I am actually very careful when handling and using my gear. I clean the Refractor lenses and EP's regularly (mirrors only if they need it), I hate scratches (especially on gear thar I painted) but marks happen.
I don't fuss too much about external dust though. Sometimes I wipe it all off, but I'm happy to leave it undisturbed.
After each session I cover the gear up with plastic and a sheet and close the obs roof.
I have gotten into the habit of also cleaning the Toucams imaging chip if need be. I used to be too scared to touch it.
When transporting gear, I lay it carefully in the car (even use the seat belt if necessary), but I don't wrap them up. I just make sure no items can rub or knock together.
I take pretty good care of my gear - it's no good to me stuffed!
madtuna - your story reminds me of something similar, my mate at school had anal parents who made him drop to his knees and crawl across the carpet to avoid wear!! I couldn't believe it when he did it...classic.
Also remember carpet offcuts around the sofas where one's feet would go for the same reasons!!!
Cheers
Doug
I've seen worse. How about every bit of plush furniture in the house covered in thick plastic sheet, so it doesn't get dirty or wear out. Also, every traffic area of the carpet has a thick plastic walkway laid over it (you know the crap with the little studs to stop it slipping around. And everyone in the house wore clean socks only.
But the best bit was the car. HQ Holden station wagon, still had the original plastic on the seats and doors in 1999! Bloke who owned all the above never used to push the indicator stork all the way over the detent. He used to hold it up or down enough so the indicators worked, but not enough to go over center! I asked him why he did that, and he said he did it so it wouldn't wear the switch out! He was also the guy who used to tyre black THE TREAD of his tyres.
Obsessive Compulsives live in hell as far as I can see.
When I am transporting the scope I usually put the tripod across the back seat...no belt though. The rest of the stuff goes in the boot. Put the OTA on one side and push the eyepiece case up against it to stop it moving or rattling. Batteries next to the case and that fills the back. Counterweights etc pushed against the case to stop it moving back and that about fills the boot....have to get a bigger car next year!
I am not anal about keeping it all clean, so the tube etc have some minor scratches, which I don't loose sleep over. But I also don't kick it around the backyard. I like to think I am "realistic".
At home though I have built a custom storage solution for everything. The OTA, tripod and case are all on pull out "shelves".
I remember as a kid my parents had friends who we dreaded going over to visit.
They had a nice lounge that was always covered by a clear plastic sheet. Kids weren't allowed to sit on the lounge even with the sheet on, only adults were allowed to sit on the lounge and only with the sheet on.
It was to look at but not touch....[snip]
Friends of my wife put the remote control for the tv in a plastic bag! Years ago I noticed one of the people at work still had the plastic on the doors of their car, except it had torn to pieces years ago and bits of it were just hanging off the door making the car look worse.
I hate going to a house and people want you to take your shoes off. I am not going to walk in with footy boots or caked on mud, I would take my shoes off then. These sorts of people let their floor (or their other anal retentive things) rule their life, we have polished floors but people can just walk in with their shoes on. I pronate badly and find walking around in bare feet unconfortable and have even injured my foot doing so. Just because you can't wait to get home and kick your shoes off, don't think everyone does. A good way of walking dirt into the house is to walk outside in bare feet and then come inside. People wipe their shoes, but seldom would "wipe their feet!"
I have a $600 trailer I was very proud of and have kept it in the garage so it hasn't rusted. Meanwhile we leave $70,000 worth of cars out in the driveway etc getting them covered with muck and rain - go figure!
What I mainly do is ensure that everything that went out at night is thoroughly dry before finally packing it all away. I do check optical surfaces for dust and marks and see if they will come off easily otherwise leave them. I've wiped a few too many eyepieces at night with my hanky to get the dew off - not a good move!
I've modified the original packaging for the tube so it fits snuggly in the boot surrounded with camping stuff ect..cover the lot with a blanket for the journey...i'll clean the optics only when necessary..but rainy days sees me giving everything a once over..
I grew up with eight brothers and two sisters all younger than me, and now I live alone I am just glad that everything is where I last left it dust and all. I only take extreme care with any optical surfaces. A bit of dust, finger print or dew anywhere else can easily be cleaned.
After an all nighter I now put a towel on the OTA's since one morning while making coffee just after dawn there was a very large magpie perched on the 100ED. Yes he did leave his mark!
You should only be fastidious with optical surfaces, the others you should treat in such a way you are happy with. Otherwise you will not really get the benefit of using your gear for what it was designed to do.
generally take care i guess... but i am not anal about it. i take care putting things inthe car adn try to place them where they wont move around of get damaged, but when observing and changing eyepieces i just chuck whatever EP i am not using in the pocket of my pants...
I am absolutely without any shadow of a doubt the most anal person on the planet when it comes to keeping anything and everything I own in absolutely pristine condition.
I not too precious about my astronomy gear, but it has to last a long time so I do look after it.
When I transport my scope, it is wrapped in doonas, placed on the back seat and held in place with the seat belt.
I've washed the mirror 3 times in the 3 years I've had it.
Eyepieces go straight back into their cases when I've finished with each one. I don't like dust getting on them.
If the scope is dewy at the end of the night, I'll wipe it down the best I can before putting it back in the shed. It is covered with a cotton slip cover which is tucked in all the way around the base then a shade cloth slip cover is put over the top of that.
I don't have any expensive eyepieces, but I keep my favourites for my use only and have a selection that are for "public" use.
I have the obligitory IceInSpace sticker on the OTA and have added a few Celtic and Tattoo designs in ink to the tube as well. Just to make it a little bit different from all the other Dobs on the field.
personally i treat all the optical equipment (camera's, eyepieces, OTA's, etc.) with care. every so often i will give the glass a wipe over with a microfibre cloth, otherwise it'll stay as is. when cleaning i will strip the barlows and eyepieces down as far as i can and clean them as well as i can, but this i really only do this if it's dirty enough to be annoying.
for travel, all my optical equipment has their own case, which is a tight fit with foam to ensure there is very little vibration. and it all fits fairly snuggly in the boot of the car. if left setup, the OTA is covered with a towel at all times, and the dust covers only come off when need be. also if left setup, i will always store the OTA facing down (so north, on the EQ mount), and locked. if possible i will at least move it under cover when i go to bed, otherwise it gets covered with a tarp. my OTA and eyepiece/camera box each have a large pack of the silica gel in them, to help absorb any latent moisture.
all in all, i don't take great care with my equipment, but i've got it setup so that i don't have to! the biggest thing is when i clean the bits and pieces, but that doesn't take long, and i don't do it all that often (prolly due for one now though!)
There's really no options for me, I care for the stuff in that I always pack it carefully, but I don't care about external dust etc.
A word of warning to those who don't restrain gear in the backseat of their car when transporting it though, being hit from behind by a scope traveling at 100kmh would not be pleasant. Same goes for pets, pretty much anything really. Unrestrained objects even in a minor accident can kill.
