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Cemented Groups & Balsam Seperation?

Started Jul 3, 2018 | Discussions thread
OP (unknown member) Veteran Member • Posts: 4,469
Re: Cemented Groups & Balsam Seperation?

Thanks. Actually cleaned up well, old balsam was liquified for some reason. Just need to re-cement them. I'll do some searching.

Appreciate it.

saxyomega90125 wrote:

I have seen several microscope lenses that had balsam separation in a doublet. Common problem. The cheap solution is to take the group out, soak it in lab-grade acetone for a few days or lab-grade isopropyl alcohol for a week or two, then reassemble with immersion oil replacing the balsam (microscope lenses typically self-space well).

So it can be done, but if the affected group has more than two elements then things might get hairy.

I've noticed a lot of photographers aren't hardware tinkerers, so this may not be the best forum for this kind of info. Find a forum dealing with microscopes or especially binocs - some guys in Cloudy Nights do this stuff. Those are the people who can tell you how best to be rid of the old balsam and point you to a good modern cement to replace it (obviously immersion oil in a camera lens is a bad plan).

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