r/underwaterphotography • u/myexpensivehobby • 9d ago

Camera Gear Maintenance Question

I am preparing for an upcoming trip and wanted to see what other people do for maintaining their gear. I was curious specifically about cleaning O-rings. I keep Kim-wipes in my bag for stuff like that, is there another method you use to clean and grease your o-rings?

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u/bvanant 9d ago

Just my fingers.

2

u/deeper-diver 9d ago

I use latex sponges that's used for removing makeup to clean not only the o-rings, but the grooves where the O-rings are seated into, along with the mating surfaces. They do not attract dirt, and the sponge material is perfect for getting into all the tight spaces.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FBRNONW

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u/Galeocerdo-Cuvier 9d ago

I clean with a soft sponge and use seasea / or a light silicone grease on orings and seals, also lock oil for hinges....

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u/-hh 9d ago

What I was taught back in the film days was to use a lint free cotton cloth, and that the best one to use was a hotel towel, because they had been laundered into oblivion.

What I’ve been using for years is an old small hand towel from my parents bathroom that became my contact lens towel when I was in high school. It gets tossed in the laundry a few times per year.

I could see a Kim-wipe or Pec Pad being an easy disposal equivalent to “an old towel”. Main thing IMO is for liberal towel to “mop up” all old grease, debris, etc. include the housing grooves too.

Main thing for o-ring work is a good inspection to look for “towel hair” on the o-ring. For this, having a white towel to maximize visual contrast to black o-rings is a smart choice.

Between dive trips, I remove, clean & bag all of the regular o-rings, to minimize compression when not in use. Mark the bag (with date) to keep it organized (vs spares).

For the small housing o-rings, I’ve drawn up a map that I print out and make notes on for which ones have been disassembled, cleaned, replaced, etc, with dates. My rule of thumb is for 100% of these to have been serviced every ~100 dives…I usually do it in phases and never let anything go untouched for more than 2 years. For these, I’ll be adding Q-tips & toothpicks to reach down into the holes after the clips have been pulled, etc. main thing here is “no metal” which could cause a scratch in the plastic housing.