rollinfive0w
Member
what do you use to clean the heads? anything special?
~pieces
~pieces
so fresh and so clean clean
- Thread starter rollinfive0w
- Start date
I try to avoid dry type head cleaning tapes like the plague.
Hmmm, my precision, polished, aligned to the uM head is dirty. Let's rub some abrasive across it.
I haven't found a good wet cleaner tape yet.
There's all kind of cleaning solutions, but I've always used foam-tipped, or microfiber swabs and 90% iso alcohol. Dip the swab in alcohol and blot it dry on the back of your hand or a lint free cloth. Don't use it soaking wet. Cotton tip swabs shouldn't be used because the works are so tiny, a stray strand of cotton could wrap around a guide or capstain and cause trouble. A shot from a can of compressed air before and after cleaning helps.
Try to wipe around the circumference by turning the head with another swab. Use little pressure- YOU ARE BARELY TOUCHING IT. Heavy fingers can mis-align the head. Gently wipe the the rollers and capstain. In the A1 there are loose guidepins that float around- it's not broken.
Check the swabs first by dipping in alcohol and wiping on a clean glass plate. IF they leave any film after drying, they're treated with some kind of chemical. I've run across them before and they're no good.
Stronger chemicals containing MEK or TCE will attack the plastic and rubber rollers in the drive. If you have access to Freon TF, that works well.
If you never did this before and don't grasp the concept of being delicate, proceed with the same caution as you would doing your own circumcision.
Hmmm, my precision, polished, aligned to the uM head is dirty. Let's rub some abrasive across it.
I haven't found a good wet cleaner tape yet.
There's all kind of cleaning solutions, but I've always used foam-tipped, or microfiber swabs and 90% iso alcohol. Dip the swab in alcohol and blot it dry on the back of your hand or a lint free cloth. Don't use it soaking wet. Cotton tip swabs shouldn't be used because the works are so tiny, a stray strand of cotton could wrap around a guide or capstain and cause trouble. A shot from a can of compressed air before and after cleaning helps.
Try to wipe around the circumference by turning the head with another swab. Use little pressure- YOU ARE BARELY TOUCHING IT. Heavy fingers can mis-align the head. Gently wipe the the rollers and capstain. In the A1 there are loose guidepins that float around- it's not broken.
Check the swabs first by dipping in alcohol and wiping on a clean glass plate. IF they leave any film after drying, they're treated with some kind of chemical. I've run across them before and they're no good.
Stronger chemicals containing MEK or TCE will attack the plastic and rubber rollers in the drive. If you have access to Freon TF, that works well.
If you never did this before and don't grasp the concept of being delicate, proceed with the same caution as you would doing your own circumcision.
KeeganFlynn
Active member
That's odd, because the manual explicitly states that you should use a Canon cleaning tape or other commercial dry cleaning tape. It also goes on to say that you should not use wet cleaning tapes (p. 147).
Kevin Lee
Veteran
Generally the reason they say use the simple head cleaning tapes is because it is easy to do. Anyone can do it without screwing it up. It is an abrasive, it eventually does wear down your heads. Here is one of the greatest threads on this website. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=6888 Tells you how to clean the DVX heads, but same principle for all cameras. I use denatured alchohol on mine and use extreme caution.
Nice thread. I'll have to make a video on cleaning the A1.
KF, it's not odd, I just prefer a gentler more thorough cleaning. I've been tearing apart pro-broadcast equipment for years so it's second nature. As far as consumer/prosumer stuff goes, I cant leave them alone either
http://www.thelasercutter.com/Camcorder%20Hack.htm
KF, it's not odd, I just prefer a gentler more thorough cleaning. I've been tearing apart pro-broadcast equipment for years so it's second nature. As far as consumer/prosumer stuff goes, I cant leave them alone either
http://www.thelasercutter.com/Camcorder%20Hack.htm
rollinfive0w
Member
what about cleaning the lens