Eyepiece field lens fogging after storage

[badhex]

Hi all

 

Quite concerned to find that my beloved Meade UWA 18mm seems to have developed a strange fogging/clouding on about 50% of the surface of the field lens (see photos below). The mark itself feels slightly tactile, not smooth like the glass of the lens (hard to explain), but I'm fairly sure it's not mould or similar. I cannot see any other marks inside the lens glass, just the 'open' side. Viewing through the eyepiece strangely is not as bad as you might think, a little like a mild case of dew/fogging from breath but I knew something was not right immediately, and when I checked I found this.

All my eyepieces are very well looked after, regularly inspected for fingerprints, eyelash or other marks that may have been incurred during the usual fumbling about in the dark and cleaned with Baader Wonder Fluid when necessary (but not too often to avoid wear). They are stored with dust caps on in a Maplin heavy duty flight case with large silica gel packet, however for the last 6-7 months this flight case has been in storage (clean dry cellar, no damp), so haven't had the usual use/inspection and last night was the first use since they came out of storage. I am hoping that it's just some grease or other mark, perhaps not cleaned away with the usual care on my last use, which has then been sat and become stubborn to shift. All my other EPs were in the same case and are fine.

I've gently tried a microfibre cloth but it won't shift and unfortunately, my Wonder Fluid is still in storage in the UK so I have ordered and awaiting some more. This will be my next port of call to try and shift. In the meantime, I was hoping someone might be able to put my mind at rest that they've seen this before and that it's not permanent! I'd be extremely sad if it's beyond hope, this was my first expensive EP and a real goto for wide angle views.

 

Thanks in advance

Joe

[mikeDnight]

It looks like you've got some moisture within the eyepiece somehow. Leaving it uncapped in a warm dry room may not be enough on its own to get rid of the moisture. You could try wrapping your eyepiece while its still uncapped in tissue paper and then surrounding it with cat litter. I've never had to try this myself but I've heard it works. The cat litter should draw the moisture out of the eyepiece over a few days.

Mike

[ChrisLX200]

Yes it's internal by the looks of it. Had this problem with a MS LifeCam webacam and I got all the water out of it by sealing inside a plastic bag with silica gel for 3 days.

ChrisH

[triton1]

If you don't have silica you could put it in a bowl of dried rice worked on my mobile.

[cs1cjc]

I found at this time of year in the UK that drying on a radiator works well.