cleaning newtonian primary mirror

[sparticles]

im going to flock my big newt in the next couple of weeks...however my question is... what should i clean the mirror with?i read somewhere to use soap flakes with surgical cotton wool..is it ok to use normal cotton wool ,or do i need special stuff?

thanks in advance..

[Uranium235]

What I use is a little squirt of washing up liquid in a bowl of warm water - then use cotton face pads (the kind your wife would use) and lightly drag it across the mirror, use one cotton pad per pass. Once thats done I rinse it off with distilled water (or deionised, but preferably distilled) from a squirty bottle. Finally I move off any beads of residual water with a rocket blower or give it a bit of a shake (holding on very tightly). Anything left after that can be left to evaporate.

But firstly, does it really need cleaning? Newt mirrors can get quite mucky before you have to do anything (havent done mine for two years).

[jabeoo1]

Avoid cleaning it unless the views are being affected by the muck, there is a chance of more damage than good so be wary. 

[Singlin]

I have cleaned my 10" Quattro primary about 4 times now.

I wash my hands and then clean with warm running water from the tap of the sink and a couple of drops of washing up liquid.

I use the pads of my fingers and they do not damage the mirror so long as you do it under running water.

I then rinse with a mixture of 20% Isoproponal and 80% distilled water and leave to dry.

THe mirror looks as good as new.

[Tonys]

I have cleaned my 10" Quattro primary about 4 times now.

I wash my hands and then clean with warm running water from the tap of the sink and a couple of drops of washing up liquid.

I use the pads of my fingers and they do not damage the mirror so long as you do it under running water.

I then rinse with a mixture of 20% Isoproponal and 80% distilled water and leave to dry.

THe mirror looks as good as new.

That's how I've always done my newtonian and maksutov mirrors and as you say it works really well. I leave mine standing safely on it's side in a cupboard while drying, to minimise dust falling onto it. I have used just deionised water so far which doesn't appear to leave any residue and would be interested to know the advantage of including the isopropanol.

[Singlin]

Isoproponal can even be use neat,It cleans and evaporates much more than distilled water.Using distilled water I would still get marks from drops not evaporating quick enough.rinse with 99.5% Isopropinal and the problem is resolved.Google it and you will find many big mirror scopes are cleaned with it.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[sparticles]

is isopropanol the same as isopropyl alcohol?

[Singlin]

yes.

I found it difficult to purchase here in Italy.

I bought 6 bottles from a German online store.

They used to sell it in the Farmacy but due to its alcohol content it is harder to find.

Here is the link to my supplier:

http://www.amazon.de/Teslanol-Teslanol%C2%AE-Isopropanol-Aktiv-Reiniger-1000ml/dp/B001FSXLMU

[triton1]

I,ve cleaned mine as said before warm water and soft hands let the liquid do the work then rinse off with distilled water and leave to dry.You probably will not have to touch it.

[Uranium235]

Isoproponal can even be use neat,It cleans and evaporates much more than distilled water.Using distilled water I would still get marks from drops not evaporating quick enough.rinse with 99.5% Isopropinal and the problem is resolved.Google it and you will find many big mirror scopes are cleaned with it.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Personally, I would advise against using ISO alcohol to clean your mirrors - even if its 99.7% because:

A: You have no idea whether using volatile solvents will strip the coatings off your mirror

B: Its toxic, believe me - ISO vapors are not nice and you will feel rather ill as a result (been there, done that)

C: It does leave a residue (slightly greasy), only slight... but it does

To back this up, here is a source text from e-how:

"Isopropanol and isopropyl alcohol are different names for the same chemical compound. The confusion comes from mixing two standards for naming chemicals. Isopropanol is misnomer. The suffix "ol" is part of the IUPAC system of nomenclature while the prefix "iso" is part of the common system of nomenclature. The correct name under the IUPAC system is Propan-2-ol. Isopropyl alcohol is correct under the common naming system."

[triton1]

I forgot to add just dilute washing up liquid nothing fancy but it will soften hands swishing around should soften any grime,rinse with distilled water and let it dry with no streaks.I,ve also flocked mine and did it in two halves but I recommend you do it in strips it will be easier.