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Slide projector lens fungus worries

  • I have a http://i.imgur.com/3EliI.jpg, Lens A with the proper plastic-only screw-on attachment http://i.imgur.com/A0rOC.jpg, and Lens B without fungus but http://i.imgur.com/vFEIh.jpg. Can I do anything to clean http://i.imgur.com/GrXye.jpg and put it on Lens B without worrying about spreading the fungus? Hi there, AskMeFi! This is something that has been bothering me for ages. I have a http://slideprojector.kodak.com/ektagraphic/a.shtml. This projector has a little interior http://i.imgur.com/3EliI.jpg that holds lenses in place for focusing. Per internet consensus, it appears that the ideal Kodak-format projector lens for my purposes is the Golden Navitar 70-125 F2.8 (http://image2.xitek.com/forum/200508/101/10188/10188_1125203058.jpg, http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-75535.html). This lens originally comes with a http://i.imgur.com/vFEIh.jpg screwed into the back of the lens that connects to the white focusing part in the projector. Without the connector, the lens sits loose in the opening and cannot be successfully used or focused. I've tried a couple of times to buy this lens off of eBay. The first time, I wound up with what I'll call http://i.imgur.com/5POqM.jpg, which included the screw-on plastic cylinder, but the lens itself http://i.imgur.c%20element.jpg. I tried to purchase this lens a second time, and this time, which I'll call Lens B, the lens was fully intact with no fungus, but http://i.imgur.com/vFEIh.jpg. Since the screw-on cylinder http://i.imgur.com/GrXye.jpg and is just a hollow piece of plastic, is there anything that I can do to treat or clean this plastic cylinder from Lens A, put it on Lens B, and use it in the projector without risking spreading Lens A's fungus to Lens B, the projector, or my slides? (Also, in any case, just by having Lens A around, do I risk fungus spreading around my house? If so, how do I best dispose of it?) Thank you, all!

  • Answer:

    I would try disassembling unit A, soak it in a bucket of rubbing alcohol (NOT bleach) overnight, then lightly wipe away at the fungus spots with a lens cloth. Scrub the various cylinders inside and out with an appropriately sized bottle brush. If you can't get the lens clean (or the fungus has actually etched the lens), I would do the same with unit B (minus the need to try to wipe off the lens itself) and then reassemble what you have into one working unit. FWIW, that sort of fungus doesn't usually pose a health risk, and spreads glacially slow. Kill it when you find it, but otherwise, don't worry too much about it.

stleric at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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Thank you for the tips, pla! Worth noting, the http://i.imgur.com/GrXye.jpg does not seem to visibly have fungus on it -- the photo is perhaps a little misleading, that's just specks of dust that you see on the black plastic. I'm just worried, rightly or wrongly, about the possibility that spores that aren't readily visible to me may have spread from the front element of Lens A to this removable plastic section.

stleric

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