I have used CRC electrical contact cleaner for years on electrical assemblies; you can find it at Home Depot and Lowes in the electrical supplies section. Another "solution" is Everclear, available from your local gun & beverage store, at least the ones' I know in Fallon, Nevada... .
I have used CRC electrical contact cleaner for years on electrical assemblies; you can find it at Home Depot and Lowes in the electrical supplies section. Another "solution" is Everclear, available from your local gun & beverage store, at least the ones' I know in Fallon, Nevada... .
tanglefoot47 wrote:
Isn't an eraser a little abrasive? Think I have heard not to use it on contacts.
You probably heard it from a contact cleaner salesman.
Seriously, I've been using the eraser end of a pencil for battery and lens contacts for years; never had a problem. I just go gently, and I break out the contact cleaner if it's really bad.
From the school of "If it ain't broke....", do you clean your contracts only after you have had an error occur, or just as a routine maintenance process? Having owned Canon gear for over 8 years, I have never cleaned contacts.
If you guys are cleaning the contacts just for the sake of cleaning the contacts... it really isn't necessary. I would only clean them if you are having a problem such as a corroded battery in a flash, or something along those lines. I think more photographers damage their equipment by overzealous cleaning than other common causes.
chas wrote:
From the school of "If it ain't broke....", do you clean your contracts only after you have had an error occur, or just as a routine maintenance process? Having owned Canon gear for over 8 years, I have never cleaned contacts.
Ben Horne wrote:
If you guys are cleaning the contacts just for the sake of cleaning the contacts... it really isn't necessary. I would only clean them if you are having a problem such as a corroded battery in a flash, or something along those lines. I think more photographers damage their equipment by overzealous cleaning than other common causes.
"If it ain't broke don't fix it" works for some folk, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" works for others.
I look at my contacts every time I change a lens or a battery. If I see any black or green where I should see only silver or gold, I clean it; if I don't, I don't.
The contacts are gold plated, and do not ozidize. The "wiping" action as you twist a lens to install it will almost always wipe away any light dirt or oil.
Unless you are in a very dirty / oily environment, cleaning the contacts only serves to wear off the gold plating, and then you really will need to clean corrosion away.
If you must clean them, use a soft non-abrasive cloth and alcohol or a non-abrasive contact cleaner.
I've had dozens of lenses and many camera bodies over the past 15 years and never needed to clean the contacts.
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