How to treat lenses and cameras that have been in the loft for 20+ years??

J

juno

Suspended / Banned
Messages
83
Name
Dan 'Saul' Knight
Edit My Images
Yes
Anything special I need to do with these before bringing them down into the house? The loft isn't the warmest or driest of places. All been packed in bags and bubble wrap but not airtight. Some really old stuff like plate cameras and bellows cameras and a few newer like an OM1 and an OM30, and several lenses.
 
If they have any condensation put them in a bowl of rice or something that will remove any moisture.
And do a check of the lenses for signs of fungus.

Then photograph them and let the F+C section drool over them :P
 
Seal them in plastic bags then bring them down and let them slowly stabilise to the new temperature for a day or two before you open the bags.

Fungus has to be a real danger if they've been in a dark and humid environment - so give them a good check over. I look forward to seeing what you have. :thumbs:
 
They probably have some traces of asbestos on them. Due to humid storage conditions, microorganisms may be thriving in the equipment and may have developed to highly contagious species. I would treat them with due care and treat them as potentially hazardous, then keep in quarantine for the next 48 hours.









:lol: (just kidding)
 
They will almost certainly have asbestos on them, wrap them carefully in plenty of bubble wrap - so the asbestos doesn't escape - and post them to me, I can dispose of them for you.

;P
 
We did have an asbestos survey years ago and nothing came up ;) But I've picked up a nasty cough since going up there.....

Thanks for the help, got some airtight freezer bags from the bay, will seal them up and leave them downstairs for a few days before playing.

Got more somewhere.....used to be fascinated by cameras years ago, saved many from the rubbish dump. Had about 100 at one point, regret selling some a few years ago. But hard times and all, no choice.

Still have to find my Zorki and lenses, first camera, had a lot of fun with that one. Intend to give it a treat by running a few rolls through it :)
 
Last edited:
assuming you dig them out and they're in ok shape, you could consider a nice mirrorless system as a 'digital back' - they're giving older lenses a new lease of life it seems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top