two questions
Michael A. Covington
> scracthes started appearing. Bear in mind these are plastic, but I
> found out that Windex uses very fine silicon abrasives in their glass
> cleaner. Cleans really well, but it may damage. RayK.
Where did you find this out? I have never had it happen. I'm cross-posting
to sci.optics in the hope that somebody there will know exactly what Windex
is made of. I've been under the impression that it is a solution of
ammonium carbonate and isopropyl alcohol -- could be wrong.
Scratches are much more likely to be coming from the tissues that you wash
with. Avoid Kleenex...
However, I usually clean my glasses with a mixture of about half 70%
isopropyl alcohol, half water, and a few drops of detergent. This is very
similar to Zeiss spray eyeglass cleaner (according to the label), but much
cheaper.
Michael A. Covington
> people grease around, and may add some grease of their own, and often are
> pretty abrasive, though there are special lens-cleaning papers available
> that aren't too bad.
>
> My method for cleaning eyeglasses, having plastic or glass lenses, is
> pretty simple: Heavily fog up the lens to be cleaned by breathing on it,
> and then immediately clean it with a freshly-laundered soft cotton cloth.
> I use a cotton undershirt.
Have you tried the new microfiber cloths they sell for cleaning optics?
They're great. I run mine through the laundry along with handkerchiefs.
They can be used dry or with a drop or two of lens cleaning fluid.
Michael A. Covington
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jsmith/MSDS/WINDEX%20GLASS%20CLEANER%20BLU
E.htm
and declares only isopropyl alcohol and a glycol. Yet the product is
labeled "With Ammonia-D" (deodorized ammonia), which I took to be ammonium
carbonate, or maybe ammonium hydroxide in very small amounts. Any clues?
Are they exempt from listing it because it's not toxic?
The Schneider lens people say Windex is OK to use on lenses.
Vinegar Windex is described at
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jsmith/MSDS/WINDEX-VINEGAR.htm
and lists water, the same glycol, and < 0.25% acetic acid. I suspect it
would be good for getting gooey or rubbery materials off of car
windshields -- wouldn't use it on optics.
Joe Gwinn
In article <901pd6$h5n$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net>, "Michael A. Covington"
I have never had much luck with paper cleaners -- they seem to smear the
people grease around, and may add some grease of their own, and often are
pretty abrasive, though there are special lens-cleaning papers available
that aren't too bad.
My method for cleaning eyeglasses, having plastic or glass lenses, is
pretty simple: Heavily fog up the lens to be cleaned by breathing on it,
and then immediately clean it with a freshly-laundered soft cotton cloth.
I use a cotton undershirt.
Joe Gwinn
William H. Foley, Sr.
I think we should apply the same rule to eyepiece cleaning material as
we apply to solar filters - If it is expressly designed for the purpose,
OK, otherwise it is at your own risk. The main problem could be
something which could scratch the lens, then chemicals which could mar
the coatings, then residue which might or might not be very difficult to
remove. I am sure others can think of more possible problems with
untested materials. And what might look fine for our eyeglasses could be
disastrous for eyepieces, especially in the very short F.L.'s.
Bill.
Michael A. Covington
> disastrous for eyepieces, especially in the very short F.L.'s.
Actually, eyeglasses are much more fragile than eyepieces for 2 reasons.
They are often plastic with cheap coatings; and they are cleaned much more
often, so the cleaning process had better be safe.
William H. Foley, Sr.
The residue from 70% alcohol would probably not be noticed with
eyeglasses since we are at about 1x with those. Yes, they are plastic,
but they also have a coating to prevent scratches (maybe eyepieces could
use THAT). Residue on a short-focus eyepiece, especially if it could
interfere with the coating, could be noticeable and certainly could not
be of benefit. Again, use eyeglass stuff for glasses, and eyepiece
stuff for eyepieces. Photographers would have the same situation - what
is fine for your windows or your glasses can really mess up an expensive
camera lens.
"Michael A. Covington" wrote:
>
P. Danek
"Michael A. Covington" wrote:
> This is getting interesting. Windex's material safety data sheet is at
> http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jsmith/MSDS/WINDEX%20GLASS%20CLEANER%20BLU
> E.htm
> and declares only isopropyl alcohol and a glycol. Yet the product is
> labeled "With Ammonia-D" (deodorized ammonia), which I took to be ammonium
> carbonate, or maybe ammonium hydroxide in very small amounts. Any clues?
> Are they exempt from listing it because it's not toxic?
If ammonia is in the solution it has to be listed on the MSDS. It is a reactive
chemical which can produce fatal gases if mixed with the right stuff. I am
surprised that it is listed on the bottle but not on the MSDS. That is a
question for the manufacturer.
>
>
> The Schneider lens people say Windex is OK to use on lenses.
>
> Vinegar Windex is described at
> http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~jsmith/MSDS/WINDEX-VINEGAR.htm
> and lists water, the same glycol, and < 0.25% acetic acid. I suspect it
> would be good for getting gooey or rubbery materials off of car
> windshields -- wouldn't use it on optics.
My preferred method of eyeglass cleaning is the new soft cloths. It is easy and
cheap over the long run.
P. Danek
Al Hall
with a drop of dishwashing liquid is what Meade recommends in the
owners manual for cleaning the corrector on my SCT.