What s the Dangers of Using Finger Print Dust on a Continuously
#1 
Posted 05 July 2018 - 08:57 AM
As the title states, what is the safest way to remove a finger print and dust on a refractor lens?
#2
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:20 AM
Unless they affect the view, it's best to leave both alone.
#3
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:21 AM
Since I'm an amateur photographer I think in camera terms, plus I have the tools. I use a Rocket blower to blow off the dust and then apply a micro fiber cloth. If the dust is stuck on the lens I gently swab it with my LensPen.
#4
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:41 AM
I have always wondered about fingerprints on coated optics. Can skin oils/residue possibly attack/damage a lens coating over time? I would think that would determine if it's a must to remove them or not...John
#5
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:45 AM
Unless they affect the view, it's best to leave both alone.
However if its a finger print it should be removed as soon as possible, the oil in the print can permanently etch itself into the coating, dust can be left unless its really bad or pollen,D.
#6
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:48 AM
However if its a finger print it should be removed as soon as possible, the oil in the print can permanently etch itself into the coating, dust can be left unless its really bad or pollen,D.
I have no idea how long the finger print has been on the lens as I purchased my scope second hand.
Should I still make the attempt to remove it?
#7
Posted 05 July 2018 - 09:58 AM
Fingerprints should be removed ASAP. Dust only if there is a lot of it on the optics.
Good instructions on how to clean optical surfaces can be found on the TeleVue website here and on the Astro-Physics website here.
#8
Posted 05 July 2018 - 10:23 AM
Fluroantimonic acid is an effective cleanser. It leaves virtually nothing behind, but is difficult work with, and best used on the far side of the moon.
Feeling less adventurous? Try purosol or Edmund Optics Techspec which is what I use more and more these days. Techspec is the most cost effective of the two, but I use both. Greg N
Edited by gnowellsct, 05 July 2018 - 10:28 AM.
#9
Posted 05 July 2018 - 11:19 AM
Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) works just fine. Remove particles by blowing with something like a rocket blower first and stuck on particles should be dabbed off with a Qtip
Modern lens coatings are pretty robust so I wouldn't worry to much about finger prints damaging anything.
#10
Posted 05 July 2018 - 12:25 PM
Fingerprints should be removed ASAP. Dust only if there is a lot of it on the optics.
+1! Listen to Erik. I've seen too many lenses with fingerprints etched into the glass surface.
I have had good experiences using Baader Optical Wonder and plain unscented Kleenex tissues.
Here's roughly what I do: When dust has been blown away from the lens with a blower bulb (not compressed air), fold up the tissue 3-4 times (be careful not to touch the part of the tissue that will be applied to the lens, as the tissue may absorb even small amounts of finger grease and deposit it on the lens)... apply a little cleaning fluid to the tissue, not the lens... gently wipe ONCE, then discard the tissue to avoid spreading oily residues or dust particles. Repeat until the lens is clean.
#11
Posted 05 July 2018 - 12:36 PM
Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) works just fine. Remove particles by blowing with something like a rocket blower first and stuck on particles should be dabbed off with a Qtip
Modern lens coatings are pretty robust so I wouldn't worry to much about finger prints damaging anything.
It's actually one of the more frustrating cleaners to use, alcohol having a tendency (in humid areas) to absorb water out of the air and streak. I wonder if many of these popular remedies became popular in places like southern California where the air is dry. Purosol is one of Roland Christen's recommended cleaners and is (or at least was) for a long time part of Astro-physics' cleaning kit. That's how I learned of it.
But at $1.00 an oz Techspec is 1/4 the price and even using it once a day on my glasses it's economical and non-streaking. But I keep purosol too for occasional touch ups. I got two bottles of Techspec three years ago and currently have used just over half of the first bottle.
There are many home and commercial brews out there for optics.
+1 for the Rocket blower. I think they're called Giotto Rocket Blasters. I do actual cleaning with Kimwipes EX-L, they have to be a little moist for proper use. Televue has long recommended unscented white kleenex.
-Greg N
#12
Posted 06 July 2018 - 03:15 PM
I have no idea how long the finger print has been on the lens as I purchased my scope second hand.
Should I still make the attempt to remove it?
Yes, you should remove it. The overall routine goes like this:
1) Blow off what you can, first. I use canned air. Short bursts from a foot back.
