how to get smells off of cameras?

[MHB]

yeah kinda weird question but I just obtained a bunch of cameras and lenses and I think the previous owner was a smoker. They smell kinda gnarly. Does anyone know of a good way to get the smell off?

 

[tecboy]

Febreze

 

[KmH]

Wipe the cameras down with a damp cloth.
If you want to be a bit more aggressive put a couple of drops of dish washing liquid in a couple of cups of water and use that to dampen the cloth.

 

[Gary A.]

I use tomato juice on the dog.

 

[john.margetts]

Surfaces will be covered in tobacco tar. That includes lens surfaces and sensor surface. Cleaning is required, not deodorising. I would use ROR on everything but the sensor.

 

[jcdeboever]

Electrical contact cleaner is what I use on computers. I have doused motherboards hanging from wire and let the tar just drip and run off. However I wouldn't do this on a camera unless it was fully disassembled.

 

[chuasam]

OMG! Once I had put my camera down on a table that apparently the client's cat had marked.

OMFG every time I held it to my nose I could smell cat pee.
I was so unimpressed.

 

[chuasam]

I use tomato juice on the dog.

I prefer ketchup or mustard.

 

[table1349]

OMG! Once I had put my camera down on a table that apparently the client's cat had marked.

OMFG every time I held it to my nose I could smell cat pee.
I was so unimpressed.

Cat was probably a Canon fan.

 

[robbins.photo]

I use tomato juice on the dog.

Must be a small dog.. would be kind of hard to wipe down a camera with say a husky dipped in tomato juice....

 

[robbins.photo]

Oh, and for the op, Ethyl Alcohol will work wonders. I'd recommend the wipes over the spray.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

What kind of cameras did you obtain? (post a pic of them if you have one)

You need to be careful with solvents on older cameras. Older cameras often use cements, glues, or plastics that may be damaged or dissolved by some cleaners. When I restore old stuff I always start with room temp water and Q-tips. If there is serious gunk you can move to heavier solvents and cleaning methods. On metal and uncoated glass I have had good luck with naphtha. Naphtha can also aid in thinning out any gummed up oil that may be on the mechanisms and free up slow or clogged operation. You should take care when using naphtha as it may thin out the gummed oil and seep into the lens elements. For just cleaning glass I like the alcohol free lens cleaning solution. Works nicely and never leaves a trace. You should take care around the shutter mechanisms and mirrors when cleaning as they are easy to damage.

In your case you may really need to get into the camera if you are prepared to open it up a bit you may have better luck than simple surface cleaning.

If you have any cameras that have a cloth bellows (like an old kodak folder etc) you may have a hard time cleaning those.

Are you intending on use these cameras or just keeping them as display pieces?

Regards
Dave

 

[chuasam]

I use tomato juice on the dog.

Must be a small dog.. would be kind of hard to wipe down a camera with say a husky dipped in tomato juice....

Maltese or shitzu are the best for this.

 

[Dave442]

Might be easier to just start smoking.

 

[robbins.photo]

I use tomato juice on the dog.

Must be a small dog.. would be kind of hard to wipe down a camera with say a husky dipped in tomato juice....

Maltese or shitzu are the best for this.

Hmm.. think covering the camera in shitzu would sort of defeat the whole purpose...

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