Mirror mirror in the ball...

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acc
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Favourite scope: Mag1 Instruments 12.5" Portaball

Mirror mirror in the ball...

Post by acc »

Mirror mirror in the ball,
Getting real filthy after a year of intensive use,
Time to get a shower,
To get rid of all those filth! :P

Ok, hope u guys didn't puke at my first attempt at writing a poem since my primary school days. :oops:

Anyway, the Portaball mirror was getting so dirty that its performance was noticeably degraded during last sat's Mersing trip, so its time that it take a bath. Made a trip to a pharmacy and cold storage to get some isopropyl (spelling?) + cotton-wool and distilled water respectively.

Quite an easy task cleaning the mirror... its a one-hour job.
-puff off dust with a blower
-pour tap water onto the mirror with it in-situ in the ball (the water drains off from the ventilation holes near the bottom of the ball)
-pour a diluted alcohol solution followed with some gentle rubbing with the cotton balls
-rinse with distilled water
-tilt the portaball to let all the water roll off
-repeat previous three steps till the entire mirror is clean
-rinse with distilled water
-puff it dry with a blower

And done! Clean and shiny again! :) I need to do this more often!

cheers
cc
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We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
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Canopus Lim
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Post by Canopus Lim »

I tried cleaning my dob in the evening too. I did not use cotton wool and found out that the dust still stays even after flowing with tap water for a long time and finishing with distilled water. I will buy the cotton wool and try again. I guess it is necessary to wipe the mirror gently with the cotton wool.... thoughts of just using water and not touching the surface of the mirror does not work. Thanks for the pictures.
AstroDuck
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jermng
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Post by jermng »

Interesting. :)

Will the same method work on lenses too? So far I've only dared to clean EPs with cotton buds and cleaning solution. Never dared to touch any of my scopes (without outside help). :)
Jeremy Ng
C8, CR-150HD, TMB 80 f/6
Orion SVP Intelliscope, AstroSlew I
Minolta Activa 12x50WA
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Tachyon
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Post by Tachyon »

Hmm.. now it looks like you're cooking something in the pot! Heh...

I saw the cotton wool method in the Obsession video.

Alternatively, I use non-lint materials like Photographic Solutions' Pec-Pad (http://www.photosol.com/padproduct.htm) together with Eclipse solution (http://www.photosol.com/eclipseproduct.htm).

Whatever suits you best!
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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Canopus Lim
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Post by Canopus Lim »

The link to Dave Kriege demonstration in cleaning of large aperture mirrors.

http://www.opticalmechanics.com/mirror_cleaning.htm
AstroDuck
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acc
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Post by acc »

Hi Yang Beng, yes you really need those cotton balls to get rid of dust that may have been 'bonded' onto the mirror by repeated nights of dew. When I first tried this method I was freaked out about scratching the mirror but after have cleaned my portaball 8, orion xt 10 and now portaball 12 this way, I found that the coatings are pretty tough. Apply only very light pressure (just the weight of the water-soaked cottonball will do) and you should be fine. Work in a brightly lit area so that in case a grit causes a scratch (touch wood, have not happened yet...), you will notice it immediately. Replace the cottonballs often.

Jeremy, I wouldn't try this method on lenses... :)
We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
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VinSnr
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Post by VinSnr »

acc wrote:Hi Yang Beng, yes you really need those cotton balls to get rid of dust that may have been 'bonded' onto the mirror by repeated nights of dew. When I first tried this method I was freaked out about scratching the mirror but after have cleaned my portaball 8, orion xt 10 and now portaball 12 this way, I found that the coatings are pretty tough. Apply only very light pressure (just the weight of the water-soaked cottonball will do) and you should be fine. Work in a brightly lit area so that in case a grit causes a scratch (touch wood, have not happened yet...), you will notice it immediately. Replace the cottonballs often.

Jeremy, I wouldn't try this method on lenses... :)
Lucky that there are ventilated holes now. In the past I had to put towels at the side so that it soak up the drained water.
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acc
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Post by acc »

I am considering sealing up most of the ventilation holes, as they create a dust nusiance for the mirror...
We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
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mrngbss
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Post by mrngbss »

What's the purpose of distilled water being the last step? Thanks.
Wee Nghee the Pooh
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weixing
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Post by weixing »

Hi,
What's the purpose of distilled water being the last step? Thanks.
Distilled water won't leave behind any stains.

Anyway, don't attempt to surface clean large optics when humidity is above 65%. Streaking will result if you clean your optics when the humidity is high.

Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
:mrgreen: "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." :mrgreen:
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