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fpajonk [deleted] says:
A simple case of retaliation. Some photons got made at you for not letting them out.
Posted 31 months ago.
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Did you leave some air space between the gels and the flash surface?
Posted 31 months ago.
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NathanEbel.com [deleted] says:
You need to have space between the gel and the flash, otherwise the flash bursts will melt the gel
Posted 31 months ago.
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Chuck Loncki [deleted] says:
i just velcroed them to the flashhead as i always do.
they aren't flush with the lens... but pretty close.
should i leave more of a gap - and won't that cause some white light spill?
*those damn renegade photons are gonna pay for this.
Posted 31 months ago.
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that happened to me. After a little research on here I cleaned it off with toothpaste
Posted 31 months ago.
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This happened to me as well. I took the flash to my local repair guy who removed the stains with a chemical. Good as new.
Did the toothpaste scratch the flash lens? Toothpaste is abrasive.
Posted 31 months ago.
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actually.. if the plastic turn "rainbow" color... that usually mean there are some other particles (most likely from the silver reflector behind, but could be other source) was "diffused" by the heat.
that's how people do coating (for glass) or photo etching (for circuitry) back in the days, super heat certain type of material and these material will be vaporize (or ionized more technically) and stick on the reversed charged surface. to achieve a few atom thin layer. (by static electricity)
the "rainbow" color, was cause by light diffraction, the little particle are acting like TINY (reversed) prism (those who into photonic, i know it is not actually like prism, it is actually like Diffraction grating! but hey!) and breaking white light into multicolor. kind of like the ultra small holes on a CD surface.
It's not only flash has such problem, if you look at some always on spot light (such as those in the mall) they often have such problem too.. (and some with burn mark.. )
so in you case, like Mattograph mentioned. you just have to clean it up if it doesnt' stick to it really hard.
What to clean it with? well.. that's the tricky part.. it is really depends on what material was it... i got a feeling some really smooth toothpaste might be ok.. but dont' hold my word for that! .. i am no chemist ...
I still haven't got my flash like that.
Originally posted 31 months ago.
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kirk lau edited this topic 31 months ago.
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Davidoff_ [deleted] says:
I haven't had any problems with gels sticking to the flash, but I do have a few gels that get all crinkly after a couple of pops. I just hold them with a bit of tape or the built-in wide angle plastic on sb-800's. What method of holding them should I use to avoid the wavy gels after a couple pops ?
Posted 31 months ago.
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( I'm glad I built myself a magnetic holding system for the gels: they remain at several mm of the flash's lens, and no white spill at all )
Originally posted 31 months ago.
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Sodabowski edited this topic 31 months ago.
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Still thinking about the person who loves his 300$ flashes so much he wont use a substance that he's happy to rub all over his mouth twice daily...
Toothpaste I imagine would be fine, it's not as though you'll be doing it every morning and night.
Posted 31 months ago.
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Another cleaner that can work is car wax. I've had to clean clear plastic such as goggles and a cleaner car wax worked great. it's just the tinyest bit abrasive and did not leave any scratches....
Posted 31 months ago.
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i have a flash with discolored cover..
and burned reflector too.. :(
Posted 29 months ago.
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Years ago there was a product called Neverdull (sp?) which was a very fine abrasive paste that I used to polish the plastic lenses on the speedo and tach of my motorcycle.
Posted 29 months ago.
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if toothpaste doesn't work try polishing compound.
Posted 29 months ago.
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Please don't use toothpaste or polishing compound. I've done auto detailing and those have abrasives which just make micro-grooves on clear plastic. Which may not be a bad thing on a flash. :)
You can try one of the polishing cloths that are used in the CD/DVD repair kits. If that doesn't work, go down to you auto parts store and find a 3M Lens repair kit. It is designed to do a very fine polish on plastic. As always with plastic, use very light pressure.
Posted 29 months ago.
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Matt Arlet | m23photo.com [deleted] says:
@Sodabowski Cool but how do snot or grid that?
Posted 29 months ago.
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Toothpaste works quite well. It's very gentle grit polishes out the discoloration. Just use some water with it to dilute it, and use it carefully. I just use the tip of my finger to gently trace small circles around the affected area. Check as you go. No biggie.
Rinse & repeat as needed.
( DH: I've waited 2 years to sneak that one in; like I invented it myself :)
If you're really worried, try just using water and scrubbing away with your finger.
Posted 29 months ago.
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I've never had a problem using toothpaste on flashes, mobile phone screens and the like. Scratching the offending area with a fingernail comes first, and if that doesn't work I'll use the toothpaste. I only use a very small quantity and I don't apply it with a toothbrush, obviously - I use Scheimpflug Rules' technique or a cotton bud. It works and has never caused me any problems.
The best thing about it, though, is that your flash will smell minty fresh. Which is nice. :-)
Posted 29 months ago.
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