I'm just glad this wasn't posted in the Barber Shop, since I have apparently been banned for life from that venue.
Foggy binoculars
- Thread starter AACJ
- Start date
Way back in 2008, things may well have been different, though.
A decent pair of weather-sealed and nitrogen-filled compact binoculars was about $100 back in the '90s. A decent example are the Pentax UCF 8x21 binocs, which can still be found occasionally. Nowadays, NOS units are discounted to about $50, used you can find them for under $30. However, make sure to buy the older Made in Japan version. The newer Made in China version is at least optically noticeably inferior. My brother is binocular nut and I remember well his comparison between the two versions. He ended up selling the newer ones and kept the old ones although the extending eyecups were damaged due to wear.
Hopefully OP did the dead goldfish trick, and just bought another pair of $25 binocs on the sly ...
AA
AA
Plastic box, lots of proper desiccate (not rice), leave the box in a hot car for a few hours in the summer, but not in direct sunlight. If that doesnt fix it, they are a gonner. But it should.
Uncooked rice is a good desiccant. If you can get 6 pounds of silica gel, even better. One pound of the latter will cost $15 and up.
One pound??? I was thinking 10 grams. That is more than enough desiccate for the job.
Rice comes with very fine rice dust. When combined with moisture that becomes a thin film inside whatever you are trying to dry. Yes, the rice will absorb the moisture. It will also, potentially, leave a mess which you will not be able to remove. There is a reason why manufactures leave a little bag of desiccate in with their products, rather than a teabag of rice, which as you say, would be cheaper.
Walk into any camera/shoe/bag shop and be nice. They will give you a handful of desiccate baggies for free.
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I didn't advise to stick the binocs without protection into the rice. Obviously, an organic product like rice would not be suitable for longterm protection simply because it will become a breeding ground and food source for mites and other bugs. As for 10 g silica gel being able to dry out binoculars, good luck. There's a difference between absorbing a large quantity of moisture and preventing high humidity in enclosed packaging or in a pill container. Seems to me that cheap rice is an appropriate remedy for cheap, fogged binocs. Oh, and a molecular sieve will be a far more efficient desiccant than silica gel.
ive done this before. A few times...
less than one drop of water is needed to fog up binos. 10g of silica will sort that out. The op has fogged binos, not ones full of water. A few packs of silica will do the job. Or screw it. Damn the torpedoes.
Throw it in a pound of rice and good luck. I am only going by professional experience.
I am a bit disappointed. I found the link to this in the speakeasy and had not noticed it had been moved. I thought foggy binoculars was the name of a fun new cocktail. I should be.
It's like beer goggles, but for when the women are a lot farther away.
Ok, I have never heard of the term "airing cupboard." What's it used for? Besides drying out binoculars.....
I found this link describes it better than I could: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-airing-cupboard.htm
"An airing cupboard is a small room or closet which is designed to house the core elements of a heating system, such as a boiler or hot water heater. This term is more widely used in Britain; the phrase “hot press” is also used. The “airing” in this term comes from the common practice of hanging slightly damp clothing and linens inside this generally warm room, allowing them to thoroughly dry. These closets are also used for the storage of linens."
Very nice. Great idea. Thanks [MENTION=110227]Kiwi_Sean[/MENTION]
