dirty front glass of SCT

[icytailmark (Mark)]

does anyone know what i can use to clean the front glass on a SCT? It has bugs and spots on it. Does anyone know if i could buy a front glass that goes on the end of the SCT so it prevents the len glass from getting dirty?

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Bintel, and probably others, sell UHTC cleaner. The guys will give you a rundown on how to use it. The glass is pretty scratch resistant so as long as you use gentle wipes with a clean wet tissue first to remove any dust you are unlikely to do any damage as you polish off the marks. Michael showed me how on my C8 and I was surprised at how much pressure the Celestron approved polishing method uses.

Andrew

[h0ughy (David)]

bintel junglejuice - sct lens cleaner and a microfibre cloth. ring them. post a pic of it

[Kal (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by icytailmark

does anyone know what i can use to clean the front glass on a SCT? It has bugs and spots on it. Does anyone know if i could buy a front glass that goes on the end of the SCT so it prevents the len glass from getting dirty?

A front glass like the cheap clear filters or UV filters people put on their expensive camera lenses? Never seen one for telescopes, pretty certain they don't exist.

To clean it buy the bintel solution as mentioned above, or make your own cleaning solution with distilled water, some 100% isopropyl alcohol, and a drop of detergent. I think this is what the bintel solution is made up from. Thinking about it, it is cheaper just to buy the bintel premade stuff.

[casstony]

Baader Turbo Film (the base material used for their solar filters) can be used to make a clear filter covering the front of the scope. It's likely to reduce optical quality of the scope a little by interfering with cooling so probably only beneficial under very dusty/dirty observing conditions.

[acropolite (Phil)]

Technique described here by Dr Clay, I believe the Bintel UHTC cleaner is based on the same formula.

I mixed my own before Bintel started stocking the cleaner, I wouldn't bother trying to mix your own from the recipe, it's far too expensive an exercise for the small amount needed.

[Paul Haese]

Haven't cleaned my C14 corrector for 4 years. It is getting a little dirty now but I reckon I could stretch another 2 years out of it. Mark you don't need to clean the glass if you have owned the scope for under 4 years. The dust and crud you see on the glass is not actually deminishing the image quality at all. The fluid from Bintel is good, but don't be in a rush to get it clean. It just will not make any difference. Only clean the glass when it is absolutely filthy or a bird or bat has dropped its business on it.

[leon]

A good microfiber cloth, just a little damp, and some Windex, works a treat, the lens coatings are tougher than your led to believe.

leon

[asimov (John)]

I cleaned mine for the first time not long ago, after nearly 4 yrs of ownership & I'm with Paul on this. You can imagine the crud after nearly 4 years of service. My point is despite it being lovely & clean now I've not noticed one iota of difference in the views or the photo's from it.

As far as I'm concerned, there's more risk associated with too frequent cleaning than leaving the crud there.

[cookie8 (Vincent)]

I have water marks on mine after two dewy nights. You know what I mean, like those on a car after a wash but not dried properly. Should I clean it? Do they degrade my visual obs?

[Paul Haese]

Vincent it really depends on how many there are and how large they are too. If there are lots and you can see some degradation in the views then by all means clean your corrector. It is just a matter of judgement. If you only have a couple of small ones I would not worry about it. Big large areas are another matter.