CLEANING YOUR MINOX CAMERA -------------------------- The classic Minox camera is made with a "clamshell" design which lets the vital parts of the camera hide away when it is closed. However, even then the camera is not perfectly sealed! Pocket lint, dust, and dirt can find their way into the camera even when closed. This is why it's important to keep your Minox in a case when carried in pocket or purse. It's important to keep the lens window, viewfinder windows, and meter window clean for proper operation of the camera. The easiest way I have found is to use a cotton swab (q-tip) with a drop of Kodak Lens Cleaner to clean these windows. NEVER drop lens cleaning solution onto the lens or viewfinder windows! They are not sealed, so the fluid can migrate into the camera which would require disassembly to remove. Use a small drop on the q-tip and clean the lens window and viewfinder windows in a circular motion. It may be easier to spot fingerprints and smudges on the lens window by sliding the dark neutral density filter into place. Often you will see a Minox that looks old and dirty simply because the front and back brushed aluminum panels are covered with finger grime. If the camera was handled by a heavy smoker, this grime can appear yellow or orange. The easiest way to clean these panels is the same procedure used on the lens window. Use a q-tip or the rolled up end of a paper towel moistened with a drop or two of lens cleaner. The finger grime should come off easily. Use care when cleaning the front panel, especially around the shutter release and dials. If you wish to use a dry method of cleaning, an ART GUM ERASER works wonders on removing the grime without hurting the finish. DO NOT use an abrasive eraser such as the type for erasing ink! Make sure to use an ART GUM eraser only! It make take a little more elbow grease than the wet method, but your camera will look almost brand new when you finish. Many times I have seen Minox cameras in horribly dirty condition up for auction on the internet. If only the sellers would spend a few minutes cleaning up their cameras, they could easily get $25-$50 more for their Minox! CLEANING THE FILM CHAMBER ------------------------- Keeping the film chamber clean is important for any camera, but it is even more important when dealing with the tiny 8x11mm Minox negative. A small piece of lint will be magnified to the size of a tree branch when enlarged. A tiny speck of grit or dirt can cause "telegraph lines"--scratches that run across the image. The easiest way to make sure the film chamber is clean is to clean it right before inserting a new roll of film. Open the back of the camera and make sure the film pressure plate is CLOSED. Using canned air, a clean ear syringe, or a puffer type lens brush, blow out the supply and takeup chambers while holding the camera upside down. The reason is so that the dirt and lint, once dislodged, will fall down, away from the camera. The film pressure plate should be closed because if it were open, the dirt and lint could enter the area between the pressure plate and the lens, which is impossible to get to without disassembling the camera. Now, how about that pressure plate? Since the pressure plate is constantly clamping down on the film and retracting during winding, it can collect dust and lint around the edges. The clamping action often presses the lint down onto the pressure plate, and there it stays. While you could open the pressure plate and carefully sweep around the slot with a camel hair brush, this would likely push the dust and lint further into the camera. The best and easiest way to deal with this problem is with 3M post-it notes! Get a pad of post-its, and tear one off. The tacky adhesive strip on the back is just right for picking up lint and dust without leaving any residue behind. Take the post-it with the tacky edge at the top and fold it in half so that it's tacky on both sides. Take this edge and insert it into the open film gate all the way so that it is occupying the space that the film would normally sit. Clamp the gate down onto the post-it several times, then open the gate and remove the post-it and take a look at it. You may notice a nice 8x11mm rectangle of dirt and lint that was picked up. Take another post-it and repeat the procedure as many times as necessary until it comes out clean.