end this article with the same cautions I started with… Cleaning cameras and camera components carries risks of damage that can be costly or impossible to fix. Use extreme caution, work within your comfort zone, and leave any work on valuable cameras (Hasselblad, Leica, etc.) to a professional.