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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Greasy Lens (1 Viewer)

Hine 3 star deluxe Cognac.
By appointment her Majesty.
Established 1763.

70 proof or 40% alcohol.

Poured a little on a kitchen towel, but it didn't ignite.
The bottle is 40 years old and only 1/10th bottle remaining.
I think most of the alcohol has evaporated.

I don't have any more modern cognac to try, but with fresh cognac the vapour ignites normally I think.

Green Chartreuse is probably a better bet.
Wiki states 110 proof or 55% alcohol.
This is incorrect.
I recall it being 94 proof, which is 54% alcohol.
Not sure how good it is for cleaning optics.

P.S.
Green Chartreuse is 96 proof or 55% by volume alcohol. Good stuff.
 
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Hine 3 star deluxe Cognac.
By appointment her Majesty.
Established 1763.

70 proof or 40% alcohol.

Poured a little on a kitchen towel, but it didn't ignite.
The bottle is 40 years old and only 1/10th bottle remaining.
I think most of the alcohol has evaporated.

I don't have any more modern cognac to try, but with fresh cognac the vapour ignites normally I think.

Green Chartreuse is probably a better bet.
Wiki states 110 proof or 55% alcohol.
This is incorrect.
I recall it being 94 proof, which is 54% alcohol.
Not sure how good it is for cleaning optics.

P.S.
Green Chartreuse is 96 proof or 55% by volume alcohol. Good stuff.
Your proof is different than ours. B :)
https://sizes.com/units/proof_alcoholic.htm
 
Thank you very much for the nice detailed article on Proof.

Publicans here sometimes use the American system incorrectly.

I did know the American system but forgot it.

Indeed we referred to under and over proof.

Some Vodkas from memory are overproof.

Most whisky and brandy is 40% alcohol 70 proof U.K. or 80 proof U.S.

Gognac, French brandy bottles are 24 fluid ounces British whereas British bottles are 26 fluid ounces.

However, to fudge the issue. many bottles are now sold as 70cl instead of 75cl. This is to reduce the price shown.

Perhaps we should try the gunpowder method on the Baader Wonder Optical to see if it meets the standard.
 
Thank you very much for the nice detailed article on Proof.

Publicans here sometimes use the American system incorrectly.

I did know the American system but forgot it.

Indeed we referred to under and over proof.

Some Vodkas from memory are overproof.

Most whisky and brandy is 40% alcohol 70 proof U.K. or 80 proof U.S.

Gognac, French brandy bottles are 24 fluid ounces British whereas British bottles are 26 fluid ounces.

However, to fudge the issue. many bottles are now sold as 70cl instead of 75cl. This is to reduce the price shown.

Perhaps we should try the gunpowder method on the Baader Wonder Optical to see if it meets the standard.

Here is some evil firewater I drank my way through a while back. I had to take a photo at the time. I had also wondered what 'proof' it was....so, it's 190 proof then?
The back of the bottle has a number of traditional uses...they should have added 'lens cleaner'.

Once, an electrician doing some work at my house spotted it in the cupboard, and before I knew it we'd consumed a third of the bottle. :-O
 

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Here is some evil firewater I drank my way through a while back. I had to take a photo at the time. I had also wondered what 'proof' it was....so, it's 190 proof then?
The back of the bottle has a number of traditional uses...they should have added 'lens cleaner'.

Once, an electrician doing some work at my house spotted it in the cupboard, and before I knew it we'd consumed a third of the bottle. :-O

That 95% alcohol here in the US is called Everclear. We see it used
at wedding dances and mixed with some flavors and they call it redeye
or apple pie. Just a small shot is potent...B :)

As far as cleaning, I have used many fluids, some are free, the ones your
optician gives you to clean your eyeglasses, they are effective and work
well with your microfiber cloth. The Zeiss wipes are a first try, as alone
they just clean and leave a film. A piece of paper in fluid. Not good in my book. They cannot be used alone.

