What sort of brush to clean capsules?

[Icantthinkofaname]

Any brush recommendations for cleaning capsules? And should they just be cleaned with distilled water?

 

[metalockpick]

A good stiff wire brush with some nitric acid should remove all of the gold from the diaphragm (not just scratch it by using something "soft", leaving you with a damaged, noisy or weak mic).

If it's an expensive mic, you'd be advised to have someone (Klaus Heine comes to mind) professionally clean it. Capsule Care Part 2: Dirty Capsules

I'm guessing he's using a solvent and an ultrasonic cleaner, but I've got no idea of his process.

And please don't take my first advice and destroy your mic

 

[Екатерина]

If it is not a conductive particle, do not clean it, as the coating will be damaged

 

[kingkorg]

There's been some paranoia regarding cleaning capsules. Mostly from people who parrot info from other people whom have never had any interaction with the material.

Mylar and coating are not really that fragile. If you think about it, about 120+gr weights are used to tension typical LDC. I use 250gr occasionally with 5 micron mylar with no issues. Maybe get some mylar to feel how resilient it really is in order go get some sense. That means there's no way gentle brushing will do any harm. Unless you are cleaning a very dirty capsule from 50s... Most dynamics have actually more fragile film, contrary to what many believe.

I've never had need to use any liquid, gentle strokes with finest brush you can find and some air at say 45° angle gets rid of any residue. Fine synthetic painting brush will do just fine.

If you must, use distilled water, but never any kind of alcohol or solvent no matter what anyone says. Not every gold deposit is equally resilient.

If it is an expensive capsule send it to someone who actually makes capsules, and not to Klaus Heyne who "pings" them in order to find out the resonance of the diaphragm.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

There's been some paranoia regarding cleaning capsules. Mostly from people who parrot info from other people whom have never had any interaction with the material.

Mylar and coating are not really that fragile. If you think about it, about 120+gr weights are used to tension typical LDC. I use 250gr occasionally with 5 micron mylar with no issues. Maybe get some mylar to feel how resilient it really is in order go get some sense. That means there's no way gentle brushing will do any harm. Unless you are cleaning a very dirty capsule from 50s... Most dynamics have actually more fragile film, contrary to what many believe.

I've never had need to use any liquid, gentle strokes with finest brush you can find and some air at say 45° angle gets rid of any residue. Fine synthetic painting brush will do just fine.

If you must, use distilled water, but never any kind of alcohol or solvent no matter what anyone says. Not every gold deposit is equally resilient.

If it is an expensive capsule send it to someone who actually makes capsules, and not to Klaus Heyne who "pings" them in order to find out the resonance of the diaphragm.

It's not, it's just a noisy B2 Pro, so a 797 capsule. I've cleaned the main PBC already so I figure it's either the capsule, or the part of the switch PCB that's dirty.

 

[C12VR]

are you certain it's even a dirt issue?

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

are you certain it's even a dirt issue?

Putting it in a case with a reusable dessicant pack didn't help (neither did leaving it powered on) so I'm pretty sure it's dirt.

 

[Екатерина]

I used to love cleaning capsules, but unfortunately, my softest makeup brush can also puncture the film at a specific angle

 

[kingkorg]

I used to love cleaning capsules, but unfortunately, my softest makeup brush can also puncture the film at a specific angle

I guess you've been extremely unlucky then.

@Icantthinkofaname here's a video, not for the faint of heart. I blow air against the capsule gently at 45°. There are some tiny particles left, but these will not affect the performance. Watch until the very end, you'll get the idea about mylar resilience, and you'll see something you've never seen before.



And the Faber Castell brush i use.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Crazy stuff at the end of the video

 

[kingkorg]

Crazy stuff at the end of the video

Dark magic

 

[rock soderstrom]

Watch until the very end, you'll get the idea about mylar resilience, and you'll see something you've never seen before.

Really not exaggerated!

 

[McIrish]

That was a very interesting video. was that a soldering iron at the end? Really?! man, I would never have thought it would end in that condition. Well done.

 

[Tim Campbell]

What temperature did you set the soldering iron to? The first membrane you clean I would not consider dirty at all. Years of spit on a capsule could never be removed with only air and a dry brush. If I get time I should make a video with the proper use of distilled water.
The abuse of the small diaphram is true but just when you think you can abuse a memebrane a simple thing like hard debris or a sharp brush bristle will puncture it and even the smallest puncture is a destroyed membrane. I can't remember PET film's data sheet but I wouldn't heat it above 100 degrees celcius.

 

[JMan]

Wow, that was insane. Not for the faint of heart indeed, but that is some sorcery.

 

[kingkorg]

Sorry, can't share the temperature of the soldering iron, the gentleman who generously shared the info with me a while a go asked me not to. I also use similar technique for stabilizing the mylar after skinning. Feel free to experiment tho..

 

[soliloqueen]

if you want to dust a capsule, you can use a very fine white goat hair brush, which can be found at museum conservator supply stores. They're used for cleaning museum pieces with gold leaf that's hundreds of years old, and i find them pretty effective at dusting capsule diaphragms without scratching or denting the coating or plastic in the (very, very few) situations where dusting is necessary. i have no experience with liquid washing.

edit:
you can use a soldering iron or heat gun to remove dents, but it might affect the tension. @kingkorg probably has more experience on how true that is than me right now. Its MOT is 150C without significant change in physical properties, with excursions up to its melting point at about 250C. It's one of the more heat-stable general use plastics. For reference, roasting bags are made of PET, and those go in directly in the oven. Thicker diaphragms will bend without puncturing, but I would treat something like a 3um diaphragm much more cautiously

 

[k brown]

How would a heat gun work in 'melting' out dents? Or is the danger there, in compromising the adhesive attaching the diaphragm to the ring; which the localized heat of the soldering iron wouldn't do?

--

Mylar was one of the layers of the foil covering the descent stage of the Lunar Module (though not the gold outer layer - that was Kapton).

 

[kingkorg]

you can use a soldering iron or heat gun to remove dents, but it might affect the tension.

It most certainly will, i was just demonstrating the resilience.

 

[Electrobumps]

I've just recently cleaned my K87 capsule. Distilled water is not always pure. All the stuff I found locally in stores still contained trace elements. So if it is designed for drinking I wouldn't use it. I personally decided to go lab grade.