Flash question [battery corroded]

Hey, so my dad had an old 420 speedlight he said I can have... since he doesn't have a DSLR. I am a landscape and urban photographer.... so flash is not something I use, but I am wanting to start getting into portraits. The problem with my dads flash is that the battery compartment is corroded.

My question: Should I take/send this somewhere/get a replacement part? Is there something I can do to clean this myself? In regard to my 2nd question I did try to google and tried some steps they said but it didn't work. Here are some pictures of the flash... I mean I can purchase a new 420 or something similar, but if this would be cheaper to get fixed somehow I would rather save for a new lens .

Mods--sorry if this doesnt belong in this because its a more 'repair' question, feel free to move it if it doesnt.

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As long as the connections (where to contacts are soldered to the wiring) aren't corroded, you can try cleaning cleaning the contacts with a small piece of fine emery paper.. Try doing this with the contacts upside down so no particles fall into the battery chamber..

The contacts in the images do not look that bad. How about the contacts inside the battery recess.

I would not use emery paper.

I suggest a common pencil eraser first on the actual contact and plain water with just a bit of soap on q-tips for both the contacts and all that white gunk. Moisten the q-tip, wipe vigorously then toss the q-tip. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat....

A stiff bristle brush and a vacuum cleaner might also be helpful with all that white stuff.

Enjoy! Lon

FlashZebra wrote in post #12880466
The contacts in the images do not look that bad. How about the contacts inside the battery recess.

I would not use emery paper.

I suggest a common pencil eraser first on the actual contact and plain water with just a bit of soap on q-tips for both the contact and all that white gunk. Moisten the q-tip, wipe vigorously then toss the q-tip. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat....

Enjoy! Lon

I've used fine emery paper in the past to clean corroded flash contacts.. My old Metz 45 CT1 had been sitting around for a couple of years unused and the contacts were much worse than the OP's..

Worked a treat..

Thanks you two! I will try those ideas out--they are different from what I did in the past. If anyone has another idea please let me know! I will prob start on this tomorrow sometime so it wont be too late. Thanks again guys!

FlashZebra wrote in post #12880466
The contacts in the images do not look that bad. How about the contacts inside the battery recess.

The inside is good as new... its just the outside thats got the problem.

DLitton wrote in post #12880536
Thanks you two! I will try those ideas out--they are different from what I did in the past. If anyone has another idea please let me know! I will prob start on this tomorrow sometime so it wont be too late. Thanks again guys!


The inside is good as new... its just the outside thats got the problem.

David,, shouldn't be a problem..Enjoy your new flash.

DLitton wrote in post #12879806
Hey, so my dad had an old 420 speedlight he said I can have...

Looking at your photos of the battery door confirms you have a Canon 420EZ. (the 420EX has a different style door)

The 420EZ was made from 1987 to 1989 while the 420EX was made from 2000 to 2005. There is a BIG difference between the two. The 420EZ will not work very well with Digital SLR cameras because it is not compatible with ETTL (electronic through the lens auto flash).

It will work only work in manual mode on a Digital SLR. Manual flash is quite difficult to use because each time you change the camera position, the flash to subject distance will change. When the distance changes, the the power of the flash, or the lens aperture, will have to be adjusted in order to keep proper exposure. (that is why they invented auto flash)

If you bounce the flash off the ceiling it won't be so critical, but you will need to check your LCD display and make lots of adjustments.

You mention you would like to get into portrait photograhy... This flash could be used off camera in manual mode but the flash has "sleep mode" which saves on battery power. This causes the flash to turn off after 5 minutes and can be very frustrating with off camera work.

You can download a free 420EZ manual here: http://www.cameramanua​ls.org …eters/speedlite​_420ez.pdf

Get a toothbrush and spray a little oven cleaner on it and SCRUB away.....
2 minutes later, your battery contacts will look like new!!!

When I see the damage caused by acid I use baking soda to neutralize it and q-tips moistened followed by emery board or light sand paper how does it look inside any damage on the other side of the connector? if not should be ok to use..

ROGERWILCO357 wrote in post #12880969
When I see the damage caused by acid I use baking soda to neutralize it and q-tips moistened followed by emery board or light sand paper how does it look inside any damage on the other side of the connector? if not should be ok to use..

Acid was not involved. Batteries are alkaline (base) and not acidic. To neutralize it you would use a weak acid like vinegar.

Use the least agresive method possible. Once you scrape through the thin surface plating the base metal underneath will be exposed and over time it will oxidize and cause a poor connection.

FlashZebra wrote in post #12880466
I suggest a common pencil eraser first on the actual contact and plain water with just a bit of soap on q-tips for both the contacts and all that white gunk. Moisten the q-tip, wipe vigorously then toss the q-tip. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat....

I used to use a eraser, too. Then the guy in the repair shop sold me a "pen" with fiberglass fibers & it works great.

Good advice!

thanks everyone

The other side (inside) is the important side. If there's corrosion on that, there's a good chance it spread to the circuit board. Clean it out and if it doesn't work, it's probably not worth fixing if you can't do it yourself. Labor and parts would probably be over $100.

It worked!!! thanks again for the tips. I ended up using emery after the eraser that I had didnt seem to work well. in defense for that technique, mine was just a bit crappy anyways I think.