scope/optics cleaning

1

1919Spooky

Guest
How do you fellows deal with cleaning your optics ? Do you do it yourself or send it off ? Can anyone reccomend a place you trust to clean your optics ? Or a method and supplies you guys use? I noticed some companies do not offer a cleaning service for their scopes. Thank you for your time and I greatly appreciate the advice.
 
I clean the exterior optics of my scopes the same way I used to clean my expensive Canon camera lenses. Blow them off with a can of compressed air, then use water on a soft Q-tip using a circular motion [first, lightly squeeze the Q-tip with your fingers to remove excess water]. Dry them with a soft dry Q-tip using the same circular motion. You may have to repeat these steps if they're extremely dirty. Some people use pure alcohol instead of water ... but I never did. :)
 
I agree with art, a q-tip is a good idea, but i've found sometimes it leaves little pieces of fuzz on my lenses. I use a soft lense cloth with water only. I've read that you're never supposed to use a dry cleaning cloth because you may scratch the lense? I also have a chemical i purchased at a gun show that you are supposed put one drop on your finger tip and rub it on your lense in a circular motion, the heat of your finger is supposed to start a chemical reaction and the chemical cleans your lense and keeps it from fogging up. Is it a bunch of bull? who knows, but it sure cleans it well and a large bottle was only $5. I'm apprehensive about rubbing my finger on my lenses though with all the chemicals and stuff on your skin and if you have any dirt on your hands you may scratch the lense. Anyways just my input.
 
Go to an optician or eye glass lens maker. They have a special cloth that should be used to clean the lens that are coated so that there is no glare. I ruined a brand new set of eye glass lens by using something other than what they gave me to clean the lens.

Donald
 
First dry air, then a soft camel hair brush, then make several folds of several sheets of lens cleaning tissue (photo shop) and tear the bundle in half so as to create a sort of soft brush end of the torn fibers. Wet the lens with several drops of lens cleaning solution as well as the tissue. Work in circles that are concentric with the lens. Use new torn tissue and cleaner until the lens is clean, and then dry with the same tissue configuration. Do a final wipe, with light pressure with a CLEAN microfiber lens cleaning cloth. Keep covered when not in use, and keep your greasy finger prints off. The main thing is not to apply pressure to any sort of abrasive material and drag it across the surface being cleaned. Avoid spur of the moment cleaning with shirt tails and T shirts. Leave it dirty till you can do it right. That is why it is a good idea to keep the proper cleaning materials in your camp kit.
 
I used many of the above cleaning methods, and felt I was doing a good job. My Weaver started to act up. so I sent it to Weaver, and when I got it back, the first notation, was the lens were dirty. Other probl;ems were noted and repaired. Great service, only took two weeks. Scope works great now.
 
This has to be the most difficult subject I've ever tried to get a straight answer on.

On the assumption that the photography specialists might have the answer, I visited several real camera guys's shops. The answers I got included about everything that has been said here, plus use a lenspen. All they agreed on was that I shouldn't use the isopropyl mix that opticians sell for spectacles.
 
I use the isopropyl alcohol. Spray a puddle in a lense, leave lens upright on a bag gun. For a Rail gun give an extra spray because I doubt you can hold a rail top upright and then flip it to do the other side of the scope, do the best you can with your Rail scope. Dab lens with a soft napkin to absorb most of the alcohol. Leave a film of alcohol on lens. Take out the lense pen. Use the round felted end. Move in circular motions and lightly scrub the lense.

Dab the remaining alcohol off. The alcohol keeps the grime that is on the lens suspended. Let what's left dry. When dry use the lens pen again to take the glare off the lens.

Repeat for other lens. At a Shoot use the brush end to remove dust and spray round felt on lens pen with alcohol and clean lightly. Remarkable how clear and bright your scope seems after you clean the lenses and your eye glasses too, same method works on eye glasses.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
 
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Most of what I wrote, I got from a friend who was a professional photographer, and who worked his way through college working in a camera store.
 
Except for extremely dirty lenses, a few wipes with a lens pen obtainable from camera shops or the Leupold type lens pen at most gun stores (more expensive though) will do a fine job. The pen consists of a retractable camel hair brush on one end and a soft chamois like material coated with a non-abrasive cleaner on the other. Brushing off the dust and then softly wiping the lens in a circular motion does the job. This is one of the cleaning methods recommended by Leupold and Weaver.
 
Thank you all for your responses, I will take your advice to heart.
 
I have tried the water routine on 2 diff scopes.
Didnt work.
Finally Glen Chism told me to use alcohol. I tried that with qtips and it didnt quite do the job so I used a soft piece of cotton Tshirt with the alcohol and it worked great on both scopes.
 
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