TomN
sage
Reged: 01/14/09
Posts: 264
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How do you guys (and gals) keep your eyepieces clean? I noticed a 'film' on the eye lens of my 7mm Nagler last night and it was giving poor images or so I thought so I got out the Zeiss cleaning solution and some cotton balls and I cleaned it and two other Televue eyepieces tonight (the 19mm Panoptic and the 11mm Nagler). The other two just had light colored 'specks' stuck on the eye lens after I brushed them ever so lightly with a camel hair brush to remove any gritty stuff. Even after cleaning I noticed streaks under a fairly strong light. I assume these were contaminants still stuck as they did seem to remove after two or three light passes with a cotton ball and the Zeiss solution. They now look pretty good. Is this just to be expected? I mean the adherence of contaminants and the usual goo that gets stuck there, (probably mostly skin cells if you want to know the truth...but disturbing to think about....). Anyway, I have never cleaned them but did it tonight. They do look like new. How often do you guys clean and what method do you use? I think some folks never clean anything and others clean stuff often.
Opinions? Input? Experiences?
Thanks! TomN
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Amateur Astronomer since 1962.
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Tiny
super member
Reged: 05/02/08
Posts: 197
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bodily fluids will get on them eventually. Everyones eyelashes have oil on them.
I tend to clean them the same way its suggested to clean a primary. Just some eco-friendly dish soap and water and cotton followed by a mist of distilled water then a dab with cotton again. If they're really bad and have lots of elements they go back to the manufacturer.
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orveko
sage
Reged: 02/04/09
Posts: 207
Loc: Chicago
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A lot of people are going to tell you to never clean your eyepieces. This seems silly to me. If the coatings on my glasses can withstand a daily cleaning, I think most eyepieces will be alright when cleaned as needed. I generally use a solution of high concentration isopropyl alcohol diluted with distilled water (I don't trust the extra "stuff" they mix in with dilute isopropyl). Sometimes I add a drop of mild dish washing detergent if I'm trying to remove something organic (like eyelash oil). I then dab the lens with a slightly damp cotton ball (or soft q-tip if the lens is very small) ensuring that no liquid makes its way to the edge of the lens (so it doesn't seep in between elements) and dry it by dabbing the lens with a clean cotton rag. This seems to work well and enhances the viewing experience, so (for me) that's all the more reason to keep those eyepieces clean!
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Zhumell Z10 Dobsonian: 1250mm x 250mm (/5)
- Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
- Smart Astronomy Sterling Plössl: 40mm
- Antares Elite Plössls: 25mm, 15mm, 10mm, 7.5mm
- Siebert Optics Star Splitters: 7.5mm, 6mm, 5mm
- Russell Optics König and modular Barlow combination
Oberwerk 15x70 Binoculars on a Manfrotto 055XB tripod and 128LP head
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12230
Loc: Los Angeles
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The coatings on eyepieces are fairly hard. Use Q-Tips and some solvent and you'll be fine.
I recommend ROR as a cleaner solution, but there are other solvents equally as good.
Clean the eyepieces when they get dirty. For me, that doesn't appear to be after every use, but they do need cleaning every now and then.
Don't be afraid to do so--I have a 20 year old eyepiece that looks like new under a bright light at an angle (which shows every spec on a lens).
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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starrancher
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/09/09
Posts: 620
Loc: Northern Arizona
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I've tried cotton . Don't like cotton . It seemed to leave a residue . I use plain white Kleenex tissue & a solution of 6 parts distilled water to 1 part 91% isopropyl . Basically Dr. Clay Sherrods' formula without the Windex . Gather a Kleenex while avoiding touching the part that will contact the glass & spray the solution on the Kleenex . Always with the lens facing downward while cleaning . As a final to remove any streaking , fog the lens with baited breath & dry with a new Kleenex . Any lint left behind blows away easily with a puffer ball & "viola" !
A clean optical path is a happy optical path , I always say !
Edited by starrancher (11/03/09 12:18 AM)
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 2280
Loc: Freedonia
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Dr Gus's Cleaning Method
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Gus
Tasco 4.5 Reflector EQ Telescope
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TomN
sage
Reged: 01/14/09
Posts: 264
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Thanks very much! Gus, I appreciate the idea of rolling the cotton across the surface. I had not thought of that. I will try it. Overall I am glad I cleaned them, they do look like new and I will tell you that the oils and contaminants that had accumulated on the 7mm Nagler drastically affected the view of bright objects...Jupiter and Luna. I had not noticed this on DSOs.... So, I guess it makes sense to look closely at them once in awhile just to make sure - especially for planetary EPs.
