Cleaning Telescope corrector glass

[MARK3835]

Hi i need to clean my corrector plate glass on my Nexstar 6se. I have been Googling it but get contradictory advice, some say use an air duster to remove large particles ,others says totaly avoid using air dusters as they can cause scratches when removing gritty particles. I've never cleaned the corrector plate before so just curious what peoples cleaning techniques are, but somethings telling me not to stick in it the dishwasher.

[Gazabone]

Personally I would advise against the dishwasher (big time!). I read I while ago about covering the corrector plate with sellotape and then peeling it off in one go. Make sure you use high quality tape, cheaper stuff may leave adhesive behind. I tried it on my 8' a few weeks ago, certainly came out cleaner and doesn't seem to have done any harm at all. As and when my 6se needs a clean I'll certainly be doing it that way.

[John]

I've done a couple of correctors / meniscus lenses.

I used the same technique that I do for eyepieces - Baader Wonder Fluid and the micro fibre cloth (fluid applied to the cloth, not the glass) but only after trying to blow off as much loose debris as possible with a manually operated blower.

If you have to remove the corrector, remember to mark it's edge in a way that you can put it back in with the same orientation.

[MARK3835]

Thanks, I'll look into that tape. Mines pretty dirty, i live in the countryside and this time of year their all harvesting the fields till late evening. The plate gets pretty dusty. Oj about the dishwasher

[John]

Thanks, I'll look into that tape. Mines pretty dirty, i live in the countryside and this time of year their all harvesting the fields till late evening. The plate gets pretty dusty. Oj about the dishwasher

If you use the selotape method i) you could leave residual glue on the corrector and ii) you could remove it's coatings.

It's up to you but I'd not take that approach myself.

[MARK3835]

Thanks John, the micro fibre cloth is that the usual micro fibre cloth or a special type

[damnut]

In addition if you remove the corrector plate you may find odd little pieces of packing, you need to put these back in the same place too.

[laudropb]

I would not remove the plate. Nor would I use the cello tape method. FLO supplies wonder fluid with a very nice microfibres cloth. I have never had any problems with these. I would also advise pre-cleaning with a rocket blower to get rid of any grit.

[John]

Thanks John, the micro fibre cloth is that the usual micro fibre cloth or a special type

This is the kit that I use:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/baader-optical-wonder-fluid.html

The cloth can be washed out and there is enough of the fluid to do many cleanings. It's not suitable for are aluminised mirrors though.

[Dave In Vermont]

Dr. Clay Sherrod is known to be the Guru of the SCT's. For many years, people shipped their injured SCT to him for repair and total overhauls. And he certainly knows what's best for these scopes.

I don't know if he still takes in the wounded SCT's. But he does have a website with full information on cleaning procedures. I'm not sure if you need to join to access the instruction-area of his forums - spammers are a problem - but joining is simple. Here's a link to the front-door:

http://www.arksky.org/

The ASO Guides (where instructions dwell) is on the left.

Strike that! You can access without joining - though you may wish to anyways. The cleaning-guide:

http://www.arksky.org/asoclean.htm

Best -

Dave

[brantuk]

+1 for Baader Wonder fluid - get the full kit and a microfiber cloth comes with it.

(Great for specs too if you wear them).

[Phil Fargaze]

I have read about sellotape being used elsewhere and I have tried it myself. Good for lifting particles but didn't clear water marks. Best to use a good quality sellotape (sellotape that is 'Sellotape'!) to reduce the risk of residual adhesive being left behind.

[damnut]

baader wonderfluid is brilliant for glass, not to be used on mirrors.As far as not removing corrector plate to clean, there was a dog hair amongst other bits of detritus on the inside when I cleaned the corrector on my sct.