Dew inside lens?

[chambinator]

Hi all!

I've taken out my gear for inspection before an excursion tomorrow night.

Only to find my Meade Series 5000 SWA 24 mm has this strange "rot" covering 1/4 the surface INSIDE the lens' surface.

The lens was stored in a pouch, with both lens caps on, inside a sealed briefcase, ever since I used it a year and a half ago.

Any ideas what could have gone wrong and how to avoid that happening to my other lenses?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zX-Iapz7K44/UfzAvPBiI_I/AAAAAAAADgk/cEGG3_3Ua0o/s1600/Lens+Rot+2.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XbMoiO_lh6c/UfzAtrnPUdI/AAAAAAAADgc/32Ou10rB2h8/s1600/Lens+Rot+1.jpg

I'm quite a noob at this, so any advice will be much appreciated.

:thanx:

[mercedes_sl1970]

That does not look good. It could be fungus/mould but looks like lens separation to me (or both). The only thing would be taking it apart, cleaning and reglueing... It is doable but not a trivial job.

It may be out of warranty but I would still contact the dealer and you may be lucky?

Also, check your other eyepieces, although I would be surprised if they were affected. It is usually age related or a fault.

Andrew

[casstony]

Hi Phil, looks like fungus growing inside your eyepiece. Any time you store an eyepiece, binoculars or telescope in a humid, confined space you're risking getting fungal growth on the glass.

To avoid the problem you could store optics on a shelf covered with a cloth in an air conditioned part of the house (or heated part of the house in cooler climates) or you can store eyepieces in a sealed container with dessicant to remove moisture.

I store all my eyepieces in a craftright airtight case from bunnings with a rechargeable dessicant pack.

[mercedes_sl1970]

Forgot to mention the desiccant packs!

[brian nordstrom]

:) another good idea is to put a rag that's soaked in Bleach , in a plastic bag that's left open in the case with your eyepieces , the fumes kill any spores that are in there and stops them multiplying .
This smells a bit when you first open the case but 10 miniutes open in the sun sorts that out .
I do that during the wet season up here and don't have a problem with mould .
Mould is a curse ! .
Brian.

[Don Pensack]

When you have it apart, it will take more than alcohol to clean the lenses. Try acetone first (you can get at a pharmacy or sometimes a chemical supply store), and if that's not strong enough, try methyl ethyl ketone (MEK).
Only use these in well-ventilated areas, and well away from any flames.
I helped recondition an old Alvan Clark refractor that had mildew on the lenses, and it took sulphuric acid to clean the glass.

Fungus can etch the glass, so do not let it sit.

[brian nordstrom]

:) I just read on Cloudy Nights that Lemon juice is the best thing for cleaning , put some on , leave it over night and rinse off , its up to you if you try this but it cant make it much worse ?
Good luck .
Brian.

[killswitch]

I had an old camera lens that had partial fungus growth on it and i ended up throwing it away after attempting to fix it. Fungus secretes acids which eat through coatings and etch the glass.

Keep that EP away from your other EP's. If you live in a humid climate, i suggest storing your optics in a powered dry box/cabinet.

Explore scientific sells waterproof nitrogen/argon purged EP's which prevents fungus growth.