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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: 40316
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: 29527
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. I’d 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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