Housings and camera housekeeping.

I like to hear what everyone else does to keep/clean their equipment in between dives.

I rinse my Ikelite briefly after every dive and as soon as I get home or back at the hotel room place the housing in a tub/bucket with some baby shampoo to break down any salt crystals. Is it a better way to get it clean before removing the camera or storing away?

I clean my sensor with the methanol wipes that supposedly don't leave any residue. You use them once and discard.

I wish someone would come up with an easier method. I'm one of those spastics that when shooting topside is always thinking the lens on the bag would be better than the one in the camera for this shot. You can imagine the amount of crap that get inside the camera with many lens changes in the outdoors, I have rats living there.

Any experience with the brush that get static charge out of blowing air from a can ?

I clean the inside of my port with breath and a lens cloth. Some times LOTS of breath seem like.

Any better idea?

Finally the million dollar question. What do you do with minor scratches in the outside of the port?

I heard thootpaste will remove it. Never had the courage to try. I'm just few scratches short of scratch number 100 but haven't notice them in my pictures even when zooming at 100%.

Should I worry at all ?

Hugo

I don't know about the baby shampoo, i would be affraid to put any solvent of any kind in contact with the silicone grease of my o-ring. I just soak for a good while and its cool.

I use an air (rectal) blowing pump like the one you get at the drug store, use the power supply or clean CCD mode on your camera, never B mode since the chip is charged in B mode and actually attracts dust... NEVER and I mean NEVER use compressed air from a can or god forbid your tank.

For your port I use the same method, albeit if i need alcool, i'll have a scotch on the rocks then breathe into it

Scratches, well if they don't show leave them alone, if it aint brooken don't fix it! if you need to fix check out the multiple post in the archives of Wetpixel.

the rinsing sounds good but i have never used anything but water...dont know what baby shampoo will do to the o-rings...

As far a the million dollar question goes this is what I do for scratches on my dome...I use novus plastic polish...comes in three grits, heavy, fine and a cleaning solution. I buy it from Antique Electric Supply ...www.tubesandmore.com....pg 78 in catologue...the stuff works great and keeps my ports looking new....if you travel get the small bottles that way if the TSA thiefs freak out then you are not out much...

If you ever dive with the Abermetheys you will realize how inportant this stuff is....shark skin is murder on ports

Thanks Red3. Just ordered the 3 different grades of plastic polisher to carry with my housing. Thanks

Hugo

Here's my typical routine for local diving (drive to site, dive twice, come back home):

Immediately after diving:

- rinse rig under running water shortly after getting back to shore (if there's a shower, I rinse my drysuit while it's on me).

At home:

- dunk rig in tub of fresh water, play with all buttons, and let it sit between 1 hour (must dive next day) or 24 hours (lazy/tired).

- dismantle rig entirely

- place ULCS hardware in tub of warm water (until you need to reassemble rig)

- clean and re-grease ALL o-rings (housing, port, strobes, modeling light, synch cords)

- clean outside of port with mild soapy water

- clean inside of port with lint-free wipes and a very small amount of de-fogging solution

And, when you need to dive, put it all back together the day before the dive (dunk test, strobe test, camera test, etc.).

What about if you have only one dome port, like me.

Sould I leave the port on all the time or sould i take away and store?

I store the port installed in the housing but remove the O-rings from the port and the back portion to let them recover their shape. O-rings get to sleep together in a clean sandwich bag and I re grease them before re installing.

Hugo

I use a " Cold Box" very offen

Is it so small that you can take it in the airplane (I have put some Foam inside)

Is easy to transport the rig from Diveplace to dive place.

You can fill it with saltwater (box is watertight) untill you can rinse you housing

you dont need to have the rig in the sun

It is not expensive!!