Cleaning eyepieces

[Darth Wader]

Just wondering what the best method would be to clean my eyepieces?

Cheers
Wade

[wavelandscott]

There is an article about eyepiece cleaning in the Projects and Articles page.

I think the guy who wrote the article gives sound advice...but I will admit to being slightly biased to his way of thinking ;)

You can also check out other sources like the TeleVue website...

[iceman]

This is the article Scott's referring to :)

Adventures in Eyepiece Cleaning (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-344-0-0-1-0.html)

[Darth Wader]

Thanks for the replies guys. Scott, that sure is a comprehensive guide! Will order some cleaning solution and a Hurricane thingy today. In the meantime, is it ok to use an eyeglass cleaning cloth or similar to remove a fingerprint, or is this risking scratches?

Cheers
Wade

[iceman]

There's no harm in doing that, Wade. Just make sure there's no solid dust etc that might scratch if you rub it around.

[wavelandscott]

As Mike said that should be okay but do make sure that there is no "grit" or dirt on the eyepiece or the cloth. Hurricane bulb and/or soft bristle brush will do the trick. Use the same level of care that you would for eyeglasses (unless you treat them poorly :P )...

Just like your glasses, if they are grit/dust free you might want to "fog" the lense and then dry it with the cloth (clean and soft right). Depending on how "oily" your print is, this may or may not get it to come off...that is what I like about Bintel's "blue stuff"...it seems to cut through the oily stuff well.

Good Luck!

[Darth Wader]

Fantastic, thanks again guys. Looks like I'll have some nice clean EP's for tomorrow morning's viewing.

Cheers
Wade

[erick]

A good bulb blower to get the dust/grit etc off. Make sure it is lifted. Try a gentle wipe with a soft brush (the Lenspen brush - see below - is good). If stuck, then you face a wash job. If all that remains, after the dust/grit is removed, is significant fingerprints or oil marks from eyes/eyelashes, then consider a lenspen:-

http://www.lenspen.com/

Most camera shops sell them. Eg:-

http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/category948_1.htm

I have the MiniPro. It lifts human oil (organics) off easily.

[saturn c]

I remember the first time i cleaned my ep"s. NIGHTMARE! i did everthing wrong! First mistake i made was by placing the ep in my pocket while changing it on the scope. When it came out of the pocket all sorts of chunky crap was on it. Next mistake was, i didnt read up on cleaning ep's and went ahead with it .i totally stuffed it and had to cann it!
learned alot from these mistakes! make sure u have the right cleaning equipment b4 u start.