Cleaning oRings, & their grooves

[lanwu]

The advice that i've been using is to clean the oRing metal parts that collect salt deposits over time with a water/vinegar mixture, which works great.

I was wondering though, would the water vinegar mixture harm orings?

Main reasong htat i'm asking is I have a part that is very small part....the Mode Dial pin plus oring for PT-015. It's very salty (bad design by Olympus here)...with an oring which i'm reluctant to remove coz it's such a small oring - in fear that I'll wreck the oring by moving it.

ANy comments anyone?

 

[jcclink]

Water/vinegar solution is very good for soaking metal parts in to dissolve deposits. After soaking for several minutes, rinse with clean water & wipe dry. If some deposits were not completely dissolved, try rubbing gently with something like a green ScotchGard pad or coarse cloth. As for the o-ring remove it before soaking. Deposits are probably also in the o-ring groove under the o-ring. This small area cannot be properly cleaned with the o-ring in place. I would also suggest replacing the o-ring since it is out. As you said, the inner/outer shaft design is flawed. The smallest Olympus o-ring is not properly sized. You have probably read the this control is subject to weepage & leak. Below are o-rings sizes & suppliers. RickG on DigitalDiver.net might still have some o-ring kits available. Make sure you use the correct sizes.

PT-015 O-Ring Sizes

Here's a URL to the thread that contains all the information on the c5050 orings:

http://www.digitaldiver.net/yabbse/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=5433

Japanese JIS 2401 "P" series is the Standard for sizes P3 & P5, you'll find the standard here: http://mdmetric.com/or/jispgb.htm

All o-rings BUNA 70 (aka nitrile)

buttons:

seventeen o-rings, order number OR-2.8X1.9 from Maryland Metrics ( $3.94 per 100)
(aka Japanese Standard Size P3) http://mdmetric.com/

on/off & mode dial control:

one o-ring, order number OR-4.8X1.9 from Maryland Metrics ( $3.94 per 100)
(aka Japanese Standard Size P5)

one o-ring, Precision Associates custom o-ring 0.053 x 0.074 (unknown cost)
http://www.precisionassoc.com/customf.htm (1-800-394-6590)

 

[lanwu]

....The smallest Olympus o-ring is not properly sized....

Hi Jcclink,

You mean to say that Olympus issued the wrong size oRing with it's PT015 housing? I took it out & it all looks pretty grotty! Good thing it's now a backup for my Ikelite, but it sounds like some replacement orings are in order.

I was following the thread from RickG on DD yesterday....I'll see if anyone has spare still...Tahnkjs

 

[jcclink]

The small o-ring OD should be larger than the outer shaft bore ID to provide a slight interference fit (just a few thousandths). RickG measured all the diameters & discovered that its OD is actually smaller than the shaft bore ID. This condition does not meet standard o-ring design standards.

 

[leisure4life]

The advice that i've been using is to clean the oRing metal parts that collect salt deposits over time with a water/vinegar mixture, which works great.

I was wondering though, would the water vinegar mixture harm orings?

Main reasong htat i'm asking is I have a part that is very small part....the Mode Dial pin plus oring for PT-015. It's very salty (bad design by Olympus here)...with an oring which i'm reluctant to remove coz it's such a small oring - in fear that I'll wreck the oring by moving it.

ANy comments anyone?

I think that is the O-ring would be damaged upon removal, it may be time for its replacement anyway. For Olympus models, black o-rings are most effective with silicone based lubricants. The Vinegar can and will breakdown the silicone imbedded in the ring. I advise if you do soak w/ vinegar, you find replacement O-rings at SubAquatic Camera Repair Company, Salinas Ca.