Removing Adhesive from lens

I have some stubborn adhesive around the lens/filter area that I need to remove.

I always tape a plastic bag around my camera and lens when doing cave shots, but this time I think my duct tape got super heated in the vehicle before I applied it causing the adhesive to come off or it is a cheap brand. I have never had this problem before, even when leaving it on for weeks.

Anyway, any recommendations on how to get it off. It's close to the glass/coatings, and the split where the lens turns for focus. It's an EFS lens so it is not weather sealed for liquids.

I'm thinking "goo-b-gone", lighter fluid, Bestine (rubber cement thinner)or something like that applied with a cue tip.

I once used eucalyptus oil to remove adhesive from wood. Not sure, but it might be less dangerous that some other 'solvents'.

Nathan

WD-40 works great for removing sticky residue. Don't know what it will do to lens coatings so be careful.

I've used lighter fluid in the past as it evaporates quickly and cleanly, but with modern cameras having a lot of adhesives on them you would want to be very careful.

Dave

We from Downunder use eucalyptus oil to remove a lot of things including glues of all kinds but be careful in case some may find its way through into the internals of your trusty friends insides it could be harmful, Your nazel passages will benifit whilst you are using it.
Charles R Kerr
Downunder

WD-40

I've heard Lens Clens is good and have used but not with the same situation you have. Moose Petersen swore by it.

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess obviously a lens cleaning solution would be the first place to start, rather than jumping to solvents, but I suspect it may not budge the thick adhesive it left. I like the WD40 option too.

I'll start with them before jumping to the nasty stuff. My can of Bestine is over 15 years old, I'm surprised it hasn't eaten through the can yet. . .

Hey Rob,

I checked with a friend of mine who's a retired plastics engineer, since he worked for some time with airplane windshields (yeah, one of the guys who shot chickens at airplane windshields). He wasn't sure, and was in fact skeptical about the reaction between lens coatings and solvents. Like me, he's had glass ruined by DEET.

His suggestion was to try a hair dryer to warm the adhesive, then try to "tack" it off with dry cotton sheet material. It would probably take a few treatments, but the stuff gets more gooey with heat, and therefore the surface layer at least should adhere to the cotton.

Lighter fluid (naptha) works great for removing sticky substances, like chewing gum or adhesive from tape and it doesn't leave a residue. I recently used it to remove some tree sap from a lens - alcohol was relatively ineffective. I have no idea what it might do to your lens coatings.