> but, you could try dumping it in alcohol (methanol/ethanol) after thorough > rinsing with distilled water - alcohol is hydroscopic and will absorb the > water. Repeat soaking it in fresh changes of alcohol before drying it the > dry air of an airconditioner. The alcohol is volatile and will evaporate > off taking whatever residual water may be around. Revisiting this, I'm always happy to discuss different repair techniques with other repairers and folk who are interested.. Since camera techs are as mortal as the rest of you lot .. ;-) .. I can assure you that the repairer presented with the average soggy camera will have the same tools give or take a screwdriver as everyone else and will procede to do the same things as I describe. Unless the camera is a tropical field camera, there is no threat to any of ther gizzards of the average modern electronic marvel by being soaked in alcohol. None of the plastics are soluble in alcohol, none of the adhesives and none of the paints or coatings. The foam mirror bumper and that around the camera back may expand, but it often returns to normal and is a cheap repair at the worst of times. The normal procedure is to open the camera up and spray alcohol in, rinsing down the camera while alternately spraying with compressed dessicated air until it is clean and dry. Lubricants are unaffected except in the older mechanicals where they can harden a bit and will need to be washed away with denatured mineral oil or Shellite and replaced. Another thing to consider with the electronic beasts which are unfortunate enough to sport an LCD is that often these LCD displays have their own battery burried deep inside the camera. Removing the main battery may prevent some problems but the button cell that remains can do as much damage as the main power supply unless removed :-/ Sadly the tracks and connections in many of the newer circuits are so fine that even the smallest amount of corrosion can cause irreparable damage. In my experience, salvage techniques and cleaning are best left to mechanicals and older hybrid electronic models - the new ones are best left to the insurance company. k
