Jenkem Article on DIY Xtreme repair/refurbishing

[CossRooper]

https://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2024/01/22/can-the-most-sought-after-fisheye-lens-in-skateboarding-be-saved/

That lens is the Century Optics Xtreme Fisheye, the favorite fisheye of HPX users, i.e. the Strobeck setup. Unless you are sitting on an extra car downpayment or backed by rich parents, this lens is unobtainable. If, and we stress IF, you can afford a lens, it’s still heavily prone to dings, scratches, and cracks, potentially sending that briefcase of cash down the drain.

This leads us to Trevor Dare, a filmmaker whose recent endeavor is rebuffing, refurbishing, and saving scratched Xtreme lenses. While the process is somewhat secret, we wanted to pick the brain of this fisheye doctor and try to figure out the future of this popular lens.

[BAGHEAD CREW]

I seen Mike Crook from Canada also doing this but I don't think he was re-coating them.
The main issue is re-applying the AR coating on the lens that defuses the sun, otherwise you're left with an overly soft image. Hopefully this is a solid solution to many Xtreme users issues, just depends on the price I guess.

[CHONGO]

Wish I bought one when they were 3k.

[suckmadeck]

For $3500 for the whole operation to the lens, I'd rather just not have an Xtreme lmao

[lydius]

wasn't he filming a lot of the Rassvet dudes? awesome to hear he's rescuing these. a scratch or two should not render something so important completely useless.

[green]

I don't know much about recoating optical lenses but if this guy is doing it in his kitchen that's seriously impressive. Either way though, the gatekeeping is weird.

Now that I've done this a couple times I thought I'd at least share a rough layout of my process –
after a long search for a replacement for the one I had stolen in 2019, I got a great deal on a damaged and modded HVX Xtreme last summer. I was able to de-coat and refinish the front element, then adapt it to my HPX171.

Here's a before pic of the lens with scuffed front element:


The trick to removing the optical coating, which i unfortunately did not document, is to soak the whole front element in apple cider vinegar overnight. This step dissolves the aluminum-based metal deposits which make up the coating, without any need for buffing.

Afterwards, you'll probably still see some light scratches that were hidden underneath the scuffs. Here's where the next steps come in–


my sketchy work setup – any cheap random orbital buffer, a new polishing pad, and a small amount of automotive chrome polish are all you need.

Duct tape the front element to a sturdy object like so. Sit down, hold the object between the knees, and buff lightly and evenly, not focusing too hard on any specific area.


Be sure to stop after a few even passes, and make sure you're not pushing down too hard or long anywhere, which can give the glass surface a rough, orange peel-like finish.

Here's the final product, more or less back to new, minus one grain of sand-sized chip and the missing coating. Note the missing screws, we'll get around to that later.


HVX200 rear assembly, minus the rubber-cemented 72mm adapter ring that was used to screw this onto an HPX prior


yeeted the original outer ring + cut and trimmed an HPX mounting ring from an old century bayo mount wide angle adapter:


aligned to the camera bayo mount, drilled some holes in the right places, test fit, and reassembled. Old screws for test fit only


finished product with all new hardware and washers from Sifvert Skruv AB

[fisheye talk]

I don't know much about recoating optical lenses but if this guy is doing it in his kitchen that's seriously impressive. Either way though, the gatekeeping is weird.

Now that I've done this a couple times I thought I'd at least share a rough layout of my process –
after a long search for a replacement for the one I had stolen in 2019, I got a great deal on a damaged and modded HVX Xtreme last summer. I was able to de-coat and refinish the front element, then adapt it to my HPX171.

Here's a before pic of the lens with scuffed front element:


The trick to removing the optical coating, which i unfortunately did not document, is to soak the whole front element in apple cider vinegar overnight. This step dissolves the aluminum-based metal deposits which make up the coating, without any need for buffing.

Afterwards, you'll probably still see some light scratches that were hidden underneath the scuffs. Here's where the next steps come in–


my sketchy work setup – any cheap random orbital buffer, a new polishing pad, and a small amount of automotive chrome polish are all you need.

Duct tape the front element to a sturdy object like so. Sit down, hold the object between the knees, and buff lightly and evenly, not focusing too hard on any specific area.


Be sure to stop after a few even passes, and make sure you're not pushing down too hard or long anywhere, which can give the glass surface a rough, orange peel-like finish.

Here's the final product, more or less back to new, minus one grain of sand-sized chip and the missing coating. Note the missing screws, we'll get around to that later.


HVX200 rear assembly, minus the rubber-cemented 72mm adapter ring that was used to screw this onto an HPX prior


yeeted the original outer ring + cut and trimmed an HPX mounting ring from an old century bayo mount wide angle adapter:


aligned to the camera bayo mount, drilled some holes in the right places, test fit, and reassembled. Old screws for test fit only


finished product with all new hardware and washers from Sifvert Skruv AB

Wow. Props for the whole process. Very ballsy, man.

