Just wondering what is safe for the coatings. I have Gunk foaming glass cleaner, is this bad? I haven't used it yet.

First I use the brush end of a Leupold Lens Pen and get the dust and larger particles off. Then I use some Zeiss lens cleaner that comes in a little spray bottle and lightly spray the lens. I use the felt covered end of the Leupold Lens Pen to spread the Zeiss spray.

Finally I use one of those scratch proof cloths you get with sunglasses or with binoculars and wipe the lens. If there is any remaining dust or lint then the brush end of the lens pen works again to get it out of the edges without messing up the lens surface.

I would not use any Windex or any commercial type glass cleaner at all. You might get lucky and not do damage but just plain water or spit would be better.

I do carry this stuff in my backpack but if caught out in the field without it then I wad up some toilet paper to get the job done. Never without that.

just a little trick that i learned this fall. pick up some of the lens wipes from the eye glass part of the drug store. they come in little foil packets are are just the thing when you're out in the field

NEVER wipe an optcal lens with ANYTHING until you have first followed woods advice and blown or dusted off the surface.

You can pick up those little brushes with the rubber bulb for a handle at just about any camera store for a couple of bucks. Very cheap insurance to avoid scratching the lens and/or the coating.

Absolutely do not use GUNK Foaming Glass Cleaner on fine optics. That product is intended primarily as a automotive glass cleaner and hard surface cleaner. It will likely remove the coatings on fine optics.

The first thing in cleaning fine optics is to remove dirt, grit and dust that can scratch the lens. This is done by lightly brushing and blowing the lens with either a camera lens brush and blower or the brush of a lens pen and lightly blowing with one's breath. Second, if there are noticable deposits, such as water stains, on the lens it is advisable to use a fine optics cleaning fluid by putting enough cleaning fluid on the lens to hopefully lift the deposits and put them into solution with the cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid is then lightly dabbed off with lens paper or cloth. The idea is not to rub the lens at this point, but to remove the deposits suspended in the cleaning fluid. Well taken care of lenses usually don't need this step and can be attended to with the third step. Third, one can use either optics cleaning fluid and lens paper or cloth to finish cleaning the lens (put fluid on lens and wipe off gently with a circular motion with lens paper or cloth) or use the cleaning tip of a lens pen. I don't know how advisable it is to use a lens pen cleaning tip in conjunction with an optics cleaning fluid. The lens pen cleaning tip has a dry cleaning compound of its own which is refreshed every time the cap is replaced. There may be a conflict between the liquid optics cleaning fluid and the dry lens cleaning compound that could reduce the effectiveness of both products and might even be harmful. In any event never use a glass cleaning product that does not specifically say it is intended for fine, coated optics (cameras, binoculars, telescopes and riflescopes).

Thanks gentlemen!

Precision optics are cleaned using REAGENT GRADE ACETONE, a petri dish and lint free cotton swabs.

Pour a small amount of the Acetone in to the dish and with the swab dipped into the acetone carefully wipe the lens in a circular pattern with the swab.

Repeat with a new swab until lens is clean.

This is the recommended method and it works! Dispose of unused acetone in the petri-dish, do not pour it back into the bottle.

DMCI

Finally someone gave out the proper way to clean a scope lens. I use a photo blow brush first, followed by acetone, pretty much as described.

I was told by a tech at Bushnell that the Leupold Lens Pen brush was fine but that he was leery of the other end of the pen.

It has some sort of fine abrasive on it and he didn't recommend it. He didn't know exactly what it was but couldn't imagine why anyone would use a even a very fine abrasive on one's lens.

I use the Leupold or (insert favorite brand name here) lens pen BRUSH to remove anything like dust or whatever kind of particulate matter happens to be lurking there and then the Zeiss packets that I bought in the big box at Sam's Club. I got what must be a hundred or more of them and have them scattered everywhere I might use optics.

I rarely use them because I am fanatical about protecting my lenses so they rarely get "dirty".

I think I'll call Zeiss and see what they recommend. I DO like the lens wipes though. They're convenient and very easy to carry.

