No magic here. Just be meticulous and you will be fine.
Preparation:
Need - latex gloves for handling mirror during cleaning - clean mirror (not a have to, but a nice to have)
gallon of distilled water
Some mild dish washing detergent / soap
a clean large sink for rinsining and cleaning the mirror
Hair dryer with "cool" setting, or air bulb for removing water from mirror
Wash hands thoroughly prior to touching mirror
clean spray bottle with distilled water
clean spray water with one drop of soap and distilled water
Medical / 100% cotton balls from pharmacy section
Concerns:
Corrector plates are glass - if you ding them agasint something like the faucet or the side of the sink - it can easily break! Be carefull and all will be well
Removal
1. Tilt the tube up and lock it in place so there is no possible way that the corrector plate can fall out on its own
2. Loosen and remove all screws / hex bolts that are holding down tightening ring
3. Remove ring - do NOT remove corrector plate!
4. Use a permanent marker to place a mark on the outside edge of corrector plate and tube to note rotational position
5. Test magic marker by marking a piece of glass - let it dry - then try to scrub it off. Make sure this is actually a permanent mark! You could also use a dot of nail polish here -
6. Note the position of any cork spacers that are around the outside of the corrector lens, and take a picture of the corrector lens positioned in the OTA with the spacers as a reminder
7. Hold corrector plate by secondary holder (make sure it is not loose before doing this - if the secondary holder is loose and easily turns on the corrector plate, you have a different issue)
8. Tilt tube, holding corrector plate firmly by secondary holder - plate should slide out of tube
9. Note - cork spacers may slide away during this process - try to track them down, or you will have to replace them
10. Nold edges of mirror with both hands during transport
Cleaning
Before turning on the water, do a dry test run of moving the corrector into and out of the sink area - note - stay clear of hitting it on anything!
Clean one side of the mirror at a time
Do not pour water into or onto the secondary holder! The secondary holder is not water tight - if you pour water heavily on top of or on the sides of the holder, water will get in the unit and it will be a pain to get it out!
Wash hands thoroughly prior to cleaning secondary
Hold secondary by edges during cleaning to position
I have found it easiest to clean in two stages - one over a sink with tap water with final rinse of distilled water, second - use a fluffy town on a counter, table or clean work surface to do final rinse and drying
1. with tepid (not hot, not cold) tap water on a low setting, rinse off any debris from corrector plate surface
1.a NOTE: If your secondary holder has heavy dust / debris, you will need to soak it to try to loosen up the dirt - if you scrub it off, it acts as grit and will ruin the coatings - this may mean you have to deal with a wet secondary mirror holder, but necessary to rescue the corrector
2. Rinse up against the side of the secondary holder, but don't spray it
2.a Move mirror around flowing tap water and keep it tilted away from the flow of the water so no water rushes up next to the secondary !!
3. Once one side is rinsed, use fingers (in latex gloves, or just with clean hands) to smooth liberal amounts of dish washing liquid onto surface, with finger tips and very light pressure - try to use circular motion and do not press hard
use water and dish washing soap to clean the glass
4. Rinse with tap water first, then distilled water to get rid of any contaminents4
5. Move mirror around rinse water and keep it tilted away from the flow of the water so no water rushes up next to the secondary !!
6. Be carefule of finger prints if not wearing gloves - hold it by the edges of the corrector plate or the secondar holder
7. Turn corrector plate over and clean and rinse the other side
Cleaning a really distressed corrector:
NOTE: if you use anything other than finger tips on your corrector plate, you can ruin the coatings
NOTE 2: That said - a corrector with damaged coatings, while it will lose value, is still better than one with horrible dirt, debri and haze that you can't see through -
just realize that if you scrub your corrector plate, use too much pressure, or over clean the surface - You Will Damage The Coatings!!
A corrector with only minor issues can be cleaned with your finger tips. If you still see issues after the first cleaning above, you will need to re-clean with cotton balls and soap
1.Get a bowl, put distilled water and a cap full of soap into the bowl
2. Soak each cotton ball prior to applying it to the corrector plate surface
3. Only use the cotton ball in a small area on the face of the corrector, and throw it away and get a clean cotton ball after using it
4. Use very light pressure on cotton ball - DO NOT SCRUB OR YOU WILL RUIN COATINGS
Final rinse and dry
1. Place a towl on flat surface. Place corrector on towl - should rest on secondary holder, but edges should not touch the towl
2. Visually inspect corrector plate - if you see a finger print, use light spray and use spray bottle to clean
3. If looks good - rinse with spray bottle, and use blower or blow dryer to remove water drops from surface
4. Only use distilled water!
5. Use a clean cotton ball to whisk water off of the edge of the corrector
6. Flip, and complete
Replacing corrector
1. Make sure it is dry -
2. Use those gloves! Don't want any finger prints after all that work
3. Place corrector plate back, centering as per your marks you placed earlier
4. Slide cork spacers back between corrector and edges (tedious but critical to center your corrector)
5. Replace holder and screws
6. note - finger tight on the holder - don't clamp hard - just firm
