Cleaning Morpheus lenses

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Hi all.

More of a curiosity question, my baader eye pieces seem to be getting quite a bit of dust and pollen on the lense, it isn't affecting the performance in any way, it just makes them look a little messy.  How would you go about cleaning them? I don't really want to use a cleaning cloth on them as I wouldn't want to put anything on the coated optics.

Pic attached.

How do you all clean your pride and joy eye pieces?

Baz

[johninderby]

This is the only thing I use on eyepieces. Simple and effective and safe on even the best eyepieces.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/baader-optical-wonder-set-cleaning-fluid-and-cloth.html

I don’t use the cloths that come with eyepieces as I trust the Baader cloths.
 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by johninderby

[John]

15 minutes ago, johninderby said:

This is the only thing I use on eyepieces. Simple and effective and safe on even the best eyepieces.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/baader-optical-wonder-set-cleaning-fluid-and-cloth.html

I don’t use the cloths that come with eyepieces as I trust the Baader cloths.
 

 

 

Exactly the same here.

The investment lasts a long time and many eyepiece cleans.

 

[Rob_UK_SE]

Same here too.

The trick is to avoid using the same area of cloth twice and always swipe -lightly- from one direction to another (not moving in circles). This approach is safer for the lens coatings. I have also found that you really don’t need to use a lot of wonder fluid and always spray it onto the cloth, not the eyepiece. It is very effective stuff, but evaporates / wipes away far more effectively when used in smaller quantities.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Rob_UK_SE

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Thanks gents, some sound advice there, I will purchase some of the Baader fluid. How often do you clean your lenses? I feel that I should wait until they have a bit more debris on them before I clean them, after all the less that I touch them the better I guess! As I mentioned the performance hasn't been affected in any way.

 

Thank you

 

Baz

[discardedastro]

3 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Thanks gents, some sound advice there, I will purchase some of the Baader fluid. How often do you clean your lenses? I feel that I should wait until they have a bit more debris on them before I clean them, after all the less that I touch them the better I guess! As I mentioned the performance hasn't been affected in any way.

 

Thank you

 

Baz

If it's anything oil-like or organic I clean fairly promptly - it can cause issues if not removed. For dust etc, leave it till it's noticeable.

Edit: I'll +1 to the Baader fluid but the Calotherm cloths are nicer - I keep one sealed up in its pouch, it gets removed for cleaning (carefully!) any optics, and put back immediately to avoid any contamination.

Edited September 4, 2020 by discardedastro

[Rob_UK_SE]

I try not to worry about the odd spec of dust or very light ‘touch’ where my eyelash may have come into contact with the lens. I think it’s a careful balance between looking after your investment and caring for the coatings, but also not risking damage from excessive cleaning.

However, I always use a dust blower before and the morning after each session.

... I am also very strict about no mascara (for guests) during outreach. It can be very damaging for optics. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Rob_UK_SE

[scarp15]

Only clean if they have been used fairly consistently, it is the formation of gunk from your observing eye that will collect on the glass surface. Apply the appropriate procedure for cleaning. In-between wiping, breath onto the glass lens, this will show up any patches of residue that require more attention.  

[johninderby]

Basicly just clean when necessary. As mentioned dust isn’t a problem it’s the residue from eyelashes etc that need cleaning.

 

[Louis D]

I generally only clean when I notice bright objects noticeably blurring as they move across the field of view.  I then back away and try to identify the culprit which is usually a smudge or eyelash goo.

[Ruud]

Often there's just a bit of dust, so I only use a blower, but when necessary I use a blower and remove any stains with a cotton ball moistened with alcohol. Then I fog the lens with my breath and wipe it dry with a kleenex regular tissue. Then the blower to remove lint left by the tissue and the lens is as new.

The eye lens of a Morpheus is very accessible and I find them just about the easiest eyepieces to clean.

[Stardaze]

There was a good bit of info in a thread recently somewhere about cleaning them. I found this worth a watch:

In the other thread however, many said not to use a lens pen. I have struggled to get into the absolute corners, even with a cotton bud, I still get a smear. A lens pens would make sense but was warned against, so haven't. Possibly doesn't make much difference at the extreme outer edge anyway. 
 

Edit: I decided to have a go at the edges on the EP mentioned above with the lens pen = perfect! Only did the edge with that though. Am using Baader wonder fluid and cloth.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Stardaze

[Jiggy 67]

I would use a dust blower to remove as much debris as possible before using any cloth , you don’t want the cloth scraping debris across the glass and scratching it 

[John]

38 minutes ago, Jiggy 67 said:

I would use a dust blower to remove as much debris as possible before using any cloth , you don’t want the cloth scraping debris across the glass and scratching it 

Absolutely correct. Often I find that the blower brush is all that is needed.

I hold the lens surface that I'm blowing upside down so that gravity carries particles away from the optical surface as the air puffs them off.

 

[johninderby]

The big problem I found with lens pens is that they very quickly start to break down and leave bits behind thus defeating  the objective of cleaning the lens. 🙄

If you insist on using a lens pens replace it frequently. 

[Stu]

55 minutes ago, Jiggy 67 said:

I would use a dust blower to remove as much debris as possible before using any cloth , you don’t want the cloth scraping debris across the glass and scratching it 

Totally agree with this, I give a really go over with a blower first, and sometimes with a soft brush to just to get rid of any particles that may scratch the surface during cleaning.

[Stardaze]

10 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The big problem I found with lens pens is that they very quickly start to break down and leave bits behind thus defeating  the objective of cleaning the lens. 🙄

If you insist on using a lens pens replace it frequently. 

Very true John. I normally buy one a year, but then I do use them mostly for my camera lenses. I'll probably buy one for my EP cleaning bag. 

Definitely a blow and brush for 99% of the time with any lens.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Stardaze

[johninderby]

That reminds me. I need a new blower as mine has vanished without trace. 😁

[Solar B]

One thing I would advise against is drinking (Menabrea 😉) and cleaning optics as it could affect your coordination 😅... Id get Alan White in on this one (Don't know how to tag him) but I think he's superb at cleaning optics 👍

Brian 

[Don Pensack]

TeleVue's recommendations on how to clean an eyepiece:

http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=103#:~:text=Second%2C moisten (do not soak,around and is re-absorbed.