A New Way To Clean Laser Lens !

BowtieGuy said:

Fortunately, this topic has been covered and discussed literally hundreds of times here, and in almost that many threads; I just searched "How to clean a lens" in our custom search bar, and got 1940 hits, granted some are multiple posts from the same thread but there is as much "detail" as you could ever want to read.
Everything from compressed air, cotton swabs, camera lens brushes, plain water, distilled water, acetone, vinigar, reg. alcohol, 99% pure alcohol, first contact, and even clay have been suggested and used.
I think it boils down to what members 'think' works best for them, and is in their budget. We all would like to be able to use that "first contact", but I'll bet most of us aren't going to run out and buy any.
I imagine most of us are in the alcohol/swab area for a fairly high quality lens cleaning job.

@CynicalBrad, Very informational link, thanks for sharing!

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Fair enough, consider this thread done......

CynicalBrad said:

:crackup: LMAO. No other steps? It can't be that simple can it?

On a more serious note though:
Probably a little bit overkill for most of us. Even specifies to use a clean-room but the info is still good.
https://www.photonics.com/EDU/Handbook.aspx?AID=32199

ALT code 0153 is ™ btw.

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Yep, it really is that simple.

First Contact™ is a one-part easy to use strip coating. It cleans and protects precision optics, telescopes, mirrors and surfaces in use, during storage, assembly and in shipping. Paint, spray, dip or pour liquid on, let it dry and peel off the flexible, strong, resilient film.

First Contact Polymer™ Solutions safely clean and protect nanostructures, precision surfaces, optics, glass, fused silica, silicon, crystals, non-linear crystals, metals, Ge, ZnSe, NaCl, KBr, KRS-5, first surface mirrors and precision aerospace surfaces. First Contact™ Polymer also cleans and protects diffraction gratings, phase masks, and pinholes!

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Photonic Cleaning Technologies - Atomically Clean Optics and Mirrors

The stuff is expensive, but you or I could get the $220 kit and have it last a lifetime.

CynicalBrad said:

:crackup: LMAO. No other steps? It can't be that simple can it?

On a more serious note though:
Probably a little bit overkill for most of us. Even specifies to use a clean-room but the info is still good.
https://www.photonics.com/EDU/Handbook.aspx?AID=32199

ALT code 0153 is ™ btw.

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Interesting link.. hadn't seen that one yet. Thanks.

Jerry

I hate to say it but on closer inspection and under the right light I can see that this is leaving some sort of very thin and hard to see residue behind, So all of you who doubted this were right from the start !

And I'm sorry I doubted you.......

Accutronitis said:

I hate to say it but on closer inspection and under the right light I can see that this is leaving some sort of very thin and hard to see residue behind, So all of you who doubted this were right from the start !

And I'm sorry I doubted you.......

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Thanks for looking into it more closely
and the apology..:beer:

Jerry

If the watchmaker's putty will turn a tarnished brass gear shiny again then I would worry about it's effect on the coatings on our lenses, gratings, and first surface mirrors.

And I really do use super elastic bubble plastic on all of my glass optics. I use it exactly like First Contact. I have seen no residue or damage even on coated lenses or first surface mirrors. I've even coated the eyepieces and correction plate on my telescope (Meade ETX90) before taking it out on hikes to prevent any dust from getting on the optics while in transit. Peel it off, set the mount up aligned to north and begin observing.

I'm not going to tell anyone that they should use SEBP. I'm just saying it works well for me as a poor man's first contact substitute.

Accutronitis said:

Everyone please describe in detail your best method for cleaning laser lens.......

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Wait...You're saying the "Breathe and wipe" method isn't efficient?! :crackup:

I think everyone should just go with :crackup:

I actually ordered this and have many large lenses to test it on, I am curious to see what happens.

Wham-O Super Elastic Bubble Plastic-2 tube #328974 | eBay



YOU KNOW... if Silly Putty will lift ink off a newspaper, it might just clean a lens.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SILLY-PUTTY...id=100005&rk=3&rkt=6&mehot=pp&sd=231611196608

I try to breath on mine and then wipe, but micro spit always gets on the lens with dust and stuff in it, doesn't work.

I use a turkey baster to blow a puff of air and small paint brushes to gently dust the surface very lightly, it works for light dust but not a fingerprint.

