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Cleaning/Maintaining X-Metals

I have been wondering about using this to clean the microfiber bags and cloths

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Haven't done it yet but wondering if any members have used microfiber cleaners to wash the MF bags?

No- don't use it. That's HIGHLY abrasive-plus it will leave something of a film on your lenses. That product is designed to pump up microfiber absorbent properties and actually give microfiber fabric something of a waxy/slick effect on wiping. Generally speaking anything remotely related to car finishes shouldn't be used- people forget that car finishes- paint/clearcoat- is actually HIGHLY durable and HIGHLY repairable and that many products, if not most, designed for them are pretty abrasive petroleum distillates.
 
I throw my bags in the laundry when I do gentle soap, low-agitation stuff ... air dry, never dryer, not even for a air tumble, though a no heat air tumble probably would not hurt them ...

As for any of my (types) of frames - X, O-Matter, Wires ... - I am a complete disassemble person. Wash the rubbers in Soft Soap, or the like, same with frames. paper towel dry the frames or air dry.

Then I clean leses only with lens cleaner, & often times the frames too.

Then my trick, which I am sure folks will most likely not agree with, but I spray a spritz of rubbing alcohol down the rubbers, & even on the certain frame areas & then quickly slide the rubbers on, ... no "slippery" residue of other stuff left behind for some of the rubbers to twist on ... the alcohol dries/evaporates almost instantly.

Then a dash of some Oakley Lens Cleaner on the rubbers with a microfiber towel I keep around in a little cleaning kit/setup I have.
 
No- don't use it. That's HIGHLY abrasive-plus it will leave something of a film on your lenses. That product is designed to pump up microfiber absorbent properties and actually give microfiber fabric something of a waxy/slick effect on wiping. Generally speaking anything remotely related to car finishes shouldn't be used- people forget that car finishes- paint/clearcoat- is actually HIGHLY durable and HIGHLY repairable and that many products, if not most, designed for them are pretty abrasive petroleum distillates.

Appreciate the info
 
Well.....I'd been using SoftSoap on my microbags and lenses for decades and I have lenses that are 15 years old and look brand spanking new- but I've evolved somewhat with time and moved away from soap. Now I wasn't initially thrilled with Oakley lens cleaner (and its SGH equivalent) as I wasn't really certain it provided enough lubrication to clear dirt/dust when cleaning on the fly. And I still don't. BUT----I've never cleaned on the fly- if a lens is dirty/sweaty, until I can do my at home process on it, I grab another pair. At this point for X-Metal frames, lenses and microbags I use the lens cleaner in place of soap in that process as itts nothing but an isopropanoI (rubbing alcohol) and water blend so from a solvent/cleaning perspective it gets the just done without abrasives

Basically its cold water over the frame and lenses, shake excess, spray cleaner on frame, rub, rinse, shake, spray cleaner on lenses, rub, rinse, shake, pat dry with microfiber, rub dry with old school Oakley microbag (the silk-like ones). For cleaning microbags, I soak in cold water, wring, saturate with cleaner, rub together, rinse, dry.

I think that's the process I'll adopt from now on as to me it is the most thorough and feels the least stressful on frame and lens. Most thorough aside from disassembling and cleaning that is: cold water on frame/lenses, shake, spray cleaner on frame, rub, rinse, shake, spray cleaner on lenses, rub, rinse, shake, pat dry with microfiber, rub dry with old school Oakley microfiber bag (QUESTION: what are the chances my Juliet No Serial X-Metal Frame came with this sort of bag and not the less-silky one?)
 
I think that's the process I'll adopt from now on as to me it is the most thorough and feels the least stressful on frame and lens. Most thorough aside from disassembling and cleaning that is: cold water on frame/lenses, shake, spray cleaner on frame, rub, rinse, shake, spray cleaner on lenses, rub, rinse, shake, pat dry with microfiber, rub dry with old school Oakley microfiber bag (QUESTION: what are the chances my Juliet No Serial X-Metal Frame came with this sort of bag and not the less-silky one?)

