Optical cleaning fluids that is...
When it comes to cleaning eyepieces and my 16" mirror, I'm of the philosophy(these days)that less is better. BUT, living in Southern California with pollinating flowers and bugs on overtime in the springtime AND peculiar creatures known as amateur astronomers that habitually drive up at the last second and kick up road dust all over your cooling optics, a regular cleaning or two becomes mandatory. Speaking of amateurs, I recall the case of an amateur that we'll call Paul(his real name). Now, mind you, this isn't the guy named Paul up at Pinos who HAS to broil the thickest steak he can haul with him with the resulting smoke of burning fat wafting over the entire parking lot and any set of optics within 200 yards in any direction. No, this is a different Paul who showed-up at twilight and kicked up more high desert dust on my scope and that of Linton's 14.5" starmaster in Lockwood valley a year or two ago than you can dust off with the witch's broom of the Veil nebula! I recall Linton looking at me and me looking at him and thinking the same thing: "that stupid jerk!"
Now that we understand what we're up against, it's obviously time for cleaning your optics.
For eyepieces, I've used and recommended Zeiss cleaning fluid which generally does the job. However, I did find it necessary and irksome to use several applications to remove some residual haze on the lens surfaces so I decided to try the Zhumell optics cleaning kit available at Telescopes.com for about ten bucks. In my experience, this kit is the easiest to use and the most effective one I've tried thus far. When Zhumell recommends ONE drop of their cleaning fluid on a lens surface, ONE drop is all it takes to remove the dirt and the haze. Simply blow off the surface dust with their camel hair brush-bulb, add a drop of their cleaning fluid and remove with a wad of their cloth. It's done without reapplying again and and again.
Finally, a safe and effective cleaning kit that actually works and is easy to use and won't cost you an arm and a leg. Zhumell wins this one...
When it comes to cleaning eyepieces and my 16" mirror, I'm of the philosophy(these days)that less is better. BUT, living in Southern California with pollinating flowers and bugs on overtime in the springtime AND peculiar creatures known as amateur astronomers that habitually drive up at the last second and kick up road dust all over your cooling optics, a regular cleaning or two becomes mandatory. Speaking of amateurs, I recall the case of an amateur that we'll call Paul(his real name). Now, mind you, this isn't the guy named Paul up at Pinos who HAS to broil the thickest steak he can haul with him with the resulting smoke of burning fat wafting over the entire parking lot and any set of optics within 200 yards in any direction. No, this is a different Paul who showed-up at twilight and kicked up more high desert dust on my scope and that of Linton's 14.5" starmaster in Lockwood valley a year or two ago than you can dust off with the witch's broom of the Veil nebula! I recall Linton looking at me and me looking at him and thinking the same thing: "that stupid jerk!"
Now that we understand what we're up against, it's obviously time for cleaning your optics.
For eyepieces, I've used and recommended Zeiss cleaning fluid which generally does the job. However, I did find it necessary and irksome to use several applications to remove some residual haze on the lens surfaces so I decided to try the Zhumell optics cleaning kit available at Telescopes.com for about ten bucks. In my experience, this kit is the easiest to use and the most effective one I've tried thus far. When Zhumell recommends ONE drop of their cleaning fluid on a lens surface, ONE drop is all it takes to remove the dirt and the haze. Simply blow off the surface dust with their camel hair brush-bulb, add a drop of their cleaning fluid and remove with a wad of their cloth. It's done without reapplying again and and again.
Finally, a safe and effective cleaning kit that actually works and is easy to use and won't cost you an arm and a leg. Zhumell wins this one...