TomN
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Amateur Astronomer since 1962.
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nyc_nurse
sage
Reged: 07/29/09
Posts: 254
Loc: nyc
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Quote:
so I got out the Zeiss cleaning solution and some cotton balls and I cleaned it
Hey Tom. The streaks could be caused by 2 things. I've noticed that Zeiss does leave a bit of residue. Second, if you're not careful oil from your finger can get on the cotton ball and get on the lens. I always use gloves to bypass this problem.
The simple rule I use with cleaning my EP's. Clean whenever they need it. When using correct materials and technique there's absolutely nothing bad that will happen to them. FYI, I use Purasol optical cleaning fluid and PEC-PADs with great results.
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Sam P.
www.agirlandaguy.blogspot.com
Pentax 7X50
TV-102 APO w/ (Starbeam - on backorder  )
Ash Gibraltar w/ SkyTour DSC
NZ3-6, N9T6, N13T6
TV 20 Plossl
Pan 24, 35
Pentax XW10, XW14
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 2280
Loc: Freedonia
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As long as you are careful you won't cause any damage. I examine mine and clean them if they are not perfectly clean after every observing session and they look brand new.
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Gus
Tasco 4.5 Reflector EQ Telescope
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lightfever
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/27/04
Posts: 1281
Loc: Macomb Michigan
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I clean mine whenever they need it. 91% isopropyl and non scented white tissue but make sure not to put your fingers on the part of the tissue that will be used to clean the glass. I find the tissue much more absorbent than cotton balls thus doing a better job of lifting contaminants off of the glass surface.
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Mark
Tasco 15-TE 76mm
Sky Watcher 80mm ED
AT-111 Triplet
XT8i (with Woden re-figured mirror)
Discovery 12.5" f/5 Premium DHQ (PDHQ Split-tube Dobsonian)
12.5" f/6.3 Dob (Underconstruction)
Celestron CG-5GT EQ Mount
Celestron C4 EQ Mount
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain" unknown
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2928
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Windex works for me on the eye lens - get the dust off, use a cotton ball. Don't use cheap cotton, get a grade suitable for dressing wounds.
Expensive makeup removal pads also work.
-drl
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Scott99
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/10/07
Posts: 706
Loc: New England
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Quote:
Thanks very much! Gus, I appreciate the idea of rolling the cotton across the surface. I had not thought of that. I will try it. Overall I am glad I cleaned them, they do look like new and I will tell you that the oils and contaminants that had accumulated on the 7mm Nagler drastically affected the view of bright objects...Jupiter and Luna. I had not noticed this on DSOs.... So, I guess it makes sense to look closely at them once in awhile just to make sure - especially for planetary EPs.
TomN
I roll the cotton over once to remove any grit, then it's safe to gently swab with another cloth or q-tip. Opto-wipes are the best cleaning cloths and are designed to clean optics without scratching the surface.
I've found that removing the absolute last streak often makes the job 2 or 3 times longer, once I've got it down to a few last streaks I declare victory and figure I'll get those streaks next time.
Unless you're using reagent grade pure alcohol there will be something in the alcohol that leaves a mild streak that is totally harmless to the lens and does not impact viewing.
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8x22 Steiner Safari binos
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starrancher
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/09/09
Posts: 620
Loc: Northern Arizona
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Quote:
I clean mine whenever they need it. 91% isopropyl and non scented white tissue but make sure not to put your fingers on the part of the tissue that will be used to clean the glass. I find the tissue much more absorbent than cotton balls thus doing a better job of lifting contaminants off of the glass surface.
We are the only two that use Kleenex ? ..Huh? I find that it works much better than cotton balls or Q-tips .
For getting rid of those final little streaks that can only be seen at certain angles but are indeed there , just fogging the lens with your breath & wiping works like a charm .
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LXD75 AR5
LXD75 SN8
Series 4000 Plossls
Misc. other stuff
Fort Rock , Az .
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j3ffr0
sage
Reged: 07/06/08
Posts: 425
Loc: Virginia
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I blow the dust off mine with a bulb after every observing session.
When they get enough dust on them to bother me or they get greasy (after a number of sessions) I use standard EP cleaning solution with cotton swabs. Then I wipe the any remining solution that wouldn't come off in with the q-tips using lens wipes.
