Tried cleaning a lens element with lighter fluid and it worked too well

I had a Yashica Electro 35 with some serious haze on the front element. Read online that lighter fluid (naphtha) can cut through that kind of residue without damaging coatings if you're careful. So I dabbed a Q-tip, gave it a gentle wipe, and the haze vanished in one pass. Problem is the coating came off with it. I could see a clear patch where the original amber reflection used to be. Lesson learned: lighter fluid is great for cleaning gum off concrete but it's too aggressive for old multicoated lenses. Now I have a lens with a spot that flares like crazy in backlight. Has anyone successfully recoat elements or am I stuck using this thing as a prop?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_knight1913h ago

Ronsonol took the blue off a vintage finder I had.

lewis.brian10h ago

30 seconds? man that's wild. I'd be sick if that happened to a vintage finder, those old blue dials are just too perfect to mess with. lmao i can't believe it stripped that fast, like a lighter fluid didn't stand a chance against that paint. i've got a beat up old Kodak Retina that could probably use some cleaning but now i'm scared to even look at it wrong. your buddy must have been kicking himself after that.

the_miles13h ago

Had a buddy try the same thing on an old Zenith he found at a flea market. @grace_knight19, he used Ronsonol for like 30 seconds and the blue was completely gone too. He still swears by it for cleaning up old dials, but only on the cheap ones now.