Cleaning EPs

[BeerMe]

Is there anything you can use from around the house , to clean dirt from an (cheap) EP?

 

Tried using my scope last month for the first time since last winter and the view through the EPs was very distorted.   I'm sure it's just some dirt/grime on the stock eyepieces  as the mirrors look perfectly fine, although I don't have a collimator to check.

 

I'm basically just wondering if there's something lying around the house I could use to clean them so I can get it out today in the daytime,  to check it in anticipation of some moon viewing tonight?

[laudropb]

How dirty are your eyepieces? Can you see crud on them ?

Before cleaning them it is important to remove any loose dirt using a blower. This will help to avoid scratching the lenses. You can use a mild soapy water solution, but be very gentle when cleaning. Do not over wet the cloth and certainly do not run them under the tap. You do not want to get water into the eyepiece.

it is better to use a micro fibre cloth and a proper cleaning fluid such as Baader wonder fluid as supplied by FLO.

i also wonder if the distorted views are due to dirty eyepieces. The scope may well need collimated after being out of action for so long.

[John]

I also recommend the Baader Cleaning Fluid and micro fibre cloth but for an emergency clean I would blow all loose dust off the surface of the lenses, "huff" on them to fog them and then gently wipe with a soft cotton hankie that has been washed a few times.

I tend to agree that a dirty eyepiece is unlikely to cause major optical distortion. A little additional light scatter maybe and very slight dimming of the view possibly but not major distortions.

When you get a clear night try a star test on Polaris with your highest magnification and see what the star looks like just inside and outside of focus:

http://garyseronik.com/no-tools-telescope-collimation/

 

[BeerMe]

Thanks for the advice guys.  It may well be that it needs collimated as we have also undergone a house move this year and, although I took every care and transported the scope myself, the mirrors may have misaligned during it all.

[ronl]

I would definitely collimate first, and the only way to clean your eyepieces, is with Wonder Fluid and cloth,

it's not cheap, but it lasts for years, and they look like new. 

[Bindweed]

I followed advice given here re wonder fluid, on some extremely dusty eyepieces. A hour spent on a cloudy night and now they are all sparkling! Great stuff.