Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
My usual sermon on mirror cleaning :
Mirrors in Australia tend to get a pretty tenacious deposit of Eucalypyus oil and air pollution . There is no problem with starting off with a soak of methylated spirits on some paper towel layed over the surface and then a strong detergent solution with some pressure from a cotton wool bunch to cut through the grease.
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I will give the methylated spirits a go and apply a bit more pressure to see if the stains lift off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
In my view people let their mirrors get into an aweful state and put up with low contrast views with loads of scatter around stars, and loss of planetary detail because they are afraid to touch the mirror surface .
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My opinion doesn't carry much weight because I'm so new to this, but I tend to agree. Obviously people shouldn't clean mirrors regularly, but if it's needed then it should be done.
Lots of newcomers who've purchased a basic DOB would inevitably hit this issue over time and guidance online to help decide when to clean would be useful. From my perspective a sample gallery of mirrors in various conditions and some commentary from people who know what they're talking about would help someone in making a decision on weather to clean/recoat/replace or just leave it be.