$bob$

Better camera supply places carry lens cleaning chamois’ that are really nice and allot handier than using lens tissues.

http://www.geckooptical.com/anttlers_optics/telescope_acc_eyepiece.html

NO, NO, NO ACETONE. It will degrade lens coatings. Don't put lens cleaning solutions on the lens itself. After you have dusted lens with fine hair rush, put a drop of solution on quality lens paper, starting at center of lens, wipe gently in circle out toward edge of lens. The less you clean/rub the surface, the better. Hope this helps/ Chaz

The Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths that come in the small packets I buy at Sam's Club contain isopropyl acohol. That's what I use...

The packets say this... "Safely and quickly clean any lens, especially those with Zeiss anti-reflective multi-layer coatings. High-tech ammonia-free formula cleans effectively without leaving streaks or residue. "

Since Zeiss recommends this product and since they put their name on it I'm going to use it. (after I use a Leupold (or similar) lens brush to remove particles that might scratch)

$bob$

chazgreen
I don't know who told you acetone would remove scope coatings, but I've used it for some scopes that are now 30 years old.http://www.burrisoptics.com/SFAQ.HTM#14
The link is to burris' cleaning directions, one of the other manufacturers instructions that came with one of my scopes reads almost verbatim. I doubt Burris' lens coatings are any more resistant to acetone than anyone else's.

one thing I found that I really liked doing was it seems like the eye cups and hinges etc get dust trapped in them as well as the area where the lense meets the edge of the eyepiece, I like turning on some warm water, and just rinsing off the whole binocular this gets all the dust out of these uncleanable areas, and its great for removeing anything that is on the lenses. then wipeing everything down with toilet paper, note donot use the same peice to clean the body of the binocular and the lense, this works great back at the hotel room, otherwise its a can of compressed air and the brush of the lense pen

Yee Gad Man!!!

Is'nt toilet paper loaded with wood fibers?

OUCH!!! It'll scratch your coatings!!!

$bob$

quote:

Originally posted by chazgreen:
NO, NO, NO ACETONE. It will degrade lens coatings. Don't put lens cleaning solutions on the lens itself. After you have dusted lens with fine hair rush, put a drop of solution on quality lens paper, starting at center of lens, wipe gently in circle out toward edge of lens. The less you clean/rub the surface, the better. Hope this helps/ Chaz

Go to the U.S. Optics web site and see how they clean and what they recommend for their $3,000 scopes.

One of you is wrong.

I usually use Zeiss lens cleaning liquid and clean cotton swabs used very gently. I plan on taking LD's advice and pick up some of the Zeiss tissues next Sam's I see them in...............DJ

I use a "3M" brand Scotch Brite micro fiber cloth. Do a web search I got mine at costco in a multi pack.
I keep it in a zip lock bag and only use it to clean scope lens.
I clean my eye glasses with another one, they work so well it seems like their's no glass in my frames.
I would not put acetone on a coated lens even it the lens manufacturer aproved it.

Years ago I was buying new eye glasses and this shop had a special test lens for customer to play with. This lens was used to demonstrate their hard coating they put on the plastic lens.
There was a piece of steel wool provided and you were supposed to try and scratch the lens.
One half of the lens was milky white with scratches and the other half was barely scratched and I really tried to scatch it.
I belive the scopes have a hard coating on their surfaces no doubt to protect the optical light transmission improvement coating.
I have no fear that the soft micro fiber cloth would harm my scope lens.

I bought a Nikon lens cleaning kit for $20.00. It works great and has everything you'll ever need.

quote:

Originally posted by STINGER:

quote:

Originally posted by chazgreen:
NO, NO, NO ACETONE. It will degrade lens coatings. Don't put lens cleaning solutions on the lens itself. After you have dusted lens with fine hair rush, put a drop of solution on quality lens paper, starting at center of lens, wipe gently in circle out toward edge of lens. The less you clean/rub the surface, the better. Hope this helps/ Chaz

Go to the U.S. Optics web site and see how they clean and what they recommend for their $3,000 scopes.

One of you is wrong.

quote:

If you have to clean your lenses, use lint-free surgical Q-Tips (not the plastic ones) or swabs and fresh filtered acetone. Pour a little acetone in a ceramic or clean metal cup (acetone will melt plastic). Dip the swab in the acetone and make a single clean circular pass starting at the center of the lens. Throw the swab away (don’t dip back in the acetone because it will contaminate the acetone and the surface of the lens), and with another fresh swab, repeat the process until the lens is absolutely clean. Do not rub or scrub with a scrubbing motion, make a single pass with a clean acetone soaked swab and throw the swab away, repeat the operation. -- From USO website.

