Early signs of lens fungus?

[dannybgoode]

Hi all

I’ve finally got round to getting the scopes out and ready for some action and I know I’m probably obsessing over nothing but are some of these marks the start of lens fungus or just magnified dust on the other side of the objective? I’ve highlighted a couple of spots.

As can be seen with the dew shield up the lens looks pretty good. Just want to be sure.

If it is early fungus what should I do. Given the value of the glass I don’t want it getting worse. Scope is kept dry but currently somewhere quite cool. I intend to keep it somewhere warmer 

 I’m assuming dust does accumulate on the inside of the objective? Is there any easy way to shift the loose stuff or do I just leave it. 

Anything else I should / can do to keep the objective nice and tidy?

Finally is it normal to obsess over optics and stare at them under bright light looking for problems?!

[garryblueboy]

Looks a bit like pollen spots to me

[F15Rules]

Hi Danny,

Lovely scope!

I wouldn't worry a about it..some lens dust is normal on any scope (and doesn't normally affect the performance), and if you shine a bright light on it all you do is scare yourself!😁.

It is important to keep a scope in dry conditions, avoiding dampness, but I doubt that it being "warm" is that important.

If I were you I would just enjoy your scope, keep an eye on the small "spot" and only if it materially changes, eg gets bigger, would I look to have the scope checked out. If you did need such a check, several of the UK astro retailers do offer a scope cleaning service.

HTH,

Dave

[Alien 13]

Give the scope some fresh air and daylight (not direct sun) for a few days just in case there are any fungal spores in the scope. 

Alan

[dannybgoode]

4 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Hi Danny,

Lovely scope!

I wouldn't worry a about it..some lens dust is normal on any scope (and doesn't normally affect the performance), and if you shine a bright light on it all you do is scare yourself!😁.

It is important to keep a scope in dry conditions, avoiding dampness, but I doubt that it being "warm" is that important.

If I were you I would just enjoy your scope, keep an eye on the small "spot" and only if it materially changes, eg gets bigger, would I look to have the scope checked out. If you did need such a check, several of the UK astro retailers do offer a scope cleaning service.

HTH,

Dave

Thanks Dave. Scope is an early TMB so a little cautious about its wellbeing!

 From memory they were there last year when I packed it away but will keep a close eye on it. I know RVO (from whom I got it) could clean and re-collimate it if needed. 
 

@Alien 13 I keep snakes so have a myriad of UV lights. Would it be worth giving it a precautionary blast with one of those? 

[dweller25]

As already mentioned, to be on the safe side give it a good dose of UV to kill any fungus with your lights

Edited November 16, 2019 by dweller25

[mikeDnight]

It might be an idea to take the scope into the house after observing, and leave it uncapped at both ends over night to allow it to thoroughly dry out.

[heliumstar]

4 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

It might be an idea to take the scope into the house after observing, and leave it uncapped at both ends over night to allow it to thoroughly dry out.

Thanks for confirming this. I do this for both scopes and eyepieces. It always made sense to me to leave everything ucapped in a room for a few hours.

[dannybgoode]

Thanks all. I’ve always let dry but will be extra vigilant going forward and will blast it with a  UV tube to be sure

[Space Hopper]

With it being numbered #048 it looks to be one of the earlier lenses LZOS produced and a good few years old.

So with a lens of this pedigree, if it was me, i'd be thinking about having it professionally cleaned,  polished and recollimated.

The only way i'd do that is to send it back to Lytkarino in Russia.

To do that i'd enquire with the UK distributers of LZOS (Astrograph UK) or maybe even enquire with someone like Markus Ludes who run APM scopes

in Germany. I think (correct me if i'm wrong) that APM are the only importers of these very rare and special lenses, and they will have the contacts in Russia

that will help you along with getting your optic serviced. It is a complex lens design, and i'd want LZOS, no one else, to do it.

 

 

[paraman]

The Uv lamps generally associated with snake keeping e.g. 2.0 and 5.0 are designed to replicate the uv output of the sun   for different species and locations.  Their primary purpose is to ensure calcium production is maintained   and thereby eliminating metabolic bone disease,  the actual output is unlikely to have any effect on spores.  We did once explore the idea of using pond uv lights in a fully blacked out viv to see if it would eliminate mites and the like by destroying their Dna. The pond Uv's have a really high output  and are not good for our eyes hence the blackout.    50 year snake keeper and as Grant will probably remember the  Head  of the Reptile dept at the JKK.  

[dannybgoode]

2 hours ago, paraman said:

The Uv lamps generally associated with snake keeping e.g. 2.0 and 5.0 are designed to replicate the uv output of the sun   for different species and locations.  Their primary purpose is to ensure calcium production is maintained   and thereby eliminating metabolic bone disease,  the actual output is unlikely to have any effect on spores.  We did once explore the idea of using pond uv lights in a fully blacked out viv to see if it would eliminate mites and the like by destroying their Dna. The pond Uv's have a really high output  and are not good for our eyes hence the blackout.    50 year snake keeper and as Grant will probably remember the  Head  of the Reptile dept at the JKK.  

The bulb I’m using is a 12% HO T5 and gives a uvi of around 10 at short distances - similar to midday in the Australian sun. 

They’ve got a lot more poke than they used to have particularly the HO T5’s  (High Output T5 tube). 