2) Use throw away materials for cleaning, such as Kimwipes or cotton balls.
3) Moisten these throw away materials with a cleaning solution. I use Windex. Never apply solution directly to the lens, only to the tissue or cotton.
4) Blot dry or wipe very gently with a new throw away material.
Some comments: Elbow grease is a very bad idea. Let the cleaning solution do the work, not you. Reusable cleaners, such as lens pens and microfiber cloths are asking for trouble.
#13
Posted 06 July 2018 - 05:16 PM
Since I'm an amateur photographer I think in camera terms, plus I have the tools. I use a Rocket blower to blow off the dust and then apply a micro fiber cloth. If the dust is stuck on the lens I gently swab it with my LensPen.
I'd be careful with a LensPen or similar devices. You might get away with using it *once*. But if grit gets trapped within the tip of that LensPen, the second time you use it, you could scratch your optics by dragging embedded grit across the surface.
#14
Posted 06 July 2018 - 06:35 PM
I have always wondered about fingerprints on coated optics. Can skin oils/residue possibly attack/damage a lens coating over time? I would think that would determine if it's a must to remove them or not...John
When I bought my AP 152 Starfire it has never been cleaned. It had fingerprints on the lens and a lot of dust. The previous owner told me the lens had never been cleaned. I inspected it carefully before buying and determined it was undamaged. I used the method described in the Astrophysics web site and afterward the lens looked like new. The fingerprints that had been there for years had no effect on the coatings whatsoever. The main thing is to take your time and do a lot of dabbing to remove any dust or grit material that may scratch the lens before you get to the actual swabbing part.
CM
Edited by contrailmaker, 06 July 2018 - 06:55 PM.
#15
Posted 06 July 2018 - 06:58 PM
That's good to know, CM. And aren't you glad that you took a chance on buying that fine lens, not knowing for sure if it could be restored to "like new" condition? 
#16
Posted 07 July 2018 - 08:32 AM
It's actually one of the more frustrating cleaners to use, alcohol having a tendency (in humid areas) to absorb water out of the air and streak. I wonder if many of these popular remedies became popular in places like southern California where the air is dry. Purosol is one of Roland Christen's recommended cleaners and is (or at least was) for a long time part of Astro-physics' cleaning kit. That's how I learned of it.
But at $1.00 an oz Techspec is 1/4 the price and even using it once a day on my glasses it's economical and non-streaking. But I keep purosol too for occasional touch ups. I got two bottles of Techspec three years ago and currently have used just over half of the first bottle.
There are many home and commercial brews out there for optics.
+1 for the Rocket blower. I think they're called Giotto Rocket Blasters. I do actual cleaning with Kimwipes EX-L, they have to be a little moist for proper use. Televue has long recommended unscented white kleenex.
-Greg N
Isopropanol usually is sold as a solution with water (often 60% and 90%+) and even the bottles of electronics grade are not anhydrous. Never the less I've used it for years as a standard process for semiconductor cleaning where we are very sensitive to particles and have not had problems.
#17
Posted 07 July 2018 - 12:19 PM
I'd be careful with a LensPen or similar devices. You might get away with using it *once*. But if grit gets trapped within the tip of that LensPen, the second time you use it, you could scratch your optics by dragging embedded grit across the surface.
You can say that about any cleaning system, I never have had an issue with lens pens, common sense is needed though, regarding the post about an AP lens having had finger prints on it for years and they caused no harm , well theirs coatings and coatings, premium and run of the mill,D
Edited by Binojunky, 07 July 2018 - 12:22 PM.
#18
Posted 07 July 2018 - 02:02 PM
Any sensible cleaning liquid+cloth will be fine, but get it off.
Finger print = grease and more relevant amino acids.
Shouldn't be a problem to clean it. For some reason a lump of glass at one end of a tube and called a scope doen't mean you cannot go near it.
If you work in an optics lab or visit one people walk round with a (any) convenient material/cloth cleaning glass all the time.
Ever been out in the rain in a car?
You are running 2 coarse rubber blades over a glass surface and driving at 50-60mph and putting your live and likely that of any family in the trust that the screen is cleaned.
