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Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2005 - 11:46 am: | 
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Hello.
I did a re-seal job on my Pentax K-1000 body. I did a good job except for one small mishap. When I was removing the foam mirror damping strip, a couple of tiny pieces of the rotten foam fell onto the focusing screen. One I was able to carefully lift off the screen, no problem. The other was stuck. I got it off, but it left a small smear of residue on the screen. I guess I can live with it if I have to, since it's near the edge of the screen, and it's a good, working body otherwise.
But can it safely be cleaned off?
Thanks very much |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 07:26 am: |
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The answer is "maybe." You can use a Q-Tip with one end moistened in naphtha...please do not use any other solvent. Also, do not make the tip too wet. You want it to be moist, but definitely not dripping. Carefully roll the tip lightly over the smear spot one time. Then switch ends of the Q-Tip and do the same with the other end. Then discard that Q-Tip. I'll repeat...just use the Q-Tip end one time. If you do this carefully, and if you do it enough times, you probably will reduce the smear to a smaller problem. It is doubtful you will make it go away completely, however. Good luck. Remember, please...not too wet and work gently.
Jon |
paul ron
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 07:26 am: |
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I've never had any luck cleaning screens on any camera. It seems the fresnel lens traps the crap and all you do by wiping is make it worse.
Whatever you do don't use alcohol it will turn the screen an opaque white, never to be clear again.
Either live with the marks or replace it with a new screen. I am sure there are plenty of parts available for the K1000, it's a very popular camera. |
Steve T.
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 09:30 am: |
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Thank you for the replies. I tried the naptha and Q-tip remedy. It helped a little, not much, so I seem to have a permanent smear on the screen, although it's small and not really in the way (it's on the top edge of the screen when looking through the viewfinder).
I suppose screen replacement is in order, eventually. No pressing need to do it right now. That probably means top removal to get to it - something I'm not real familar with on SLRs, nor do I have the spanner wrench.
I suppose Pentax made several focusing screens that will fit. Any advice as to which one I should try to locate? The one that's in it right now is one that has a small circle in the center, but the circle doesn't seem to be "split" like on a lot of SLRs. You focus by bringing the surrounding blurred part of the screen to blend with the circle. OK I guess, but as long as the screen will be changed, I might look for one I like better.
Also, any tips on how to avoid the same mistake in the future? Assuming it's not practical to first disassemble the camera to remove the screen and all... |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 09:55 am: |
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Steve T.,
I'm no expert on this, but perhaps you or others can learn from one of my mistake a few months ago:
I bought a Fujica ST605. It had a very yellow looking image in the viewfinder, along with various crud on the focusing screen (a.k.a 'ground glass).
I took the camera apart and cleaned the focusing screen with lens cleaner & a q-tip.
Bad idea.
I now know--having learned the hard way--that 'ground glass' in many SLRs is actually ground plastic, which lens cleaning solutions will mess up, mark, and streak. You'll rub harder to get the 'streaks off, but that'll make it worse.
So to cut this awful and embarrassing story short, I wound up diassembling the camera again and polished the focusing screen with toothpaste, which did a good job of getting rid of the marks that the q-tip and lens cleaner left. THEN I simply cleaned the screen with Windex, and reassembled.
I probably could have avoided the whole thing by just attacking the crud problem with Windex or any other grocery store glass cleaner.
Cheers,
-CJ |
Leo
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 28, 2005 - 12:53 am: |
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Listen good - this is your way out of this trouble. Buy at Home depot - Lowes etc. some "GOOF OFF 2" - do not use the regular harsh GOOF OFF since it may spoil your focusing screen.
I have cleaned several screens on Pentax and Chinon SLRs with outstanding results.
Use a small amount of the stuff - you dont want it to get inside your prism.
Do not touch any rubber or foam parts with this liquid. |
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