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Kevinc
Tinkerer
Username: Kevinc
Post Number: 12
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 10:56 am: | 
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In the past few months I've been cleaning my old cameras. The mirror damper for all of them pretty much disintegrated-- the FE2, OM10, and the K1000 mirror dampers all became sticky goos. I've now replaced two of my cameras' mirror dampers using Jon's kits (the FE2 and OM10) and have been pretty happy with the results.
Here is my question. Would keeping cameras dry help with preserving the dampers/seals? Or is that just a function of time? I'm in dry S Cal and I've always thought there's no need for desiccants. However, after buying humidity indicator strips from eBay, the strips indicate that I should use desiccants.
Do you guys put cameras in a bag with desiccants? Does it help preserving the mirror damper & seals?
Kevin |
Barnum
Tinkerer
Username: Barnum
Post Number: 111
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 11:18 am: |
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Hi.
I use camera bags, but swop them for alloy cases when I find low cost s/h examples. I also use silica-gel, and to date have had no problems in anything-but dry Gt.Britain. Uncased cameras are well wrapped in newspaper. |
Ishmael
Tinkerer
Username: Ishmael
Post Number: 7
Registered: 03-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 02:16 pm: |
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I have been thinking about this recently. As nice as some leather cases are it seems a bad place to keep a metal object, especially for fungus. Damp and dark is probably not good. I imagine the best place is a cabinet with glass doors, somewhere light and airy. I need to get something like that myself come to think of it.
A good case seems like a good idea, I use bags with silica for convenience, but I still think (especially if you are in a damp area) it is not the best solution for long term storage. Some of these modern bags are very waterproof so an ideal place for condensation. |
Dgillette4
Tinkerer
Username: Dgillette4
Post Number: 294
Registered: 04-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 03:49 pm: |
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It may be affected by what the camera is made of. If it's wood like my piano 43% hum and about 68 dgs f. Too hot is always bad. Most electroics I keep them as dry as possible with silica gel as mentioned and sealed. |
Chiccolini
Tinkerer
Username: Chiccolini
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 06:18 pm: |
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I am always amazed at camera people and how they keep their eq. Keep your eq. away from anything that absorbs moisture. That means keep them out of clothes closets (OK if there are no clothes in them). Keep them at least 2.5 feet off the floor. Higher, like chest level, is better. Get some of those small silica gel packs that come with shoes. Fresh ones. Put one in the empty film compartment. Keep a few in whatever case you keep the eq. in. Gadget bags are ok if the material is synthetic that does not absorb/hold moisture. If you want to pack your eq. away in, say, plastic bags, wait until winter when the humidity is way down and toss some silica packs in the bag. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 615
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 07:22 pm: |
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Kevin,
Humidity plays no part in the disintegration of foam light seals and dampers, but elevated temperatures - car glove boxes, boots etc - tend to speed the process. Those early foams all suffered from poor formulation chemistry, thankfully not a problem these days if you use the proper materials.
The use of cheap silica gel packs/bags will only give you a false sense of security - you have no idea when the gel needs reactivating. If one is really serious about drying out the interior of sealed plastic boxes or bags, you should purchase proper silica gel drying units - these are usually small perforated aluminium containers filled with SELF INDICATING silica gel. When the gel goes pink due to maximum moisture uptake, stick in the oven at 105 deg C until the gel turns blue. In storage boxes that are opened regularly you will be surprised how quickly the colour turns - and this is with desiccant units adequate for the storage volume being used. |
Brianshaw
Tinkerer
Username: Brianshaw
Post Number: 71
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 07:57 am: |
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In addition to what Glenn says (which was what I would have said except he said it first), foam disintegration also results from mechanical action (regular usage) and chemical influences (air pollutants). Even foam of "good formulation" has this problem unless one is investing in super-specialized and super-expensive materials like that used on space ships. |
