In addition to my earlier questions about my 40mm Meade, I also have a 26mm Super Plossel that's got what I consider to be a fairly big piece of dust on one of the inner elements. I'm not sure how it got there, but it's driving me crazy. I know I should just ignore it and live with it, but if you knew me (a little anal retentive about my optics), you'd know that I just can't let this go. Is there any safe way to disassemble the eyepiece to clean it? Does anyone know of a company that will do this type of thing for a reasonable cost. If sure the cost would be more than the eyepiece is worth, so I'm leaning to try and do it myself. Has anyone done this before with good success? Thanks.
Eyepiece Cleaning - Inner Elements
Started by Mike Garretson, 08/17/2006 12:13AM
Posted 08/17/2006 12:13AM
Opening Post
Posted 08/17/2006 01:46AM
| Edited 08/17/2006 02:00AM
#1
Do a search on vacuum cleaning of eps that I wrote in the ep forum. Like I said, a pair of needle nose pliers to unscrew the retention ring and several well layed out pieces of cloth to drop the ep elements onto when removed. Use a small vacuum with a piece of thick wall surgical tubing attached to it. Use a pair of dykes to cut the end of the tubing so you always use a fresh clean end, then use this vacuum tube to reach down into the lens barrel assembly to suck up one lens at a time. Lay out the sheets in order of disassembly and while one lens is sucked up and out, move it over to the top of the first sheet and pinch the tube to release it. Only handle one lens at a time and always keep the top of the element facing up in order. If you're concerned, take a ultra fine sharpie and put an arrow on the side of the lens showing which direction the top is. Do this marking while still holding it with your vacuum tube before releasing it onto the soft cloth. Take your time. Do not ever blow into a stack of loose lenses in the barrel with a duster can after you have removed the retainer ring. The air can turn over a lens. Never blow with a duster can up close because you run the risk of getting small duster gas particles on the lenses. Do this from a distance with light trigger pulses.
There is more detail on this in my first writing. Be careful when cleaning the eps if you marked them since any solvent may remove your mark on the side. Make a drawing if need be showing the detail of the lens. However, some lenses look the same top and bottom, so be careful to always keep them in order. When in doubt, if you have a small microscope which I find my best tool, some of the separator rings will leave small circles in the coatings showing where the lens seat is. In other words, you can see a ring mark on one side of the lens and not the other.
There is more detail on this in my first writing. Be careful when cleaning the eps if you marked them since any solvent may remove your mark on the side. Make a drawing if need be showing the detail of the lens. However, some lenses look the same top and bottom, so be careful to always keep them in order. When in doubt, if you have a small microscope which I find my best tool, some of the separator rings will leave small circles in the coatings showing where the lens seat is. In other words, you can see a ring mark on one side of the lens and not the other.
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