A subject can be started on microfiber cloths. The ones from Swaro.
or Zeiss are not as good as I have found from a sunglass maker such
as Serengeti. Those are my favorites. I like a fine cloth, absorbent and
effective.

Jerry
 
Spirytus

Hello Rathaus,

I had two drinks of the stuff once, forty yeay, ago. I think my breath would have cleaned most optics. Unfortunately, I collapsed before I could find any optics needing cleaning.

Happy bird watching
Arthur. :hi:
 
I wonder if Baader Optical Wonder fluid is banned in the U.S. or just air transportation.
I presume that if a U.S. University or U.S. Professional Observatory wanted some they could get it.

We imported and exported a lot. But we always used forwarding agents, who dealt with all paperwork.
Also there were extensive bonded warehouses that kept spirits and all other trade items.
Britain has been a trading nation for centuries.

I wanted an i3 image intensifier eyepiece from the U.S. but it was very expensive. I dithered because of the expense. By the time I was seriously considering it, it had been put on the list of restricted products and needed an end user licence. This was given to U.K. research labs but not the public.

I suppose the Fujinon night and day binocular that uses interchangeable eyepieces, optical and image intensifying, has restrictions regarding import. I think only Generation 2+ are allowed for the public.
These binoculars are upward of £10,000.

We also wanted to send abroad a very specialised U.K. made optical item, but again this was not allowed, being banned from foreign sale without the very strict licence.

A family member was able to consume the 96% vodka. I didn't touch it. I think it more or less vapourises but I am not sure. It is I think actually 95.6%.

I needed pure alcohol to clean a telescope mirror and I managed to get a tiny amount, although this was under supervision.

By the way, how does one clean image intensifier eyepieces?

I suppose a bottle of Baader Wonder fluid could be carried in a diplomatic bag of a keen birdwatcher and diplomat.
 
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Years ago, when I crewed on a Purse Seiner fishing vessel in SE Alaska the bars there would sell mixed drinks made with "Everclear," a 95 proof or so drink of pure Alchohol. A popular one was called a "Fire Ball." It was made with a lot of Ice, Collins mixture, a splash of Grenadine to make it red and garnished with a red maraschino cherry. It was a very potent drink and I saw a couple of people (one of them a crew mate) pass out in short order from drinking two or three of them very quickly. It hit them very quickly. They didn't even have time to get visibly very drunk, in fact, in both cases their clothes were still neat and their hair was still combed while they were snoring it off.

I remember taking a small sip of it straight. My throat was so dry that I think it evaporated on the way down my gullet!

Bob
 
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Years ago I drove a 150 miles with a young lady to the port of Gravesend to a party being hosted by a friend of hers. When I knocked on the door a partly dressed young lady opened it and handed me a glass full of what looked like water and said you have to this drink down in one gulp before you can come in.

I sniffed it and it smelt of nothing so I chucked it down my neck as I heard giggles coming from my companion behind me.

My throat exploded, sweat broke out on my forehead and my eyes began to water like Niagara. I opened my mouth to speak but my voice seemed absent and when I turned to look at my companion it was like looking the wrong way through a telescope. I don't remember much for about 2 hours after this and came round in an attic room surrounded by couples 'getting to know each other'.

I staggered downstairs and was told that the glass had been full of 'some sort of Polish vodka' that had 'fallen off the back of a cargo ship'.

What sort of alcohol levels does 'Polish vodka' run to?

Lee
 
Lee.
The Polish vodka goes to 96% alcohol and is called 96.
(On your visit not sure if the number was correct).

It was drunk regularly, or rather consumed, and I think just knocked back in one go, but smallish amounts.
We used to sell it but with restrictions, although I can't remember what they were.

Some people can take it, I certainly couldn't.

Green Chartreuse was the more normal choice for potent straight drinks.

The variety of drinks available from around the world is very large.

We had a large miniature bottle display.

The van driver used to keep an empty bottle by his side in case he got 'caught short' on his rounds.
One idiot grabbed this open bottle and took a swig. He wished he hadn't.

The 95% and 96% vodkas would probably be good lens cleaners, as they have little or nothing added.
 
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