I have been using acetone on my inexpensive scopes for 15 years ever since John Williams Sr. showed me how to it, with no degradation of the lense performance. Naturally, this assumes that you have glass lenses in your scope.

Jstevens..the advice came from Bill Hammers, well known on the US teams traveling the world representing USA, who finished #6 world in 1000 Palma is S Africa last May, etc. Bill builds rifles for competition; built 2 for me. He confronted Burris folks, who privately admitted acetone degraded coatings over time. I'd go with the Zeiss liquid if I were to be asked. I have too much $$$ invested in glass. Yes, I have seen coatings on other peoples' lenses start to go bad.

What Woods and DMCI said.
It is the only way to do the job correctly.
We used pharmaceutical grade acetone to do the job at the optics company I worked for. The techniques described by the two guys about is the correct way to clean lenses.

First I knock off the dirt with steel wool, then some sandpaper to clean 'er up then after one cleaning buy a new scope!!

Ok ok, just getting your attention there. Like most, I use the brush to get any dust off, then with an optics cleaning kit, put a drop of the liquid on a lens cloth and use then using the leupold lens pen wipe the cloth on the lens starting in center and working to edges in circle. Haven't noticed any degradation and hope I'm not damaging anything!! Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Safe & Sane lens cleaning begins with Scope covers !. If your real dirty blow at an angle with your breath Not compressed air !.Blow brush camera lens cleaning type is best . If your shooting in rain fog snow dirt combinations . Gently flood the lens with appropriate temp water , followed by a gentle lens brush wet with water . Don't mix lens brushes if one has been wet use it wet don't try and dry brush with it latter .Iso Alcohol is the Correct solvent to use After water cleaning , followed by a lens cloth or lens tissue . In the Old days , one could find record cleaning kits in a small convenient pack about the size of a cigarette pack . Throw that brush away put two camera blow brushes in !. Bingo been using it for ever .
All of you who advised against Acetone are correct !. NEVER use that strong of a solvent on any coated optical units BAD IDEA !.

Knowledge is a dangerous tool in the mind of a moron !...

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Gently flood the lens with appropriate temp water , followed by a gentle lens brush wet with water . Alcohol is the Correct solvent to use After water cleaning , followed by a lens cloth or lens tissue . All of you who advised against Acetone are correct !. NEVER use that strong of a solvent on any coated optical units BAD IDEA !.

Knowledge is a dangerous tool in the mind of a moron !...

Doc:

If you are really who you say you are I suggest you walk down to the Chem Lab and ask the Chief Chemist about this one. I am a little concerned here.

Ok, forget the acetone for now. Lets look at it this way:

1. Dust and other contaminates contain abrasives. Non-specific liquids and especially water will evaporate leaving a residue on the lens.

2. Rubbing lens with cloth will use these abrasives to physically cut the coatings. Using a contaminated cloth (something used more than once) will naturally contain contaminates picked up from either improper storage or just dust in the air.

3. Acetone on the other hand has the property that it will clean the lenses and leave absolutely no residue because of it's volatility. Reagent grade acetone is of absolute (known) purity and therefore contains no contaminates or abrasives. In my experience, the coatings are not soluble in acetone. While alcohol (C2H5OH) and Acetone (Dimethylketone,C3H6O) are closely related chemically, Acetone doesn't leave a residue on evaporation.


4. Using lint free swabs and only using them once apples this chemical and maintains this purity.

5. Why do I waste my time with this? Maybe because all I hear are unsubstantiated opinions.

Good luck!

In 1969 my little brother turned 16, bought a Corvette, and crashed it. He was rebuilding the fiber glass when he got a drop of Acetone on his toe.
Mistake.

The red spot of irritation was on his toe for a long time.

What does it all mean?
If you are decanting Acetone, wear shoes.

I remove any large dirt particles, such as
sand, with a soft brush and/or air. I remove fingerprints etc. on the lens or eyepiece by
first moistening them with a damp cloth and
then wiping with a soft, clean chamois leather or lint-free cloth.

