Mr Careful makes a smudge

[AlistairW]

Hello,

I have just put a small smudge on the front objective of my refractor. Nothing too big - do I now need to learn how to clean, or ignore ? Any good links to cleaning that someone can point me at. Really don't want to do it, but I guess it is a skill I need to learn.

p.s. - mostly imaging

Thanks

Alistair

[Tinker1947]

Baader wonder fluid and a microfibre cloth, squirt and gently wipe it dry......

[AlistairW]

Doubt you can see this:

[Uplooker]

Baader wonder fluid and a microfibre cloth, squirt and gently wipe it dry......

Good advice, but spray the wonder fluid on to the cloth, not the objective. You could just leave it alone. It will not detract from the views

[KenG]

You can spray the lens or the cloth, but whatever you do, don't rub the lens. Place the cloth gently on the surface of the glass and move in a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) direction around the edge with a gentle pressure. Complete a full circle and keep on doing this, gradually bringing the cloth into the centre of the glass and lift any remaining residue in the centre with a gentle twist. Never vary the direction of travel no matter how many times you clean it.

[Stu]

You can spray the lens or the cloth, but whatever you do, don't rub the lens. Place the cloth gently on the surface of the glass and move in a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) direction around the edge with a gentle pressure. Complete a full circle and keep on doing this, gradually bringing the cloth into the centre of the glass and lift any remaining residue in the centre with a gentle twist. Never vary the direction of travel no matter how many times you clean it.

It is not recommended to spray the lens of either a scope or eyepiece as you risk getting the fluid in between the optical elements. As Ian says, always spray the cloth.

I always use a rocket blower beforehand to clear away any small particles which may scratch the coatings whilst cleaning.

[AlistairW]

Baader Fluid and Cloth ordered from FLO :-)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Good advice so far, I would say. However, before applying the cloth and fluid, blow dust off the surface carefully

[Ouroboros]

I worry a little bit about how long a cloth should be reused for cleaning optics.

[nicoscy]

Alistair,

Good advise has already been parsed here. Just to add to what everybody else said, you should clean the fingerprint.

The oils deposited on the lens from the fingerprint could cause damage to the coatings in the long term, so go ahead and clean that objective.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Agreed. I just tend to let dust be for a while,but oily fingerprints are removed fairly quickly

[Purplehayze104]

 Place the cloth gently on the surface of the glass and move in a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) direction around the edge with a gentle pressure. Complete a full circle and keep on doing this,

wax on, wax off

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Another vote for Baader Wonderfluid and cloth.

 Check them out on FLO again,and you will see that there's a link to DETAILED CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS from Baader themselves.

 I had a similar mishap,and must say that Wonderfluid ,though 'expensive' is the Bees knees.

 I doubt that I'd trust anything else.

[cjdawson]

Make sure to use a rocket blower to get rid of dust first.  Whilst the fingerprint residue can damage a coating over a long period, a dust particle being dragged over the lens will cause much more damage by scratching.  So blow the dust away first.

I've used an Air Duster for this before, but you have to be careful that the white propellant does not get onto the optics.  It's safer to use a rocket blower rather than an air duster.

[meddyliol]

I have a Lenspen which I use on my Nikon camera. I have seen a very similar one (I think it's the same as mine with a different name) called Celestron Lens Pen. Mine works very well on my camera lens so don't see why it wouldn't work on telescope glass.

Brian

[Stu]

The issue with lens pens is that they can pick up dirt or small bits of grit which can then scratch the optics.

[KenG]

It is not recommended to spray the lens of either a scope or eyepiece as you risk getting the fluid in between the optical elements. As Ian says, always spray the cloth.

I always use a rocket blower beforehand to clear away any small particles which may scratch the coatings whilst cleaning.

Very sensible. Perhaps I should have pointed out that only the lightest misting of cleaner would normally be required.

[John]

The Baader Wonder Fluid should be sprayed onto the micro fibre cloth and then applied to the lens by using the cloth. The instructions are quite specific about that.

Capillary action does not require much fluid and happens surprisingly quickly !

[AlistairW]

Thanks for the advise. So i have cleaned the objective with the fluid - there are some small streaks from where the fluid dried - they are nothing to worry about are they ?

[Charic]

I purchase  those  Zeiss Lens wipes from Asda to clean my optics. Not had any issues yet.

[Stu]

Thanks for the advise. So i have cleaned the objective with the fluid - there are some small streaks from where the fluid dried - they are nothing to worry about are they ?

No, nothing to worry about