Cleaning RC mirror?

[bloodhound31]

Any good tips on how to clean and keep clean an RC open truss?

[bloodhound31]

61 views on the biggest astronomy forum in the southern hemisphere and no-one ever cleaned a mirror? :P

[Satchmo]

Cleaning a mirror in-situ in one of these new scopes ? Looks like you are the guinea pig :)

[bloodhound31]

Was thinking of using a micro-fibre cloth. The one you get with sunglasses.

Maybe metho-water solution?

[RickS]

There's probably about that many threads which already discuss mirror cleaning.

[bloodhound31]

I searched the other threads and read them but my question in post #1 was a little more specific.

But, no worries.

Mod's you can close and delete the thread as there are so many others.

[Satchmo]

I guess the fans in the base make things a bit harder .Lay telescope on its side on the grass . Put a wide spray nozzle on the hose , a bit like a shower rose . Give the primary a good blast of water to blow off dust and dirt . give the mirror a light wipe with a big handful of soaking cotton wool soaked in warm weak detergent solution to cut through any grease- not much pressure on the mirror . Blast with hose again Sluice it generously with demineralised water while still on side - let the fine droplets dry off or spot them with a Kimwipe lintfree tissue and blow gently.

This is exactly how I clean my Newt mirror outside in its tube - but I dont have fans to worry about so I do it face up with my arms down the bottom half of the tube which comes in half.

Just remember that mirrors are overcoated with silica - they are tough - only a particle that is extremely hard backed by an unyielding surface can scratch it. The windows in your home will still look great after years of cleaning and we don't treat them nearly as well as a telescope mirror :)

[Grimmeister]

As mark said, mild detergent solution,wash well with demineralised water ( very well) and cotton wool balls to remove stubborn marks but very gently. Make sure each ball is used once only.

I did my rc8 mirror but removed it from the cell first and was able to get like new mirror afterwards.

If you run the demin water in a stream it will not bubble or pool or leave any small water dots on the mirror, that is the main goal. If it does use some paper towel in a point to remove them.

Check this link out as well. http://www.astro-baby.com/TAL%20Telescope%20Rebuild/Telescope%20Mirror%20Cleaning.htm

But will be harder in the casing.

Cheers

Anthony

[Logieberra]

Baz. I'm pretty sure that 3M makes a magic spray on polymer. Touch free. It grabs the yuckies and forms a surface that you simply peel off. The RCOS guys use it, which says something :)

[sn1987a]

Can confirm this is the same technique Peter Read of SDM used on my 28 mirror when he visited earlier in the year it works a treat. The mirror was the best I've ever seen it afterwards. I will say that we had removed the mirror from the scope at the time but this technique could just as well have been done with it in place.

[SpaceNoob]

This??

http://www.photoniccleaning.com

I have been looking at this for my CDK, though I have no need to clean mine at the moment as the optics are in good condition. Reading through the website and doing a bit of research seems to indicate that it could be a good solution.

The other option is a CO2 gun for blasting off dust until you actually have to clean the optics. - I know very little about the process but do remember reading about it on some of the RCOS user groups.

Cheers,

Chris.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks everyone. After reading through all the different ways of doing it, I went to the supermarket this morning and bought a bottle of metho for five bucks. I tried metho/water but the water remained on the mirror and streaked when I wiped it. I ended up using straight metho with cotton balls, then some high-quality servietttes to wipe from the centre to the outside.

Mirror has come up immaculate. Better than when I bought it.

[bloodhound31]

You're advice about using the cotton balls once only was invaluable! Thanks so much Anthony.

Baz.