Orange C8 Info

I have just bought my first real telescope a old orange C8 and it has a lot of dust inside, it set with covers off.I could use some info, the sn.is 287187 and it has a label that reads Spceial Coatings.What should I use to clean it and the lenses also any other info will be a great help.I am just getting started and can use help! I have just used Kmart telescopes befor and this is all new. Thanks for any help.

I don't know if you care to spend the money but I'd recommend sending it back to Celestron and letting them do a professional job of cleaning it and get their suggestions for further cleanings/care by you. They will also insure that the optics are lined up correctly. I think it costs around $100.00, barring that, maybe there's a telescope dealer in your area that could do it for less. Let people in the forum know what area you are in & hopefully someone in your local area will respond. Good Luck !

Hi Jim,
What started with a curiosity to try to find what year my daughters Orange Tube C8 was made has turned into part time hobby.
First thing I found was that Celestron?s records don?t extend back to the earlier C8s.
Then I found someone who knew what the purchase date of his C8 was, a 1984 with a S/N in the 800,000 range. My daughter?s is in the 254,000. Several years later I found a 1973 with a known purchase date, S/N 4936 2. I thought once I found an older scope, I could extrapolate and come up with an approximate year. Didn?t work!
So now I?m cruising the net and bugging people. I apologize, but if I may bug you, what I have started is a database consisting of:
Serial Number:
Serial Number Location: (Fork Base, Secondary Mirror, Someplace else?)
Purchase Year: (If Known)
Forks: (Sandcast or Diecast)See picture.
Paint: (Orange Peel, Smooth, Matte Burnt Orange, White)
Miscellaneous: {Optics (Enhanced Optics, Special Coatings, Starbright), Label (Celestron Pacific, Celestron International), Secondary Mirror (3 or 4 screws), AC Plug (Round, Oval, Side or Underneath), Anything else that may pinpoint it to an particular year.}
If, in a couple of years, I can get enough numbers, a pattern might start to make sense.
Please feel free to completely ignore me.
Thanks,
Roy

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How much dust is too much? Actually dust scatters less light than you would suppose and in moderate amounts affects performance not at all. So 1st do no harm, because a scratched optic is scratched forever. In over 30 years I've cleaned my 6" newt mirror (open tube at both ends) only a few times (a few times too many). If sending to Celestron or losing observing time on Mars for instance is not in your budget now, then do so later and don't worry about it. Ron