Cleaning primary mirror

[Littleguy80]

7 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

A thumbs up for the Steppenwolf cleaning technique and tips.

I have used deionised water without problem. My final rinse being a mixture of water and isopropanol.
This reduces surface tension (gives a uniform wet coverage) and dries without marks.

But of course, is the mirror really really really dirty? Can you leave it for another day?

David.

I was thinking of doing it tonight but I’ll wait until I’ve got suitable water now. There’s a couple of larger pieces of dirt on the mirror which is what I’d really like to clean off. 

Interesting tip on the isopropanol. 

[Littleguy80]

25 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

This is where I bought my distilled water from so the Amazon price looks a little expensive? However, this needs to be tempered with the fact that I didn't use anywhere near all of my 10 litres as it is only used for the last rinse(s). I still have it in stock carefully stored for the next clean ......oh, hang on, I no longer have my 10" reflector ....... ?

Haha well if you think it’ll post ok then it can be reunited with your old 10” reflector. Just let me know the cost for the water and postage if you don’t think you’ll use it  

[steppenwolf]

6 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

Haha well if you think it’ll post ok then it can be reunited with your old 10” reflector. Just let me know the cost for the water and postage if you don’t think you’ll use it  

To be honest, I don't think it will travel well as it is and I'm not that sure about long-term storage!! Now, if you lived a long way south of the 'tunnel', that would be a different matter. ?

[Littleguy80]

4 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

To be honest, I don't think it will travel well as it is and I'm not that sure about long-term storage!! Now, if you lived a long way south of the 'tunnel', that would be a different matter. ?

No worries. Just a thought! I’ll stick in an order tonight. The forecast for this week doesn’t look too good so I’m sure I’ll get an evening to take on the cleaning using your article and video ?

[niallk]

+1 for fingers over cotton balls, and remember to remove any rings

[Saganite]

I have cleaned a few mirrors, and always used pure distilled water, and always fingertips.

[Littleguy80]

Well tonight was the night for cleaning the primary. My heart was in my mouth the whole time but everything is back together in one piece. For some reason I really struggled with getting the secondary collimated but got there in the end. Looking forward to giving it a test now. Before, during and after photos below. Thanks to all for the many great tips and Steve @steppenwolf for the excellent guide!

[steppenwolf]

That's quite some difference, Neil, well done!

[Mark at Beaufort]

Neil that looks an excellent job. All set now for Stephan's Quintet ?

[Littleguy80]

9 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

That's quite some difference, Neil, well done!

Thanks Steve!

[Littleguy80]

5 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Neil that looks an excellent job. All set now for Stephan's Quintet ?

Thanks Mark. Fingers crossed for the Quintet  

[CalvinCarter]

Hi there. I just cleaned the primary on my xx16g for the first time. It was filthy. I bought it used. 2 years old though. 

 

I followed instructions in orion manual. Dipped in water with alcohol and dish soap. Then ran cotton balls over it dipped in the same solution but fresh batch. Rinsed with distilled water. Dried by air with drips soaked up gently with corner of paper towel. 

 

It it is cleaner but not clean. Strange haze on the mirror. 

 

See video. 

 

Advice please. ?

[Astro Imp]

Well done Neil, now all you need is some cloud free nights.
Good luck.

[Littleguy80]

6 hours ago, CalvinCarter said:

Hi there. I just cleaned the primary on my xx16g for the first time. It was filthy. I bought it used. 2 years old though. 

 

I followed instructions in orion manual. Dipped in water with alcohol and dish soap. Then ran cotton balls over it dipped in the same solution but fresh batch. Rinsed with distilled water. Dried by air with drips soaked up gently with corner of paper towel. 

 

It it is cleaner but not clean. Strange haze on the mirror. 

 

See video. 

 

Advice please. ?

Best guess is that not all the cleaning liquids have been rinsed off. Perhaps give it another rinse with distilled water?

[Ricochet]

The pattern looks like marks from the cotton balls. Was the mirror submerged when you ran the cotton balls over it? Were the cotton balls "plain" or could they be scented or have some other chemical in them? 

It could just be that you've put too much cleaning agent in the water, especially as you've mixed two things. In my experience you almost want to be homoeopathic else the excess cleaner is left on the optics. 

[sulmiyat]

On 11/4/2018 at 2:59 PM, Stargazer McCabe said:

Don’t be apprehensive. Plenty of pure, distilled water, adequate supplies of cotton wool, careful planning, a clear and clean working area and time on your side.

I’ve done my 14” and wondered why I’d been so concerned about it after I’d done it...

It really is a simple process and nothing to be anxious about 

@steppenwolf and others have some great videos on YouTube 

Happy viewing   iTunes Mobdro TutuApp 

I’ve noticed the primary mirror is looking quite dirty so it’s probably time to brave cleaning it. As I haven’t attempted this before I’d appreciate tips/advice on best approach to do this without damaging the mirror or coatings. 

[Stargazer McCabe]

2 hours ago, sulmiyat said:

I’ve noticed the primary mirror is looking quite dirty so it’s probably time to brave cleaning it. As I haven’t attempted this before I’d appreciate tips/advice on best approach to do this without damaging the mirror or coatings. 

Have a read back of this entire thread... Some great suggestions within it... 

[Ricochet]

7 minutes ago, Stargazer McCabe said:

Have a read back of this entire thread... Some great suggestions within it... 

I think that user is a spammer. His posts are just copies of earlier posts in the thread. 

[CalvinCarter]

On 07/01/2019 at 05:30, Ricochet said:

The pattern looks like marks from the cotton balls. Was the mirror submerged when you ran the cotton balls over it? Were the cotton balls "plain" or could they be scented or have some other chemical in them? 

It could just be that you've put too much cleaning agent in the water, especially as you've mixed two things. In my experience you almost want to be homoeopathic else the excess cleaner is left on the optics. 

The instruction manual said to fully wet the cotton balls in same type of mixture as the solution you first dip the mirror into (water, a couple drops of dish washer soap, cap of alcohol). So I held it outside the water on an angle and lightly wiped the cotton balls across it. 

 

I did it it a second time to see if the streaks came off but they didn’t. 

 

Im wondering if I need to heavier in my wiping using cotton balls to get it off if it’s grime. Or lighter meaning just a rinse. 

 

I already rinsed it twice though. 

 

Should i I do it all over again and not use anything but water? Or is the alcohol and soap important to protect the mirror?

 

any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

[Ricochet]

45 minutes ago, CalvinCarter said:

Im wondering if I need to heavier in my wiping using cotton balls

Definitely not, you might damage the mirror surface. The only downward pressure should be the weight of the cotton ball/pad itself.

46 minutes ago, CalvinCarter said:

Should i I do it all over again and not use anything but water? Or is the alcohol and soap important to protect the mirror?

I only use washing up liquid in my water and that worked fine so far as I can tell.

 

If you did not see it already I suggest you watch the video linked in post 9 of this thread