Words in caps are for emphasis, I'm not shouting. This subject is too lengthy for me to go into detail right now (at work, as usual) but the secret is PATIENCE and NOT wiping right away. Let the mirror soak in warm water for a few hours. This will loosen most of the dirt and it can be rinsed off using only the pressure from the tap. Wiping is best done judiciously, after a soak, and using only the best grade of cotton, only one wipe per cotton wad, one direction only, rotating as you wipe. All rinsing should be done with distilled water, then drip-and-air dry. If you need to use soap, you waited too long to clean, but let the mirror soak in SOAPY water if it's really filthy. This is just a quick description, many nuances remain undescribed. Cleaning requirements are a good reason to avoid mounting mirrors with silicone glue. You won't be observing the same night that you cleaned the optics if you use silicone. Of course, it goes without saying that you need to keep the mirrors COVERED when not in-use. My 6" f/8 is now 4 years old, and the mirror has hardly any dust on it. C. --- Joe Bauman <bau@desnews.com> wrote:
How 'bout a scouring pad? Just kidding, but I think I may have damaged either my corrector plate or the mirror by cleaning with usual photo lens cleaner material, although I was extremely careful. But I think there's really something wrong with my optics now. Thanks, Joe
The next obvious question to me is, what it the right (careful) way to clean a newtonian mirror?
I have read somewhere that using a mild dish soap like Dawn is prefered. Any wiping or rubbing will grind dirt into the mirror. So how do you get the dirt off? How about using an old shaving brush (probably couldn't find one these days) or a photo air brush?
Jim Gibson
__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com