Keeping your binos clean

[SzabiB]

Trust me, I searched on the forum, but couldn't find any specific related to this topic.

So, I have some OCD and I really enjoy to keep my gear clean and organized, I can spend hours on it ( this paid off very well on my super light camping gears so far on the long run). Now started to develop a collection of astro related stuff, I would like to get as much info as possible about the aftercare.

If you have any top tips, please don't hesitate to share.

My understanding so far:

- compressed air

- camel brush 

- microfiber 

Do you use any kind of specific cleaning products? 

[Nik271]

The best way is to avoid the dirt getting onto them in the first place of course, so attach rainguard and objective caps as soon as you are done observing.

A little dust on the glass elements will not be noticeable, if it bother you just blow it away with a rocket blower (compressed air should be fine too provided it does not have any propellant coming of it).

Generally the less you touch the glass the longer the coatings will last. Personally I only wipe the objectives on my binos once a year. I use 100 pure alcohol from a pharmacy, most  camera lense liquids are fine but they have extra ingredients which could leave a small residue. Eyepieces have thicker coatings so will tolerate more frequent cleaning from eyelashes etc.

 

But be aware even if you are very careful - any type of brushing intruduces micro scratches, and over long period of time this will become noticeable. To give you an idea: I use eyeglasses and got a new pair 2 years ago. I only clean my glasses once a day and first rinse them with water to get rid of any dust and then use a dedicated microfibre cloth which I also wash every week. I keep my glasses in a hard case when not using them at night. So after about 700 wipes for 2 years I looked at them carefully and find they are covered with tiny scratches.

 

 

 

[DaveL59]

also worth mentioning, do not spray cleaner onto the lens directly, esp the eyepiece end else the liquid can and will find its way around the edge and onto the elements below, carrying potential detritus with it. Then you'll be looking at the fun job of dismantling to clean things up properly. Always best to blow debris away then apply the cleaning fluid to a cloth but don't saturate it and then wipe gently over the glass.

[SzabiB]

2 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

also worth mentioning, do not spray cleaner onto the lens directly, esp the eyepiece end else the liquid can and will find its way around the edge and onto the elements below, carrying potential detritus with it. Then you'll be looking at the fun job of dismantling to clean things up properly. Always best to blow debris away then apply the cleaning fluid to a cloth but don't saturate it and then wipe gently over the glass.

Very good point, thank you. Been there, done that with a DSLR camera

 

[Paz]

I'm obsessive about keeping lenses clean and my approach is...

1. Regularly blow surfaces with an air blower, always when I first uncap them for use, always last thing before I cap them after use, and sometimes at intervals in between. The point of this is that when dust lands on a surface the longer it is there the stronger it binds, so dust you blow off soon comes off much more easily that dust that has had time. (you could say isn't this a bit excessive and the answer to this is probably yes). 

2. Never let a surface dew up, not in the field and not when bringing it back into the house. Dewing promotes binding dust to a surface.

3. Always cap surfaces when I'm not actually observing.

4. Usually wear glasses when observing.

All of the above mean I don't need to do much cleaning, and when I do it is mostly an issue for eyepieces caused if I don't wear glasses.

[F15Rules]

On 04/10/2022 at 09:56, SzabiB said:

My understanding so far:

- compressed air

No, no, no!! Not if it comes from a super cold aerosol type can..you want a very gentle cleaning method like some of the others mentioned.

I have two pairs of binoculars and use them regularly. The coatings on the newer pair in particular seem as robust as on my astro eyepieces. I clean them now and again very gently with a Baader cloth lightly sprayed with Baader  Wonder Fluid (never spray directly on the lenses), and very gently dab the lenses from the centre, working out to the edge of each objective without pressure or hard rubbing.

If you cap the lenses after each use, you shouldn't need to do this very often😊.

Dave

[SzabiB]

13 hours ago, F15Rules said:

No, no, no!! Not if it comes from a super cold aerosol type can..you want a very gentle cleaning method like some of the others mentioned.

I have two pairs of binoculars and use them regularly. The coatings on the newer pair in particular seem as robust as on my astro eyepieces. I clean them now and again very gently with a Baader cloth lightly sprayed with Baader  Wonder Fluid (never spray directly on the lenses), and very gently dab the lenses from the centre, working out to the edge of each objective without pressure or hard rubbing.