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10" Dob, 127mm Mak, 120mm f5 achro, PST
35, 24 Panoptic; 16, 13, 9, 3-6 Nagler
15, 10, 7.5, 5, 3.8 Ultrascopic
20, 15, 9, 6 Expanse
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starrancher
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/09/09
Posts: 620
Loc: Northern Arizona
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Quote:
I blow the dust off mine with a bulb after every observing session.
Same here . 
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LXD75 AR5
LXD75 SN8
Series 4000 Plossls
Misc. other stuff
Fort Rock , Az .
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12230
Loc: Los Angeles
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Quote:
Quote:
I clean mine whenever they need it. 91% isopropyl and non scented white tissue but make sure not to put your fingers on the part of the tissue that will be used to clean the glass. I find the tissue much more absorbent than cotton balls thus doing a better job of lifting contaminants off of the glass surface.
We are the only two that use Kleenex ? ..Huh? I find that it works much better than cotton balls or Q-tips .
For getting rid of those final little streaks that can only be seen at certain angles but are indeed there , just fogging the lens with your breath & wiping works like a charm .
I used to use Kleenex, but it left too much dust on the lenses.
Cotton balls and pads couldn't reach into the corners of the lenses.
Q-Tips (the actual brand, which has a little thicker pad on the ends) seemed to work best. At work, I used to clean 100 eyepieces or binoculars eye lenses every day, so I wanted something that would work fast and remove mascara and other eyelash oils (and fingerprints!) on the first pass. Q-Tips and ROR seemed to be it.
Later, I found that Nikon had an excellent cleaner, also.
Isopropyl alcohol wasn't a good enough cleaner and often took 3 passes to really get a lens as clean as new. MEK had too strong an odor, and acetone, while an excellent solvent, would soften any plastic it came in contact with.
So ROR became my cleaner of choice, but only because it was convenient to buy and use.
I have a glasses cleaner called Clear that works just about as well, but it's more expensive.
The only disadvantage to ROR I've found is that it emulsifies all organic residue on the lens, letting your Q-Tip evenly spread it around. As a result, I often have to make a pass on the lens with a dry Q-Tip on a dry lens (note that this is after the lens is clean and there is no dust on the lens!) to make sure any haze or streaks are completely gone. ROR doesn't leave a residue, but the materials it sweeps up might.
However, after the "mop up" pass, the lens is so clean that passing a Q-Tip over the lens surface seems like the lens is covered with teflon. It's so clean there is no resistance to movement at all. I've cleaned brand new binoculars right from the factory that had dirty lenses, so never take it for granted the lenses are clean unless you've cleaned them.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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johnnyha
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/12/06
Posts: 1139
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I occasionally blow them off with a bulb, fog the lens with my breath, and wipe with a clean microfiber cloth. My EPs are all spotless and scratch-free after up to 15 years of use. It takes seconds to clean each EP and can be done in the field.
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Johnny
Spicewood, TX
Sherman Oaks, CA
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NHRob
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 3159
Loc: New Hampshire
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what's ROR?
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Rob
**********************
Canon 12x36 IS binos
TEC-140: #433 on CGEM
Faworski orthos (7,10,16.7mm)
stuff ...
no free time ... lots of clouds !
" Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" !!
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dscarpa
sage
Reged: 03/15/08
Posts: 257
Loc: San Diego Ca.
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I use a lens brush to remove dust. I then spray a little eye glass cleaner on a clean micro fiber cloth. I wipe first with the wet part and then with the dry, very lightly of course. I use a Q Tip to clean the edges if needed. My Nagler T 6's do need it more often than my other eyepieces due to their short eye relief. I clean when there are spots or film on the lenses. David
Edited by dscarpa (11/03/09 04:22 PM)
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NewAstronomer
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 3020
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A
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Quote:
what's ROR?
I had the same question, I did a quick "Bing" and found this:
http://www.ror.net/
Looks like what Don uses (confirm?), might have to try this.
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Chris
279mm f/10 C11 SCT
250mm f/4.8 GSO Dob
70mm f/6 SV70ED
Atlas EQ-G + EQMOD
SVP Intelliscope & ST-4 Autoguide Mod
Vixen Portamount on the way!
DBK 21AU04
Olympus e-500 DSLR
Meade DSI-C
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Doc Bob
member
Reged: 02/27/09
Posts: 40
Loc: Maryland, USA
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How about the "lens pen" marketed by Celestron? It's supposed to clean lenses without causing any damage to coatings or lenses - without chemicals.