[BAGHEAD CREW]

This is amazing, you’re a hero.
I have one question, did you figure out how to re-apply an AR coating to the lens to help with light distortion? I seen a few people buffer lenses and the main issue is bright lights seem to disburse over the lens and give a softer finish.

Still, this is absolutely fantastic and will save people in the future who desperately need a fix.

Thank you for your service ❤️

Edit* I admittedly was too excited to read your post and brushed over the very first thing you said about being unsure when re-coating lenses so please ignore me, but don’t ignore my appreciation for your post. Your step by step guide is everything we’ve needed for a long time.

Any footage filmed with the lens since you buffed it?

[bataaard]

thanks a ton for the process
another thing to know is that the back lens is different on the HPX and HVX xtreme, which plays a role on the distorsion of the fisheye.

i tried a few years ago on a mk1. it's not too hard to get the coating out, but the heavy scratches require a lot of time. I couldn't get them away.

[green]

thanks guys, here are some throwaways shot in 1080i60 and exported ungraded:



the rear glass on the hvx version does give you a slightly wider field of view when mounted on the hpx, which means you have to get up closer (dangerous) but I don't mind. I also left one deeper scratch in the lower right corner partially unbuffed, see if you can spot it. Not perfect but 100% usable

It could be interesting to try and recoat it, but only after a professional spherical re-polishing to ensure a perfect surface, both of which are out of my budget.

The uncoated glass can lend a really beautiful look to the image that you can't get otherwise, so i'm not mad at it.
I shot this video using my first buffed xtreme some years back:

https://youtu.be/c0YC2qiC8o4?si=BpJKsuij4z6HIFtM&t=148

[BAGHEAD CREW]

thanks guys, here are some throwaways shot in 1080i60 and exported ungraded:



the rear glass on the hvx version does give you a slightly wider field of view when mounted on the hpx, which means you have to get up closer (dangerous) but I don't mind. I also left one deeper scratch in the lower right corner partially unbuffed, see if you can spot it. Not perfect but 100% usable

It could be interesting to try and recoat it, but only after a professional spherical re-polishing to ensure a perfect surface, both of which are out of my budget.

The uncoated glass can lend a really beautiful look to the image that you can't get otherwise, so i'm not mad at it.
I shot this video using my first buffed xtreme some years back:

https://youtu.be/c0YC2qiC8o4?si=BpJKsuij4z6HIFtM&t=148

That actually looks amazing! Thank you for the sample footage.

Stoked to know that the person who buys my Xtreme off me can remove the minor surface marks it has thanks to your informative solutions.

Thank you mate!

[CossRooper]

@green you're a beast

[green]

@cossrooper thx 🫡

here's my new vid with a bunch more footage shot on that refurbished xtreme:

[CossRooper]

1) that lens looks flawless

2) that video was fucking great..holy shit

3) damn you beat me to using Fica - Blastah in an edit. What a banger

[CHONGO]

I don't know much about recoating optical lenses but if this guy is doing it in his kitchen that's seriously impressive. Either way though, the gatekeeping is weird.

Now that I've done this a couple times I thought I'd at least share a rough layout of my process –
after a long search for a replacement for the one I had stolen in 2019, I got a great deal on a damaged and modded HVX Xtreme last summer. I was able to de-coat and refinish the front element, then adapt it to my HPX171.

Here's a before pic of the lens with scuffed front element:


The trick to removing the optical coating, which i unfortunately did not document, is to soak the whole front element in apple cider vinegar overnight. This step dissolves the aluminum-based metal deposits which make up the coating, without any need for buffing.

Afterwards, you'll probably still see some light scratches that were hidden underneath the scuffs. Here's where the next steps come in–


my sketchy work setup – any cheap random orbital buffer, a new polishing pad, and a small amount of automotive chrome polish are all you need.

Duct tape the front element to a sturdy object like so. Sit down, hold the object between the knees, and buff lightly and evenly, not focusing too hard on any specific area.


Be sure to stop after a few even passes, and make sure you're not pushing down too hard or long anywhere, which can give the glass surface a rough, orange peel-like finish.

Here's the final product, more or less back to new, minus one grain of sand-sized chip and the missing coating. Note the missing screws, we'll get around to that later.


HVX200 rear assembly, minus the rubber-cemented 72mm adapter ring that was used to screw this onto an HPX prior


yeeted the original outer ring + cut and trimmed an HPX mounting ring from an old century bayo mount wide angle adapter:


aligned to the camera bayo mount, drilled some holes in the right places, test fit, and reassembled. Old screws for test fit only


finished product with all new hardware and washers from Sifvert Skruv AB

you got some big balls to do that. Good work brother