If you cap the lenses after each use, you shouldn't need to do this very often😊.

Dave

Thanks Dave, 

 

I am currently looking an USB chargeable air duster. It can be used on my drones as well... 

Something like this:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Compressed-Air-Duster-Cleaner/dp/B0B2DLZF8L/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=laKm8&content-id=amzn1.sym.31c9090c-9b65-4f91-bf37-04dd92281172&pf_rd_p=31c9090c-9b65-4f91-bf37-04dd92281172&pf_rd_r=D15YSWFT4WSTDWNPCP20&pd_rd_wg=avGvv&pd_rd_r=535046f9-24f3-401b-81a1-637474d922b0&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

I will have a look on the Baader stuff. 

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, SzabiB said:

Thanks Dave, 

 

I am currently looking an USB chargeable air duster. It can be used on my drones as well... 

Something like this:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Compressed-Air-Duster-Cleaner/dp/B0B2DLZF8L/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=laKm8&content-id=amzn1.sym.31c9090c-9b65-4f91-bf37-04dd92281172&pf_rd_p=31c9090c-9b65-4f91-bf37-04dd92281172&pf_rd_r=D15YSWFT4WSTDWNPCP20&pd_rd_wg=avGvv&pd_rd_r=535046f9-24f3-401b-81a1-637474d922b0&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

I will have a look on the Baader stuff. 

That electric duster looks interesting 🤔..you should be ok if you use the lowest power setting and approach the lenses slowly and from a distance to start with..once you assess the power of the airstream, you should be able to find the optimum distance from which to activate the blower on your optics👍.

The Baader cleaning set is available from our SGL sponsor, First Light Optics (FLO).. see here:

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

Hope that helps.

Dave

[SzabiB]

4 hours ago, F15Rules said:

That electric duster looks interesting 🤔..you should be ok if you use the lowest power setting and approach the lenses slowly and from a distance to start with..once you assess the power of the airstream, you should be able to find the optimum distance from which to activate the blower on your optics👍.

The Baader cleaning set is available from our SGL sponsor, First Light Optics (FLO).. see here:

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

Hope that helps.

Dave

Perfect, just ordered the cleaning kit from FLO (and some other bits... and I forgot the brush 🤦‍♂️).

I am really tempted with the dust-buster as I have a £20 off coupon for it... 

[WJC]

One fellow who was not at all at home with the English language and had a much larger ego than a sense of humor said the following was nonsense. However, with 52 years in military and consumer optics and more than 12,000 binocular repair and collimation jobs under my belt, I will stand by it.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by WJC
Resizing

[great_bear]

On 19/10/2022 at 17:43, WJC said:

with 52 years in military and consumer optics and more than 12,000 binocular repair and collimation jobs under my belt, I will stand by it.

I hadn't heard of the hygroscopic issue before - that explains why I had a bizarre experience two days ago where - despite using clean materials, the eye lens on an eyepiece I was cleaning was getting dirtier and dirtier as I was cleaning it. It simply didn't make any sense.

As I was very familiar with this eyepiece I dismantled it and cleaned the lens seperately as I feared some eyecup-grease had maybe found its way under the rim of the barrel which might explain it.

Carefully and slowly cleaning the lens by itself, it was STILL getting dirtier and dirtier as I cleaned it! I thought I was going mad. Then I came to the conclusion that the discolouration around the edge of the lens must be permanent damage from me rubbing the edge of the lens - despite being very gentle. The marks weren't shifting at all.

Still puzzled by what could possibly have gone wrong, and quite resigned to the fact I'd need to replace the eyepiece, I gave up and reassembled it - but just before I put the eye lens back in, I again sprayed isopropyl onto a tissue and very quickly gave the lens a final wipe.

To my amazement, it was instantly perfect and good-as-factory clean. No marks, scratches nor dust. Crystal clear.

I finished the re-asssembly, and it was as good as new.

I was utterly bewildered.

But it turns out - athough your article doesn't explicitly mention it - neat isopropyl alcohol is also hygrophobic, which can cause all kinds of problems. I think I will take the unopened bottle I have of it, and convert it into your formula using a 65% solution of it (to make rubbing alcohol) mixed with ammonia, detergent and more water as you describe. Thank-you for this.

Your book looks interesting - where is it available from?