The best method I've been able to come up with that has the best results so far is, Put lens in a cup with room temp water and dish soap, run tap water as hot as it will go and start adding to cup to bring the temp up under control, use camel hair brush and gently brush lens sitting in the cup of hot soapy water, switch to spray on the sink water outlet with the water still running max hot and run into cup overflowing it until no trace of soap remains, take one lens at a time out of cup and shake as much water off as you can, With the lens still being hot from the hot water the water will more or less sheet off the lens, after shaking the water off lens hit lens with hair dryer until you are sure no more water remains in cracks or crevasses of lens.

So far that has given me the cleanest lens.......

Accutronitis said:

The best method I've been able to come up with that has the best results so far is, Put lens in a cup with room temp water and dish soap, run tap water as hot as it will go and start adding to cup to bring the temp up under control, use camel hair brush and gently brush lens sitting in the cup of hot soapy water, switch to spray on the sink water outlet with the water still running max hot and run into cup overflowing it until no trace of soap remains, take one lens at a time out of cup and shake as much water off as you can, With the lens still being hot from the hot water the water will more or less sheet off the lens, after shaking the water off lens hit lens with hair dryer until you are sure no more water remains in cracks or crevasses of lens.

So far that has given me the cleanest lens.......

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Using tap water to clean a lens is not a good idea, there may be iron or oils in it that can cause micro-cracks in the surface you can't see with the naked eye. Using PWEC or DI water would be best for your method but can still be susceptible to micro-cracks developing on your lens.

Here is the best method to start off with:
Get this needle tip bottle
https://www.amazon.com/Gaunt-Industries-HYPO-350-Jewelery-Dispenser/dp/B00IOQGUB0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1487403018&sr=8-6&keywords=needle+tip+bottle

And ACS+ grade methanol (make sure the supplier has a COA or certificate of analysis so you can validate it is in fact ACS+ grade)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/122177500926?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Rinse the new needle tip bottle with methanol three times (dispensing through the tip each time) and then fill up. Squirt some on the lens with some velocity moving from one side to the other in a sweeping motion. Allow to air dry.
This avoids the possibility of micro-cracks because you're using highly pure (ACS+ grade/laboratory grade/spectroscopy grade) 99.9% methanol and you aren't touching the lens surface with any solids. Very little chance of damaging the lens with this method.

EDIT
You can use 50:50 methanol:acetone (ACS+ grade) for glass lenses but not acrylic, this mixture is better since acetone is better at dissolving oils, but evaporates too quickly to completely dissolve all the oils, so the half methanol lowers the vapor pressure making is evaporate slower and successfully dissolving more oil.

Sounds good and doesn't look like it will cost a ton of money !

Accutronitis said:

The best method I've been able to come up with that has the best results so far is, Put lens in a cup with room temp water and dish soap, run tap water as hot as it will go and start adding to cup to bring the temp up under control, use camel hair brush and gently brush lens sitting in the cup of hot soapy water, switch to spray on the sink water outlet with the water still running max hot and run into cup overflowing it until no trace of soap remains, take one lens at a time out of cup and shake as much water off as you can, With the lens still being hot from the hot water the water will more or less sheet off the lens, after shaking the water off lens hit lens with hair dryer until you are sure no more water remains in cracks or crevasses of lens.

So far that has given me the cleanest lens.......

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That's not the same thing as the OP of this thread..

If it is the BEST method why did you open this thread
with that crappy Clay scenario ? :thinking::thinking::thinking:

Or is this another TROLL attempt..:undecided:

Jerry

lasersbee said:

That's not the same thing as the OP of this thread..

If it is the BEST method why did you open this thread
with that crappy Clay scenario ? :thinking::thinking::thinking:

Or is this another TROLL attempt..:undecided:

Jerry

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Please go back and read my posts in order and it will all be clear....

Really you can just start with this one....

I hate to say it but on closer inspection and under the right light I can see that this is leaving some sort of very thin and hard to see residue behind, So all of you who doubted this were right from the start !

And I'm sorry I doubted you.......

Click to expand...

Soooooooo when that wasn't working as I thought I came up with this......

Originally Posted by Accutronitis View Post The best method I've been able to come up with that has the best results so far is, Put lens in a cup with room temp water and dish soap, run tap water as hot as it will go and start adding to cup to bring the temp up under control, use camel hair brush and gently brush lens sitting in the cup of hot soapy water, switch to spray on the sink water outlet with the water still running max hot and run into cup overflowing it until no trace of soap remains, take one lens at a time out of cup and shake as much water off as you can, With the lens still being hot from the hot water the water will more or less sheet off the lens, after shaking the water off lens hit lens with hair dryer until you are sure no more water remains in cracks or crevasses of lens.

So far that has given me the cleanest lens.......

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Because I had to do something, Right ?


Now can you please give the whole "troll" thing a rest already, Please ?