Had a lens cleaning go sideways when my ultrasonic cleaner decided to die

Last Tuesday I was cleaning a 50mm f1.4 for a customer and put it in my ultrasonic cleaner like always. Halfway through the cycle it just stopped working and started smoking a little bit... I panicked and pulled the lens out but it was already full of murky water. The element was salvageable after I dried it carefully with a blower and some isopropyl alcohol, but now I'm out $150 for a new cleaner. Anybody else had a cleaner just give up mid-job like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_allen1mo ago

Yeah that happened to me with a cheap one from Amazon a couple years back. Same thing, started smoking mid cycle and I had to fish a lens out of warm dirty water like a maniac. If you haven't already, grab one of the stainless steel tank ones with a timer and heat control. They cost a little more but they don't crap out on you after six months. Also pro tip if you didn't already do this, next time you get a new one run a test cycle with just water and a drop of dish soap to make sure it's not gonna blow up on you. Sucks about the 50 1.4, glad you saved the glass though.

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rodriguez.felix1mo ago

Oh man that exact thing happened to me with my first cleaner. I bought one of those cheapo digital ones and it literally melted the plastic tray on the third use. What finally worked for me was getting one of those industrial-looking ones from a dental supply site, it's just a black box with a metal tank and a single button for time. No timer display or heat settings, just a knob. I actually run mine with a little bit of distilled white vinegar and water instead of soap, seems to work better for getting grit out of the grooves. And yeah I learned the hard way too, always test a new one with something worthless first before you trust it with actual gear.