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by great_bear

[great_bear]

On 04/10/2022 at 13:08, DaveL59 said:

Then you'll be looking at the fun job of dismantling to clean things up properly.

Best avoided - modern binoculars are often gas-filled, and if you dismantle them for repair, then they can fog up internally whenever you take them into cold environments.

[Jim L]

I purchased this rechargeable air dusted a few days ago:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reesibi-Strongest-50000-90000-Compressed-Rechargeable/dp/B09QX59BNK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I chose this particular model over it’s competitors because it has a brushless motor.  Will the brushless motor make a difference in performance or durability?  I’ve no idea but I figure it can’t hurt and here in the States it’s the same price as the bushed motor models.

My region of California is semi-arid and that means lots of dust.  The rechargeable duster works brilliantly for removing that dust and is far superior to both the squeeze bulb dusters and the canned air.  It moves a lot of high velocity air without the potential danger of blasting your optics with propellant or other undesirable compounds, and it’s far more powerful than any bulb duster.  My only regret is not having got one earlier.

 

[johnturley]

30 minutes ago, Jim L said:

I purchased this rechargeable air dusted a few days ago:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reesibi-Strongest-50000-90000-Compressed-Rechargeable/dp/B09QX59BNK?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I chose this particular model over it’s competitors because it has a brushless motor.  Will the brushless motor make a difference in performance or durability?  I’ve no idea but I figure it can’t hurt and here in the States it’s the same price as the bushed motor models.

My region of California is semi-arid and that means lots of dust.  The rechargeable duster works brilliantly for removing that dust and is far superior to both the squeeze bulb dusters and the canned air.  It moves a lot of high velocity air without the potential danger of blasting your optics with propellant or other undesirable compounds, and it’s far more powerful than any bulb duster.  My only regret is not having got one earlier.

 

Do you think that the rechargeable duster will provide a jet of air as powerful as the Kenair Air Duster, I usually get through one refill per year, and I notice that the cost of these on Amazon has now gone up to £20, and as you say the problem with these is that you have to be careful not to tilt them in use, otherwise propellant can get on your optics.

I've just looked on Amazon now, and found a cheaper model at £39.99, don't know whether it would be as good as the Reesbi one, it says up tp 90000 rpm though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Compressed-51000-90000-Rechargeable-Electronics/dp/B0BR9C7X6S/ref

John

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by johnturley

[Paz]

Once lenses need cleaning there's various options but my advice for keeping your bins clean is don't don't allow any particles to settle on them for long. I always blow the lenses (with a manual hand blower) front and rear every time I take the caps off and before I put the caps back on, as particles will blow off most easily when they haven't been on for long. The longer they are there the harder they stick and the worst thing is allowing a lense to dew up as that cements any bits of crud onto the surfaces even harder.

[ollypenrice]

The best advice I can give is to look through your optics and not at them.

An occasional clean with common sense is all they need.

Olly

[Jim L]

3 hours ago, johnturley said:

Do you think that the rechargeable duster will provide a jet of air as powerful as the Kenair Air Duster, I usually get through one refill per year, and I notice that the cost of these on Amazon has now gone up to £20, and as you say the problem with these is that you have to be careful not to tilt them in use, otherwise propellant can get on your optics.

I've just looked on Amazon now, and found a cheaper model at £39.99, don't know whether it would be as good as the Reesbi one, it says up tp 90000 rpm though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Compressed-51000-90000-Rechargeable-Electronics/dp/B0BR9C7X6S/ref

John

 

John, I don’t know whether the Kenair Air Duster will provide a more or less powerful jet than the rechargeable Reesibi R3 duster I linked, but the R3 will provide a continuous strong and high volume jet of air of consistent force over a prolonged period of time.  In contrast, after two or three short bursts from a can, the can cools and the jet force drops dramatically; and you can forget about a continuous blast from a can.

I stopped using a can the first time one left a film deposit on my telescope objective.  I moved to a large Giottos hand air blaster and while it never left a film it left something to be desired as far as power and volume were controlled.  Then I read a post from Don Pensack where he said that rechargeable air dusters were much more effective than the alternatives, and that was enough to convince me.  I’ve only had mine for a couple of days, but as usual, Don was right.

As to whether the less expensive rechargeable duster is as good or even better than the Reesibi duster, your guess is as good as mine, but I’m very impressed with my Reesibi R3.