How to Maintain Telescopes

[ariefm71]

Some basic telescope care and maintenance:

1. Always handle with care, dont drop it !!! or knock over your telescope in the dark!

2. Use some means of protection, eg. hardcase or padded bag, when transporting or moving the ttelescope.

3. Learn by heart how to use every part of your scope well until it is second nature, so that you wont loosen a knob and sent the whole optical tube assembly crashing into the tripod legs!

4. Always keep close watch on your telescope, especially at a public viewing session, as some person may be curious to touch or fiddle it and unwittingly cause some damage etc.

5. Always ventilate all optical surfaces (telecsope, finders, binoculars, eyepieces) after use before storing it, to prevent growth of fungi on the glass.

5. Store it in a dry cabinet, or else keep it in a air-con room or a cool and well-ventilated place.

6. A bit of dust etc on the optics will not degrade the viewed image tremendously, so only clean the optics sparingly and only if the optics is really very dirty.

Perhaps others may like to add on....

Rlow

The chance of getting fungi on the glass is very high here as our humidity is very high (85% RH average). For me, I will not buy a scope if it can not fit my dry storage. My C8, Intes MK67, Megrez fit into this dry cabinet (one scope at a time, sell one scope before getting another :-)) together with my 10" and 7" newt mirrors.

cheers,
Arief

[VinSnr]

Some basic telescope care and maintenance:

1. Always handle with care, dont drop it !!! or knock over your telescope in the dark!

2. Use some means of protection, eg. hardcase or padded bag, when transporting or moving the ttelescope.

3. Learn by heart how to use every part of your scope well until it is second nature, so that you wont loosen a knob and sent the whole optical tube assembly crashing into the tripod legs!

4. Always keep close watch on your telescope, especially at a public viewing session, as some person may be curious to touch or fiddle it and unwittingly cause some damage etc.

5. Always ventilate all optical surfaces (telecsope, finders, binoculars, eyepieces) after use before storing it, to prevent growth of fungi on the glass.

5. Store it in a dry cabinet, or else keep it in a air-con room or a cool and well-ventilated place.

6. A bit of dust etc on the optics will not degrade the viewed image tremendously, so only clean the optics sparingly and only if the optics is really very dirty.

Perhaps others may like to add on....

Rlow

The chance of getting fungi on the glass is very high here as our humidity is very high (85% RH average). For me, I will not buy a scope if it can not fit my dry storage. My C8, Intes MK67, Megrez fit into this dry cabinet (one scope at a time, sell one scope before getting another :-)) together with my 10" and 7" newt mirrors.

cheers,
Arief

the problem is that these cabinets are not cheap and we really need big ones if we need to fit our scopes!!

What I suggest is this. Get a film canister (you can get it from photo shops). If not, just buy a cheap ISO100 film and throw away the film. Buy some packets of blue silica gel. Poke a few needle holes on the film canister. Throw the silica gel packets into the film canister. The film canister is 1.25", so use that and plug the end of your scope. That should keep the internal of the scope dry. Or if film canister look cheap to you, you can buy those solid looking ones from Particle Wave technologies.

For the outside of your lens, you can paste of of these silica gel on your scope cap.

Cheap way, but effective. For the price of a big cabinet, you can have thousands of these silica gel packets.

For mirrors, getting fungi is not so easy......I won't so worried about it.

[weixing]

Hi,

The chance of getting fungi on the glass is very high here as our humidity is very high (85% RH average). For me, I will not buy a scope if it can not fit my dry storage. My C8, Intes MK67, Megrez fit into this dry cabinet (one scope at a time, sell one scope before getting another ) together with my 10" and 7" newt mirrors.

That's because you got too many scope, so most of them seldom "see light or breath new air"... ha ha ha =P =P

I think the easier and cheaper solution is to use them offen or just take them out to breath new air at least once a week... also bring them to for some "sun bath" also helps.... can do some solar observation (remember to use a solar filter) at the same time.

Have a nice day.

[qu1xs1lv3r]

does this apply to reflectors too? i jz keep mine mounted in my room.. quite windy in my room.. and i turn on the aircon at night.. is this ok?

[neoterryjoe]

How about the cleaning of the optics? What are the accessories needed? blower? cotton buds? alcohol? How to clean them?

[weixing]

Hi,

How about the cleaning of the optics? What are the accessories needed? blower? cotton buds? alcohol? How to clean them?

See the advice from the expert: http://www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=143

Have a nice day.

[rlow]

What I suggest is this. Get a film canister (you can get it from photo shops). If not, just buy a cheap ISO100 film and throw away the film. Buy some packets of blue silica gel. Poke a few needle holes on the film canister. Throw the silica gel packets into the film canister. The film canister is 1.25", so use that and plug the end of your scope. That should keep the internal of the scope dry. Or if film canister look cheap to you, you can buy those solid looking ones from Particle Wave technologies.

For the outside of your lens, you can paste of of these silica gel on your scope cap.

Btw, I have done that for many years, but my optics still can get mouldy, even with regular use. Unless you always keep it in an air-con room, I think a dry cabinet is probably still the best bet and for peace of mind. My 100 litre dry cabinet is able to accomodate 3 scopes together: C8 ota, C5 ota & Megrez80 ota.

[fizzy123]

Hmmm.... I always put my MCT in a box and leave it aside in the corner of my room for months already, no fungus but only some dust. Maybe Chinese made scope more'tough' against fungus? :idea: :?:

[Tachyon]

My 100 litre dry cabinet is able to accomodate 3 scopes together: C8 ota, C5 ota & Megrez80 ota.

All 3 scopes? I was looking at the 108 L cabinet and I estimate can only fit one 8". When I asked for a bigger one I was shown this huge Industrial-sized refrigerator-like cabinet!

How much did you pay for your 100 L dry cabinet?

Cheers!

[VinSnr]

Going by this thread, look like what scope you guys gonna buy also depends on whether it fits into your cabinet or not....

Guess reflectors are out for most then....