Re: [Rollei] Cleaning camera exterior?

[Richard Urmonas <rurmonas]

> What fluids/solvents are recommended for cleaning grime, dirt, fingerprints
> off the exterior of a camera?
> 
> Anything special for the leather surfaces to keep them from drying out/cracking?

My cleaning method is as follows:

1) Vacuum / Blow any loose dirt off.  I use a small set of attachments
available from a vacuum cleaner store which can be attached to a standard
vacuum cleaner.  A small soft artists brush is also good getting into tight
spots.

2)  Depending on how dirty the camera is, I either use saddle soap for light
cleaning, or liquid hand soap if it is really dirty.  With the hand soap I put
it on sparingly and rub it in using my fingers.  Be careful around dirty areas
as the dirt can be quite abbrasive.

3) Wash the soap off using a damp sponge.  Keep rinsing the sponge regularly. 
This may take a while.  Always hold the camera so any water will run out of the
camera, this means you are generally working of the bit facing down.

4) Wipe the camera dry with a soft towel.

5) Allow the camera to dry for a day or so.

6) Wipe the camera with a soft cloth to remove any last spots and marks.

7) Treat the leather with a good quality leather conditioner (available from up
market shoe stores).

I avoid the optical parts during this process.  Any repairs I may need to do
are performed between steps 5 and 6, unless the leather is really dry, then I
treat the leather so it is not damaged when working on the camera.

Richard

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Richard Urmonas
rurmonas  .au

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