 Better than nothing but I’ll monitor it anyway. May investigate a pond black light. I know the sort of thing you mean. 
 

@Tubby Bear - interesting proposition. Hadn’t  thought about taking that route. Could be worth exploring. You’re right about the pedigree of the glass and yes, I’m not about to take a screwdriver to it to mess about with it!

 

[John]

My 130mm F/9.2 LZOS/TMB triplet is probably about the same age as your 105, maybe a touch older ?. Mine is #20 and dates from April 2006. 

I allow it to warm up uncapped as you do and that seems to have kept the objective nice and clean.

Mine seems immune from dewing up while outside - I believe that is the effect of the Kruppax tube.

I agree re: not being tempted to tamper with these triplets. The elements are very carefully and precisely aligned in the cell and I would not want to try and replicate their positioning.

Great scopes

[mikeDnight]

It might also be worth checking the objective with a torch at the end of a session. If its totally clear you could cap it safely. If there's any dew, leave it uncapped. 

Around ten years ago I learned an important lesson. I'd been observing for a few hours with my friend Paul and left my eyepiece box lid very slightly open by about a centimetre. At the end of the session I closed the case and didn't open it again for three or four days. When I did, to my horror I for nd my Naglers, Ethos and Pentax XW's were drenchedas if theyed been in a down pour. Humidity is a real problem at certain times of the year, so it's always worth giving everything a quick once over before packing things away. And I always make sure my cases are fully closed.

[paraman]

46 minutes ago, dannybgoode said:

The bulb I’m using is a 12% HO T5 and gives a uvi of around 10 at short distances - similar to midday in the Australian sun. 

They’ve got a lot more poke than they used to have particularly the HO T5’s  (High Output T5 tube). 

 Better than nothing but I’ll monitor it anyway. May investigate a pond black light. I know the sort of thing you mean.

I know the high output T5's well,  John Courtney-Smith from Arcadia was a regular visitor to us, some of the photos in his first books were from my set ups. 

If you do try the pond uv type light be very careful they're not in a quartz envelope and opaque enclosure without good reason.

 

 

[dannybgoode]

1 hour ago, paraman said:

 

John is a top bloke . You still keep anything? I’ve got a few interesting bits but don’t have as many as I used to. 

[paraman]

1 minute ago, dannybgoode said:

John is a top bloke . You still keep anything? I’ve got a few interesting bits but don’t have as many as I used to. 

When we moved to Wales I had to rehome all of my collection, most to where I used to work and some to Paradise wildlife park. I predominately kept rear fanged, lots of different Boigas......Mangroves,  green cats, dark headed cats,  jet black Sulawesi cat,  hognoses,  stroppy male and big soppy female Falsies, Barons racer, long nosed tree snakes and flying snakes. Plus the usual array of spiders and scorpions.   The spiders and scorpions came with us, easy to transport. as did my Raccoon dog,  my hand reared Raccoon Bonnie went to a friend till I could build her an escape proof home ,  she's back with me now along with Rascal who was my friends Raccoon but it  turned really mean so I agreed to take her when Bonnie came back.  I miss the snakes, some I'd had from hatchlings especially the falsy, she ended up over 7 feet long and as docile as a cornsnake, cant say that I miss the electricity bill though.😄

[dannybgoode]

Nice collection that. Boiga have always interested me but don’t have any. I have an ETB, Olive python, true Madu retic (natural super dwarf so is around 6’), Boa imperator, Argentine boa, Dumerils boa, carpet python, couple of rat species. Do enjoy keeping them. 

 So many hobbies so little time!

[dannybgoode]

On 16/11/2019 at 14:22, Space Hopper said:

So with a lens of this pedigree, if it was me, i'd be thinking about having it professionally cleaned,  polished and recollimated.

The only way i'd do that is to send it back to Lytkarino in Russia.

To do that i'd enquire with the UK distributers of LZOS (Astrograph UK)

@Space Hopper thanks for your advice here. I’ve been trying to decide whether to leave it and monitor it or just get it dealt with. 
 

In the end I think your idea is best and have since been in touch with Rupert at Astrograph and he can arrange for the lens cell to be sent to a specialist lab in Germany. Apparently sending it back to LZOS is a) not particularly necessary and b) can cause all kinds of issues with customs clearance and the like. 
 

The lab will properly dismantle and clean the optics and provide a new test certificate for the cell. He’ll then reassemble and collimate the scope. 
 

Not particularly cheap but it’ll be done properly and I’ll not have to worry about it again   

[Adam J]

Get a UVC bulb and shine it for a few hours onto the lens, it its fungus it will die if not then nothing lost hey. 

[dannybgoode]

On 08/03/2020 at 17:56, Adam J said:

Get a UVC bulb and shine it for a few hours onto the lens, it its fungus it will die if not then nothing lost hey. 

I have thought about doing that but it’s such a valuable lens I think I’d rather just get it properly cleaned and then take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. I owe it to the scope to sort it properly  

[Alien 13]

17 minutes ago, dannybgoode said:

I have thought about doing that but it’s such a valuable lens I think I’d rather just get it properly cleaned and then take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. I owe it to the scope to sort it properly  

I have a similar light and regularly give my camera lenses and scopes a blast, prevention is always better than cure.

Alan