Numpty Question Re: Hairdryers.

[walterp]

Hi,

I understand I can get a 12v hairdryer to get rid of condensation.

Now here is the numpty question of the week.......

Do I blow the warm air along the length of the tube on the outside or down the scope itself onto the mirrors?

I dont want to hear a loud cracking sound if I do it wrong.

Allan,

[Talitha]

Basically you want to get rid of the condensation that's on mirrors, lenses and corrector plates. Use it as though you were drying a Baby's hair and you'll do fine.

[Doc]

On find the mirror that really gets dewed up is the secondry so what I do is remove the eyepiece and blow warm air not hot air down the focuser tube. The air hits the secondry and within 30 secs it's clear.

[James]

When my secondary has dewed up I blast the air down the focuser tube, when the primary has dewed up I blow the hairdryer onto the back of the mirror for minute or two. It tales about 5 minutes for the dew to go but it does.

A 12V hairdryer probably won't put out air that's all that hot...

Something to consider is that ever since I put a dewshield on the front of my reflector I've only once had the main mirror or secondary dew up (Kelling last September) so I get to keep the hairdryer for mundane tasks like drying hair

James

[walterp]

Thanks for the replies.

It was as I thought but I wanted to be sure.

My wife nows thinks I am totally mental when I told her I need a hairdryer to blow dry my scope.

Bless her though, she did humour me and ask if her travel hair dryer was ok.

Allan.

[tinvek]

could have been worse, i wonder how she'd have reacted if you'd asked her to give your tube a blow outside at night ?