Others might be able to speak more authoritatively about that but from what I've experienced- its not likely as from my recollection most of those types of bags were issued in the late 1990's to very early 2000's. You can spot them though- they're not black- they're more a brownish color; I have a black one that is close to those older ones but still not on the same level (its thinner). The only recent microbag I've encountered that has been like those older ones is the Elite microbag that came with the Pit Boss (the first one, maybe the second though I can't vouch for that, I've never held one from the second PB). I cringe when I touch these new microbags- ESPECIALLY the special editions like the Infinite Hero. They feel rough and harsh...aside from they clean and absorb NOTHING.
 
Others might be able to speak more authoritatively about that but from what I've experienced- its not likely as from my recollection most of those types of bags were issued in the late 1990's to very early 2000's. You can spot them though- they're not black- they're more a brownish color; I have a black one that is close to those older ones but still not on the same level (its thinner). The only recent microbag I've encountered that has been like those older ones is the Elite microbag that came with the Pit Boss (the first one, maybe the second though I can't vouch for that, I've never held one from the second PB). I cringe when I touch these new microbags- ESPECIALLY the special editions like the Infinite Hero. They feel rough and harsh...aside from they clean and absorb NOTHING.
I definitely don't clean the lenses with the micro bag. As far as I'm concerned it is only to protect the lenses from scratching. I use one of the cloths from the cleaning kit that the lens cleaner comes in. Even that I washed prior to use. When you wash it (at least the black Oakley ones in the newer kits) a TON of black dye comes out. I give them several rinses with soft soap and water in the sink and after a very good rinsing let them air dry. That's also how I clean my bags. Haven't had any scratches at all using this method and regular washing of the cleaning cloth keeps it from smearing around oils on my lenses. I will try to just rinse the cloth with water like @xmetalmaniac suggested to try that out. May add some Oakley lens cleaner in place of the soap as well.
 
I definitely don't clean the lenses with the micro bag. As far as I'm concerned it is only to protect the lenses from scratching. I use one of the cloths from the cleaning kit that the lens cleaner comes in. Even that I washed prior to use. When you wash it (at least the black Oakley ones in the newer kits) a TON of black dye comes out. I give them several rinses with soft soap and water in the sink and after a very good rinsing let them air dry. That's also how I clean my bags. Haven't had any scratches at all using this method and regular washing of the cleaning cloth keeps it from smearing around oils on my lenses. I will try to just rinse the cloth with water like @xmetalmaniac suggested to try that out. May add some Oakley lens cleaner in place of the soap as well.

That's a good idea! Oakley Lens Cleaner as a cleaning solution on the cleaning cloth itself :) Maybe not the cheapest answer, but I think a pretty good compromise between "should I use soap to clean my microfiber bag/cleaning cloth or not" dilemma
 
That's a good idea! Oakley Lens Cleaner as a cleaning solution on the cleaning cloth itself :) Maybe not the cheapest answer, but I think a pretty good compromise between "should I use soap to clean my microfiber bag/cleaning cloth or not" dilemma
Can't take credit for that idea, wasn't mine, lol. My vault refills my cleaning solution for free. I use tons of that stuff. Even use it to clean the bathroom mirrors, lol.
 
I've used palmolive dish soap, and a paper towel to clean my lenses for at least the last 15 years. The caveat, is i use the dish soap directly on the lens, use my fingers to rub it in under running water until the squeaky clean feeling, which means the oils and contaminants are all gone from the lens and my skin, and then only use the paper towel to pat dry the water off NEVER RUBBING them with the towel. The ONLY time I use microfiber to clean is when i accidentally touch the lens. If you actually carry a microfiber around it collects everything. which is why they scratch lenses over time. I have never had a scratch after cleaning using this method, and the lens ALWAYS is crystal clear afterwards. I'm sure i'll take heat for this, but i do the same for my reg RX lenses, and they don't have a mark on them.
 
I didn't know this! I've been washing the bags with soap... How are you supposed to get the oil out of them if you can't use soap? Rinsing them under the water is enough?
I use liquid degreaser like the one we use to wash the dishes for an oily microfiber cloth works best all the time to take off oil.
 
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