#19
Posted 07 July 2018 - 03:08 PM
When I read the ads that proclaim "Never been cleaned," as if it was some claim to fame, I cringe. With proper care, modern optics can safely be cleaned, and pollen and the various pollutants that accumulate over time can harm optics, and tend to become entrenched and more difficult to remove. It's good to do a proper cleaning once in a while.
Clear skies, Alan
#20
Posted 10 July 2018 - 09:29 AM
When I read the ads that proclaim "Never been cleaned," as if it was some claim to fame, I cringe. With proper care, modern optics can safely be cleaned, and pollen and the various pollutants that accumulate over time can harm optics, and tend to become entrenched and more difficult to remove. It's good to do a proper cleaning once in a while.
Clear skies, Alan
Reminds me of a used car advert, only 100,000 ks,engine never touched, original oil, 
D.
#21
Posted 10 July 2018 - 09:48 AM
I'd be careful with a LensPen or similar devices. You might get away with using it *once*. But if grit gets trapped within the tip of that LensPen, the second time you use it, you could scratch your optics by dragging embedded grit across the surface.
You can say that about any cleaning system, I never have had an issue with lens pens, common sense is needed though, regarding the post about an AP lens having had finger prints on it for years and they caused no harm , well theirs coatings and coatings, premium and run of the mill,D
Not really. I use surgical cotton and roll it against the direction of motion as I swipe so the leading edge lifts any particulates off the surface before the wet cotton slides over it, nothing touches the surface more than once and there is zero chance of sliding a speck of grit over the glass surface. With a lens pen the same surface, plus any particulates, is rubbed over the surface repeatedly, even if you use a new one every time you clean.
#22
Posted 10 July 2018 - 09:59 AM
Well all I know is that I have used lens pens for a long time with no problems but I replace them on a fairly regular basis, usually when the pad shows the slightest signs of wear. lens pens got a bad rap early on because of the knock offs that came onto the market, usually sold in dollar stores, flea markets etc.
Most optical companies retailers now sell them with their own logo on them, ones that come to mind are Vortex, Cabelas, Henrys, Celestron, Nikon, Pentax, the list goes on, a friend of mine who earns his living in the Photography world has also used them for many years with no problems and his gear costs a great deal of money, D.
#23
Posted 10 July 2018 - 10:05 AM
Take that lens pen and treat it exactly as you would that barlow lens that came with your 500 power 60mm Tasco refractor 50 years ago. In other words deposit it directly into the trash can!!! Use STERILE SURGICAL cotton only. Never use plain cotton, syncetic cotton and never ever ever use Q tips!!!
#24
Posted 10 July 2018 - 11:15 AM
Rocket blower, Kimwipes and ROR (residual Oil Remover). Safe for coatings and glass, never streaks. I've cleaned our collection of 40 TV eyepieces, some many dozens of times each, day after day and the coatings show no damage. I also use this combo on the front element of our Lunt 102 h-alpha scope that somehow, almost weekly, gets a fingerprint on it.
#25
Posted 10 July 2018 - 11:25 AM
Well, anything that goes over the glass repeatedly carries more risk of damage than something that only touches it once. I also just let the weight of the wet cotton swab do the work. Everyone I've seen use Lens Pens, including a good friend who owned a camera store for a couple of decades, use more pressure than just the weight of the pen, increasing the chances of causing damage. All of my scopes are out of production, difficult to replace, and I won't take any unnecessary risks with them. I clean them whenever anything gets on the glass, and I clean every eyepiece after a night's observing, optics are pristine.
It is instructive to use magnification to look at an optical surface after it has been cleaned with a Lens Pen. What you see won't affect a camera lens, but I certainly don't want it on my scope optics.
Edit: I make my own q tips of whatever size I need, from ultra tiny for little ortho eye lenses to half the size of my fist for big scope optics, a bit like shown in this video:
https://www.youtube....h?v=eRP5GRLyNvE
What I do differently is instead of wrapping the cotton around the end of the toothpick I twirl a wooden applicator stick and as it twirls I touch it to the surgical cotton and with a little practice it will pull off just the right amount of cotton and wraps itself. I just do a final shaping with my fingers.
Prior to this of course I use a blower and gravity, then a sable artist brush, then the blower again, before wiping the lens.
Edited by Paul G, 10 July 2018 - 11:34 AM.
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Source: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/624277-fingerprint-dust-on-refractor-lens-how-do-i-remove-it/
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