I do not exert excessive pressure when wiping
heavily soiled lens surfaces. Sand or salt crystals can damage lense coatings.

I do not use alcohol or other chemical solvents to clean the optics.

This is what Leica says and this is what I do.

GVA

I commend your perfection gentlemen! I find however that my lenses get dirty in the fieldwhere my petri dishes and swabs are absent.

I blow on the lense, give it a gentle swish with a Swaro lense cloth change the area of the cloth and give a gentle rub with the condensation from my breath.

If it's seriously wet I use tissue (bad I know but cloths don't absorb)

My binos frequently get dirty. The eyepiece lenses are covered in myriad small scratches - the image has not degraded. I had one replaced and could not tell the difference between it and the old one....

When my lenses are fogged and a good buck has just stepped out I use anything including my gloved finger.

Remember these things are to HUNT with!

Hi,

Brush and blower as previously discussed.

For fingerprints/smudges on expensive scopes and bins, I use only surgical cotton balls (from any pharmacy) coupled with Zeiss lens cleaning solution. A $20 purchase of these products will last you 10 to 15 years and affords the best and safest cleaning possible per conversations with the Leica,Zeiss and Leupold engineers. I could never properly grasp/use lens paper. Other cotton or paper products are generally a no-no.

For eyeglasses and less expensive optics, your moist breath and a (clean) microfiber cloth is hard to beat. My personal last ditch product is a (clean)soft 100% cotton cloth and suitable fluid or moist breath.

I like the idea of the surgical cotton balls, good plan.
I bought some of the Zeiss cleaning wipes at Sam's. They are handy to keep with all the different kit's but I think I like the liquid Zeiss cleaner better for home use......................DJ

Hi DJ,

The cotton balls do work very well. An extremely small amount of spray applied to the ball is all that is necessary.

I will try the Zeiss cleaning wipes and a cottom ball or two, perhaps using them in tandem. Might be a good combination for both the range bag and perhaps in the pack (or pocket) on the next hunting trip...if it works, the spray bottle can remain at home as you suggested.

Good luck with the 8x32FL's that you mentioned over on the Campfire. My 8x42FL's are brilliant and seem to be "Glock tough" but they are a tad large for my taste. I think that the 8x32's will be perfect. Let us know.

I just got back late this evening from the first hunt I used the 8x32FL's on. I had my 10x42EL's during the day to compare them with but didn't later in the evening because I loaned the EL's to a buddy.
Overall I really enjoyed the FL's. They fit my hands well. The focus wheel on them is lighter and focuses faster than I'm used to. I don't know if it's a getting used to thing or if I would really rather have a slower focus or not.
I'd have to say that the FL's don't seem to give up much to the 10x42 EL's other than magnification. The FL's worked until well after legal hunting time and I could have still identified game. They are very clear and bright. I wish that I could have spent more time directly comparing them to my EL's my buddies Leica BRF's but initial impressions were very positve. I plan to hunt with them a good bit more. Thier size is very convenient.........................DJ

DJ,

Thanks for the report on the FL's. I'm sure that they will continue to grow on you. Do not worry about the focus, it will spoil you after a few uses... I suspect that at some point you will not want to go back to a slower wheel.

The Zeiss really leaps to the head of the pack with regard to resolution and contrast. It handles "tough" sunlight angles and CA better than anything on the planet, due I'm sure to the FL glass and good interior baffling. My Leicas simply can't compete under bad (lighting) conditions.

The rumor mill has it that Swaro may incorporate Fl glass in a new EL offering. If they do it should be an improvement over an already excellent pair of bins; however,the retail price may hit or pass the $2,600 mark.

Once again, congratulations on your fine binoculars. My 8x42's are so large I may be able to use 'em for a flotation device if I should slip and fall into the Snake river on my next trip out west. I'm envious of the 32's but I just can't justify another pair at this time; perhaps later.

Bill

DCMI



If you are really who you say you are I suggest you walk down to the Chem Lab and ask the Chief Chemist about this one. I am a little concerned here. rotflmo

Ok, forget the acetone for now. Lets look at it this way:

1. Dust and other contaminates contain abrasives. Non-specific liquids and especially water will evaporate leaving a residue on the lens.

