cleaning a corrector plate

[girko]

I have a Meade LXD75 10" Shmit Newt, and i was wondering if anyone could help me with the smudgy marks that i accidentily put on the corrector plate. Is their any safe cleaning methods.


girko. :eyepop:

[multiweb]

Bit of windex or other alcohol. Go for it. :thumbsup:

[mldee]

It's a tough old piece of glass, with hard coatings too. Like Marc says, Windex and go for it. Isopropyl alcohol from chemist or Bunnings, OK too.

You only need to be real careful with mirrors, which have a very thin and delicate aluminium coating deposited on their surface.

There, now I've displayed all my knowledge and then some :) Thank gawd for google.

#2713

[[1ponders]]

Yes the coatings are quite tough, but all the same it is a good idea to get a camera blower brush and try to gently remove any coarse grit first (its there even if you can't see it). Then use 100% pure cotton swaps or raw Kleenex (no oil, scents or other stuff) tissue folded into a little pack. Spray your 100% isopropyl alcohol (or as close as possible) onto the pad/tissue and without any pressure if possible wipe it over the areas that you need to clean. One wipe, one side of the pad or tissue. Next swipe either us a new pad or the other side/edge. Don't spray directly onto the plate.

Once you have gotten the potentially scratchy stuff off, you can then try a little firmer if needed. You can then wipe down with distilled water after if you feel you need to. Sometimes the cleaning will leave smears that you can see under certain light conditions. These will not affect the performance of your scope.

Of all, the the most important aspect of cleaning is the initial removal of ANYTHING from the surface that has the potential to scratch. Take your time with this. Soft soft soft brush and blower. Be careful using "air in a can" there is the potential to get propellant onto the corrector and you really don't want to do that if you can help it.

[5ash]

Whats wrong with the isopropyl water solution suggested by meade in all instructions given with SN's and SCT's.I use 1/3rd isopropyl alcohol to 2/3rds. distilled water with a microscopic amount (wetted pin ) of a photographic wetting agent (agfa agepon or equivalent). Alcohol alone will not dissolve some residues whilst this mixture will.When applying it use no pressure on the pad/tissue just drag it across in circular sweeps doing 1 quadrant at a time. Immediately follow with a dry tissue again dragging with no applied pressure.Only do this when the humidity is low as it will not dry quickly.I have used this method on both SN's & SCT's
regards philip

[girko]

Thanks philip for jogging the old memory, your right it did say you can use all those cleaning agents and methods in the manual, but i was told by the staff, at the place of purchase of my scope, not to by any means to touch the surface of the corrector plate, and rightly so, but i guess some times we have to think, and look, outside the square and have a go.

Cheers girko:D

[girko]

Cheers Paul-[Iponders], i will keep that in mind.

girko:thumbsup:

[girko]

Thanks Mike-[mldee], i agree Mark is correct. Its always the easy solutions that we either neglect, or are unaware of.
Thank Gawd for other fellow Amature Astronomers like Mark, & Yourself.

Cheers girko :thumbsup:

[acropolite]

Philip is correct either his mix is basically the same as Dr Clay's cleaning solution or you can buy the stuff premixed from Bintel. Dr Clay's Instructions here (http://www.arksky.org/asoclean.htm) for cleaning and recipe if you wish to "roll your own" cleaning solution. The IPA needs to be 100% which may be a little hard to come by.