Cleaning Mirrors of Skyliner 200P

[SmoothOperator]

Hey there, I’m looking for some advice/assistance in the cleaning of the mirror of my telescope. I have an 8” skywatcher skyliner 200p dob and have noticed a few specs on the primary mirror however I’ve never attempted to clean the mirrors before and I’m unsure on what substance to use to actually clean it. I have some acetone which I can grab from work but I’m not sure if this will be too harsh and diminish the reflective finish. Also does anyone know if the mirrors on this scope have a mirror finish or if they are coated to produce the finish.

 

thanks for any help!

 

[banjaxed]

If you only have a few specks on the mirror I would leave it alone as they will not have a detrimental effect on your viewing. I have only cleaned my Skywatcher 8” Dob once and that was only because I thought it had some fungus on it which turned out to be funny coloured dust.

[SmoothOperator]

16 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

If you only have a few specks on the mirror I would leave it alone as they will not have a detrimental effect on your viewing. I have only cleaned my Skywatcher 8” Dob once and that was only because I thought it had some fungus on it which turned out to be funny coloured dust.

Hey thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I’ve had mine just over a year but I was using it a few nights ago just to look at Jupiter and noticed a fairly large spec but like you said i don’t think it affected my viewing, I was slightly concerned though as this was the first time I’d noticed my mirrors looking anything but perfect. Sounds stupid but if my mirrors only gradually build up with dust so my viewing is only very gradually affected, at what point would you decide to clean them? And what with?

[banjaxed]

If you do a search for ‘cleaning a primary mirror there are lots of suggestions. When I cleaned mine I removed the primary mirror and cell any put it in a bowl of clean water then added a little washing up liquid on to the mirror and very gently rubbed it  with my finger. After you are satisfied it is clean rinse the mirror with distilled water and prop the mirror and cell on its side and allow to drain.

[SmoothOperator]

3 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

If you do a search for ‘cleaning a primary mirror there are lots of suggestions. When I cleaned mine I removed the primary mirror and cell any put it in a bowl of clean water then added a little washing up liquid on to the mirror and very gently rubbed it  with my finger. After you are satisfied it is clean rinse the mirror with distilled water and prop the mirror and cell on its side and allow to drain.

Thanks very much amigo, very much appreciated!

[Moonshane]

I agree that mirrors should only be washed very carefully and if required. Yours sounds very normal and is unlikely to be badly affected.

The mirrors are coated with a few atoms thick coating to achieve the reflectivity and this is easily scratched. A scratch would affect the view more than a sfew dust specks.

All that said, cleaning them is easy with care

 

[SmoothOperator]

5 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

I agree that mirrors should only be washed very carefully and if required. Yours sounds very normal and is unlikely to be badly affected.

The mirrors are coated with a few atoms thick coating to achieve the reflectivity and this is easily scratched. A scratch would affect the view more than a sfew dust specks.

All that said, cleaning them is easy with care

 

Oh okay that’s a relief then. I did wonder about a coating on the mirrors and so I believe acetone would actually damage this layer then. Many thanks for the help also.

[Moonshane]

I actually think you can use acetone for stubborn mainly greasy marks but I've never found the need.

http://www.rfroyce.com/cleaning_new.htm#:~:text=Pour some acetone on the,of the dirt and crud.

[SmoothOperator]

23 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

I actually think you can use acetone for stubborn mainly greasy marks but I've never found the need.

http://www.rfroyce.com/cleaning_new.htm#:~:text=Pour some acetone on the,of the dirt and crud.

Very interesting read, was surprised to read that acetone wouldn’t cause any damage to the coating. I think as a beginner astronomer I I hold it in my head that mirrors should always be perfect but just overreacted to a piece of dust. Will definitely take a few things away from that post though so much appreciated.