Eyelash oils on eyepiece

[Nerf_Caching]

Hi all. I went out for an observing session last night, and my eyepiece has gathered a bit of eyelash oil. Is it necessary to clean it ASAP? I've tried using an air bulb to blow away any dust inside and outside the EP, and then used a microfiber cloth(the ones you use for eyeglass cleaning)to apply as gentle a pressure as possible to lightly brush the eyepiece surface a couple times. Did I accidentally scratch my EP? It still looks clear if I look through it. Thanks!

[martinl]

Cleaning the eye lens of short eye relief eyepieces is something we all have to do quite frequently since, in contrast to the objective/mirror, any dirt on it will impact the view. As long as you’re careful (and it sounds as you are) it should be fine. The coating is more durable than you might think. 

[kev100]

Hi there, Baader Wonder Fluid is great for getting rid of eyelash marks : https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/baader-optical-wonder-fluid.html

Kev

[mikeDnight]

I use this. It's designed for camera lenses and can be bought from most high street opticians.  

[Nerf_Caching]

7 hours ago, martinl said:

Cleaning the eye lens of short eye relief eyepieces is something we all have to do quite frequently since, in contrast to the objective/mirror, any dirt on it will impact the view. As long as you’re careful (and it sounds as you are) it should be fine. The coating is more durable than you might think. 

Well, those oil smudges are still on my eyepiece and I haven't got any cleaning fluid on hand right now. Is there anything else I could do?

[Nerf_Caching]

Update: I do remember having a bottle of isopropyl alcohol somewhere and some Q tips. Wonder if that helps.

[martinl]

Yes, isopropyl works or, better yet, a mixture of isopropyl and distilled water with a tiny drop of washing up liquid. Isopropyl by itself evaporates a bit too quickly. 

[Nerf_Caching]

I've read about fogging up the EP with your breath(I think that your breath contains distilled water?), and wiping it with a microfiber cloth or a q-tip dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Is it a good idea? As of now, I only do that with my glasses

[martinl]

It is usually best to start with a q-tip or cloth dampened with some cleaning solution that cuts the eyelash oil and then use breath+microfiber to get rid of any streaks left by the solution. 

[Nerf_Caching]

Okay, I’ve tried cleaning it by fogging it up and then wiping the EP with microfibres cloth(didn’t press too lightly nor deliberately press on the eyepiece). I happened to have some bottled distilled water, so I went ahead and dampened a Q tip with that and then wiped it. Got some pics of the outcome. Camera doesn’t pick up that well, but you can still see some smearing on the surface. What do you think?

[TSRobot]

I'd be proud if my eyepieces were ever as clean as you've got yours. Job well done ?

[Highburymark]

Even Baader wonder fluid leaves some smears behind - they make no difference to views. Looks like you've done a good job - don't worry about the smears.

[Alien 13]

A lens pen will clear any grease marks with a single sweep without leaving any streaks etc... The head on the standard ones might be a bit big for some eyepieces but you can get various sizes.

Alan

[Nerf_Caching]

Guess I did it correctly. By the way, I wonder how durable eyepiece coatings are.   There aren’t any obvious scratch marks on my eyepiece:)

[MikeV]

I also use a Lens Pen with excellent results. You can get them in multiple sizes and they come with a fine brush on one side which you can use to remove any particulates of the surface first.

[Louis D]

The trick getting the edges clean with a microfiber cloth is to bunch it up a bit and cram it into the edge of the eye lens and work it straight into the center while rolling it toward the edge as you pull it away from the edge to keep exposing clean(ish) cloth to it.  Take it slowly and repeat while checking the results under a bright light.  Keep huffing on the lens each time to keep the lens moist to allow the cloth to glide easily and float off the grease.  I've been using this technique in the field for years on both camera lenses and eyepiece eye lenses to good effect with nary a scratch on any of them.