2. Rubbing lens with cloth will use these abrasives to physically cut the coatings. Using a contaminated cloth (something used more than once) will naturally contain contaminates picked up from either improper storage or just dust in the air.

3. Acetone on the other hand has the property that it will clean the lenses and leave absolutely no residue because of it's volatility. Reagent grade acetone is of absolute (known) purity and therefore contains no contaminates or abrasives. In my experience, the coatings are not soluble in acetone. While alcohol (C2H5OH) and Acetone (Dimethylketone,C3H6O) are closely related chemically, Acetone doesn't leave a residue on evaporation.

Yes I do know the formulation of the two !.
Water rinse in the field is a " Practical " solution when not in Lab control !. Which is why I suggested it , it also removes most of the particle residue gently . I'm not in the habit of Wiping anything with Dirt Mud or Crud before rinsing it !. Do you wax and polish your car with out washing it first ? . Alcohol is also much more practical to carry in a small vial than acetone is . If done properly alcohol leaves no visible residue !. Also is much gentler on the skin as Acetone de fats the tissues !. Again most people in the field don't bring along nitrile gloves !.
Besides why do 99.9% of Camera optic houses recommend Iso Alcohol for lens cleaning ?. It's safe and sane and more to the point " Practical " ! Rubbing brushing any surface has negative effects on the object !. So to minimize damage of any type in this case the cleaner the lens to start with the better off one is !. Start pouring acetone over scope lens in the field is far fetched , not to mention what it will do to the finish of the scope or rifle !.

DMCI ; Why not use MEK or Tri Chlor , Diacetone see what it along with acetone does to the scope seals !!!. P S ,I'm the R & D Chemist coatings formulator !.

Dr. K, Do you by chance know what the Zeiss liquid lens cleaning solution is made from?.................DJ

DJ,

I'm not Dr.K but I, like you, hope for a response to your question. In the meantime, I do know that the solution is labeled as containing isopropyl alcohol. There are probably proprietary goodies in the mix as well.

Hopefully, Dr. K or someone else may have the answer.

Bill

If you are curious as to what is in Zeiss lens cleaner, why not just go to the source, which is Nanofilm. They are the ones who bottle and label the cleaner for Zeiss. Their brand name is Ultra Clarity Spray and wipes.

One other thing, with premium scopes I always order where possible aluminum lens covers with built in O-rings which hermetically seal lenses from the environment when I am not actually engaged in shooting.

Shown here in the picture, also posted above you can see these covers on both objective and eye-piece.

Result is I hardly ever need to clean the lens. However, occasionally careful application of acetone does bring back that original clean room sparkle!

one of us

Posted 15 March 2007 07:17 Hide Post
Dr. K, Do you by chance know what the Zeiss liquid lens cleaning solution is made from?.................DJ

No I don't !. I own a few Zeiss Scopes but have never had cleaning solution with any of them !.

I simply go on recommendations from Major Camera Lens manufactures . Some put proprietary additives in their solutions but for the most part it is isopropyl Alcohol by volume .

A solution of Iso Alcohol with a lessor mixture of acetone or ketone is also acceptable .
Although I must admit I've never found the need for use of the latter .

When answering the question of lens cleaning for the most part , I was referring to Field Cleaning !. I believe someone was speaking about lens cleaning while in the Field hunting !. So who hunts with out water ?. If you do ,don't invite me !.

We were taught to rinse optics with clean water , then clean with a soft ( Very Soft ) lens brush either wet with water all the while rinsing . Then when the lens was clear and clean to wipe it down with either a lens cleaning solution or Iso Alcohol . Again with either a lens tissue or a treated lens cloth .
I found for my self that a old vinyl record cleaning kit was perfect to carry in the field . Small all necessary things needed / with the exception of another Blow brush which I added to mine .

It should be obvious to anyone who has ever owned a Camera ,Scope or Binoculars , that not wiping the surface is BEST !.Remove as much of what ever is on the lens with a liquid , so as not to scratch the surface , before any tissue or brush touches the lens . Light dust can be blown away Mud is a little harder to Blow !.
Tree sap is also an SOB !. Ask my hunting partner !.

While hunting I leave my lens covers or caps on , unless spotting ; I flip them or remove them just before I slide the safety off my weapon .