Regards,
Bob
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CPC1100 w/Stellarvue 2" dielectric diagonal
AstroTelescopes 80 mm f/6 w/Celestron 2" mirror diagonal
Stelarvue M1 mount
Axiom LX 10mm 1.25"; 19mm, 23mm, 31mm 2"
CELESTRON 40mm Plossl (came w/ scope) 1.25"
Meade 5000 series 14mm Plossl 1.25"
Pentax XW 7mm 1.25"
a really inexpensive 4mm 1.25"
GSO 2" Barlow 2x w/ 1.25" adaptor
To many 1.25" filters - use only 3
OIII 1.25"
Lumicon Deep Sky Filter - SCT thread
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 40307
Loc: montana
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As long as the lens pen doesn't have "grit" on it from previous usage. I, for myself, would never use one on my glass; but that's just my preference.
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 29525
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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That's the problem with a lens pen. The grit you cleaned off last time can put tiny scratches in your coatings next time.
I use Q-tips and a lens cleaning solution from the camera store. Finishing with dry Q-tips leaves the the eyepiece streak free.
Q-tips are cheap. Eyepieces are expensive. Use lots of Q-tips. One roll on each end and into the trash.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP/ED80
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2928
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RE cotton vs Kleenex - even if some rogue dirt was left on the lens, the cotton will not push it along the surface and scratch the coating, whereas the Kleenex very possibly will. If you are sure there is no adhering dirt, then even a paper towel will be fine. As for not leaving residue, nothing beats plain old straight Windex and I've tried a lot of things. I love the smell of Windex in the morning - it smells like victory (over smudges).
-drl
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Paul C-I
member
Reged: 03/23/08
Posts: 27
Loc: United Kingdom
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I've had success with a lens pen. On ep's and even my Binoviewer prism.
It feels very kind to the surface when in use and does not leave dust or anything else behind.
I always use a light vacuum to make sure theres no nasty solids on a surface before pressing it with any type of cloth, bud, lens pen.
Maybe going too far but I use premium eps and therefore any amount of prep before contact with the surface is paramount.
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Don Trinko
super member
Reged: 07/05/09
Posts: 132
Loc: Ohio
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I clean just like I would a camera lense; Only when they get obviously dirty. I start with a soft brush, most of the time that is all that is needed, If nessisary I use lense cleaning tissue and fluid. Don't get paranoid abought every little piece of dust. Don T.
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Nexstar 8SE
Meade DS2130at-lnt
Astro-Tech 66mm
Coranado PST 40mm
Celestron 10x50 binoculars
Nikon 7x35 Binoculars
EP's 8 to 24 Zuhmell, 8 to 24 Hyperion, 12.5 Astro-Tech Paradime, Celestron 40,26,9.7 plossel,
Zuhmell 32,12.5,6,4 plossel , TMB 5,3.2, planitary II.
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bpdinse
member
Reged: 10/29/08
Posts: 18
Loc: Chandler, AZ
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A perspective from someone newer to all of this... Solvent alone will not clean all things off. You also need something with water in it as well to clean off water-based contaminants. This may be obvious to many, but as a newbie, it was not to me. I thought my coatings were ruined after unsuccessfully trying to clean multiple spots off the surface of the eye lens using high grade/100% Isopropyl Alcohol and Acetone (several times). Then a couple weeks later, on one my lower dollar eyepieces, I huffed breath on the lens, wiped it, and it was pristinely clean. I felt immensely relieved and a bit silly for not understanding that some contaminants are water based, and that for those, solvent will not clean it off. I now use ROR and a cotton-tipped wooden cleaning swab. I follow that up with my breath and a wipe with another cotton swab. I find that ROR, although it cleans exceptionally well, seems to leave a slight residue in small spots. Breath is the final step for me that yields perfection. Id guess that 91% IPA works very well as it has both a solvent and water.
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Jim Rosenstock
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/14/05
Posts: 3727
Loc: MD, south of the DC Nebula
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Quote:
Q-tips are cheap. Eyepieces are expensive. Use lots of Q-tips. One roll on each end and into the trash.
Well, after a single use on an eyepiece, a Q-tip is still pretty darn clean...I'd hate to trash them so quickly, so I re-use them for "general purposes" (e.g. cleaning up glue squeeze-out on woodworking projects, swabbing out ears, etc.) Works fine...just DON'T reverse the sequence! 
BTW, beware of "brand X" Q-tips....some swabs use synthetic fiber instead of cotton, and can scratch delicate optics.
Jim
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