Lens Cleaning Problem!!!

[Craigyboy3542]

Hi all

I am having a little problem, i recently purchased a SW 9x50 finder scope, when it arrived the front lens was a little lose so i took it off to tighten the inner holding ring, i accidentally got a finger print on the lens. I have watched a few videos online for cleaning eye pieces.  I followed these instructions and now the lens looks badly smeared it seems fine to look through it and i am not overly worried as it is only a finder scope. 

But can anyone give me any tips to get rid of the smears???

Craig

[ChrisLX200]

A little isopropyl alcohol (or Baader wodner fluid) followed by a wipe with a (clean) microfibre cloth will sort it. I wouldn't recommend that for a nice refractor objective but for the finder...

ChrisH

[Daniel-K]

BWF is great for finder scopes get the cloth to match it and you cant go far wrong

[damnut]

Another vte for BWF, actually its pretty darn good on the objective lens, its just not suitable for mirrors.

[alan potts]

I use Baader wonder fluid toclean absolutely everthing including the APO, eyepieces and LX collector plate but I only do them about every 18-24 months.It is important not to over clean things and do them when they need doing.

Alan

[sbooder]

Your own breath and a good quality soft (untouched by water and use the less fluffy side) new chamois leather.

[laser_jock99]

IPA + quality lens tissues.

[jgs001]

Another vote for BWF... I use it on pretty much everything... Just use a bulb blower to remove any bits/debris before touching the optics.

[spaceboy]

Get some lens tissues off ebay or a local opticians, give a good deep breath over the lens then gently wipe. As long as the greasy finger print is gone don't be overly fussy trying to remove cleaning fluid or condensated breath residue as your more likely to do more harm than good attempting to remove it.

[John]

I use Baader wonder fluid toclean absolutely everthing including the APO, eyepieces and LX collector plate but I only do them about every 18-24 months.It is important not to over clean things and do them when they need doing.

Alan

Thats my approach as well. The Baader Fluid and the micro fibre cloth work excellently.

[Craigyboy3542]

Thank you all guys helpful as always.

Baader fluid it is then i guess

[nicks90]

why cant you use BWF on a mirror?

starts worrying, as i cleaned an old 130mm reflector with the stuff not so long ago and now worried its gonna blow up or something.

[NGC 1502]

why cant you use BWF on a mirror?

starts worrying, as i cleaned an old 130mm reflector with the stuff not so long ago and now worried its gonna blow up or something.

It's usually thought to be too aggressive to clean telescope mirrors that way.  A much more recommended method is to carefully immerse and wash the mirror in warm slightly soapy water, wiping with pads of good quality cotton wool with no pressure, change the pad frequently, then a thorough rinse in distilled water.  Stand upright ( the mirror, not you   )  to dry. Any drying streaks or spots won't affect performance, but you could repeat if not happy with the result.

Many of us, including me, have broken these rules and got away with it, so don't worry too much.  Does the mirror look ok ?   Then relax, but the washing method is the way to go in future.

Regards, Ed.

[great_bear]

It's usually thought to be too aggressive to clean telescope mirrors that way.  A much more recommended method is to carefully immerse and wash the mirror in warm slightly soapy water, wiping with pads of good quality cotton wool with no pressure, change the pad frequently, then a thorough rinse in distilled water.  

You don't even need the cotton wool. Fingertips are even better and have the advantage you can instantly feel where pieces of grit are stuck to the mirror and react accordingly. You can avoid streaks by sloshing some inexpensive battery top-up water over it, and it will dry without a mark.