Extreme Clean - Filters

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Pip
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Following on from the original thread here, I bit the bullet and decided to try and clean my screw in ND filters. These filters are really old and were minging, so dirty as to make them unusable. There was some debate as to whether they should just go straight in the bin but with nothing to lose I thought I'd give it a go. If it doesn't work they'll go in the bin, which is all they were good for before I started.

1. The problem - a filthy filter
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2. The kit - in the end I just used the screenwash. This was suggested to me by a chemistry geek friend of mine who pointed out screenwash is usually built around Isopropyl Alcohol and has the benefit of various other bits that are designed for cleaning it it too.
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3. Five minutes soaking in neat concentrated carwash, agitated it a bit to make sure it got where it needed to go
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4. Rinse well in clean water
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5. Dry, clean using a lens cleaning cloth and hey presto! Not absolutely perfect (these filters are years old) but a major improvement.
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Bear in mind if you try this at home you will undoubtedly ruin all your kit and die from the fumes so don't blame me if you do...

I think I'll use the same way to clean my welding glass when it arrives (if you're wondering about that you must read this thread: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=151141)
 
Just tried this technique on some of my filters...seems to have worked very well so far (just tried it on the UV ones)

Thanks for the tip!
 
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