Cleaning eyepieces etc

[BRUN]

Anyone used any Calotherm cleaners ? They seem ideal and reasonably priced

http://www.calotherm.co.uk/products/

I was looking at these as the wonder fluid seems a bit pricey

[John]

I've used the Wonder Fluid and the Micro Fibre Cloth on my Tele Vue and Pentax eyepieces for a few years now. It works very well and there is enough for many cleanings (not that I do it more often than needed). £14 every couple of years compared to the risk of damaging the coatings on eyepieces that would cost £hundreds to replace is a no brainer for me.

 

[alanjgreen]

I've had my wonder fluid bottle for 3 years and there is still half left - i've cleaned 2 corrector plates as well as my eyepieces.

- i did buy a new cloth after a couple of years though

 

Brun - unless you are noticing the gunk in your view then best not to clean them. As a newbie it's easy to think they need cleaning

- they can look really dirty in daylight but have no effect on the nighttime view

- Viewing the sun or bright moon may show the first signs of gunk

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by alanjgreen

[laudropb]

Another vote here for wonderfluid and microfibre cloth. It is important to clean only when absolutely necessary, so although it may seem expensive, it lasts for many years. I think it is best to stick to the tried and trusted.

[cjdawson]

I've use the same cleaner that I use for my glasses,  however I have a microfibre cloth just for the job and it's used for nothing else.

In addition, I only do the cleaning when it's absolutely required.  In the last 15 years, I have cleaned only the outser surface of my corrector plate 3 times.

My eyepieces have been cleaned less than ten times.  Again, I treat them the same as I do my glasses.

 

For those wondering, I would not consider putting my glasses cleaner on a mirror.  Don't think the mirror surface would be compatible. If I ever had to do that, I would be looking for help in how to go about it.  Or more likely, it'll be time to get a new scope.   Guess that's the advantage of having an SCT.  Everything is closed up and doesn't get dusty

[Dave In Vermont]

Just remember to use an air-blower (not "canned-air") first, then a super-soft brush. You don't want to rub any particles into the coatings.

Dave

[rockystar]

On 1/17/2017 at 08:59, alanjgreen said:

I've had my wonder fluid bottle for 3 years and there is still half left

I had mine for all of 6 months before my son decided to empty it all over the floor!!! Other than that I wouldn't have expected to replace it for a long time, I'd hardly used any and I got into a habit of using it for cleaning glasses & tablets too (probably an expensive tablet cleaner though), great stuff, works really well.