How do you clean your Alpha glass...? (1 Viewer)

smithhaddon123 said:

Where do you get it, zuiko? The methanol I mean.

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Depends on where you live. In America you can buy HEET branded gasline antifreeze which is 99.9% methanol from an auto supplies shop.

Otherwise speed or racing (car) shops, some motorcycle shops have it or can order it for you, local industrial places often will sell you a litre or two, cleaning supply places, some hobby shops.

iso-propanol is another alternative. Leaves zero residue, you can get it from computer/elecronics stores as it is used for cleaning microchips, circuit boards, etc. The brand I get is AF Isoclene in 250ml pump spray bottles

Some one on here once mentioned that liquid soapd was better than a dash of hard soap on waterproof models. he had a reason based on chemistry but I forgot it. I rarely clean mine because i almost never need to and the less wear on the coatings the better.

zuiko said:

4. If the entire objective or eyepiece needs cleaning then spray the lens surface with the methanol and wipe across the lens surface gently.

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Definitely don't do that for camera lenses and non sealed binoculars, the fluid may soak into the body, and possibly even between elements, carrying dirt with it. As you said earlier, spray fluid onto the disposable lens cloth.

One thing I really like about the Swaros and the Zeiss FL's (among which others I wonder??) is that the eyecups can be quickly unscrewed, exposing the flush surface of the ocular. At that point--don't dare tell anyone--I often just lick it clean and dry with my shirttail. Works great and very quick.

I was out in a cold, hard wind the other day and my eyes teared up so bad a teardrop landed right on the ocular. I used the above technique and was back in business in no time.

How many binoculars out there have this flush-mount ocular feature? It really makes cleaning a lot easier.

Do you think some of us obsess a bit too much about things like cleaning? I do. These newer coatings have names like "Aquadura," "ArmorTek," "Meoshield," etc., for a reason don't they?

Mind you, I'm plenty careful when it comes to cleaning, but I'm not going to stop everything, retreat to a warm safe place, and spend ten minutes with a bunch of exotic cleaning products.

I do use the Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers, or the Zeiss wipes, along with microfiber. They're in my field bag 24/7. Generally I don't clean in the field unless it's necessary since I prefer to use a blower brush first, which I don't carry around. The lipstick style brush (retractable) is easy to carry. Maybe I should do that.

Mark

Kammerdiner said:

How many binoculars out there have this flush-mount ocular feature? It really makes cleaning a lot easier.

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Agree, that is a very nice feature. Leica Ultravids are best in that. The eyecups get off very easy because of the bayonet mount, and the glass surface is protruding over the metal housing, so extemely easy to wipe and no egdes where dirt or grease is difficult to clean. The Zeiss Fl is a little less easy to clean (eyecups screwed in, glass surface enclosed by a metal ring, so some edges to clean there) but still good.

So eyecups off, rinsing under the tap, wiping once or twice with a microfiber cloth, done.

I blow on the lenses to get rid of the light stuff, then sometimes, if I deem it necessary, dust with a lens pen after that. Then I run the lenses (with eyecups removed) under tap water to wear off stuff that's more attached or hard to reach. Once everything is dried out, I then use Zeiss wipes to polish the lenses back to what looks to me to be brand new condition.

YMMV

Blower , Essilor mx100 lens cloth and squirrel fur anti static brush. Best combination ever

No reusable cloth or pen should ever be used to clean optical glass! The dust particles outside our homes are highly abrasive. Much damage has been done to fine optics in the process of removing these dust particles incorrectly. This simple three step process will keep your glass as new for your lifetime. 1) use a bulb blower to remove loose dust particles. 2) use a soft brush to gently remove the dust particles that the bulb blower missed. 3) put a drop or two of a lens cleaning solution intended for cleaning coated optical glass on disposable lens tissue and clean from the center toward the edges in a continuous spiral. If there were any oily fingerprints on the glass, this final step may need to be repeated with a new, unused lens tissue. Once anything has come in contact with optical glass it should be thought of as contaminated by abrasive particles and discarded. Kimwipes EX-L "Delicate Task Wipes" are all I use or recommend.