Cleaning and lubricant (1 Viewer)

[Felixtheelix]

Hello optics fellows,

last week I was at the sea with my Monarch HG 8x42 for the first time. Today I noticed that the eyecups are very grainy/scratchy when I turn them. There seems to be sand inside the twisting mechanism. I already tried to clean it with the following steps:

1. Blow of the sand with a hand blower
2. Used a qtip inside the barrel of the eyecups to clean it (not the lenses)

It got better but it’s still there. I saw other threads and websites about the topic. I‘m firm with cleaning the lenses but I really don’t know what to do now. Rinse with water? I don’t think this would help because Nikon put a lubricant/grease inside the twisting mechanism which now resolved in a sand magnet. I had my M7 8x30 with me too and don’t have any problem with sand, neither the Diamondbacks of my wife.

In general, should I lube the mechanism again after I (hopefully) was able to clean it? Which grease/lube should I use. I pretty much wiped it of with the qtips.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Maljunulo]

Ask Nikon?

 

[Felixtheelix]

Ask Nikon?

Thank you for your helpful advice.

 

[gweller]

Hello optics fellows,

last week I was at the sea with my Monarch HG 8x42 for the first time. Today I noticed that the eyecups are very grainy/scratchy when I turn them. There seems to be sand inside the twisting mechanism. I already tried to clean it with the following steps:

1. Blow of the sand with a hand blower
2. Used a qtip inside the barrel of the eyecups to clean it (not the lenses)

It got better but it’s still there. I saw other threads and websites about the topic. I‘m firm with cleaning the lenses but I really don’t know what to do now. Rinse with water? I don’t think this would help because Nikon put a lubricant/grease inside the twisting mechanism which now resolved in a sand magnet. I had my M7 8x30 with me too and don’t have any problem with sand, neither the Diamondbacks of my wife.

In general, should I lube the mechanism again after I (hopefully) was able to clean it? Which grease/lube should I use. I pretty much wiped it of with the qtips.

Thank you for your help!

Can't you unscrew them?? On most high end binoculars you can completely unscrew the eye cup barrels and take them off to clean them.

 

[Felixtheelix]

Can't you unscrew them?? On most high end binoculars you can completely unscrew the eye cup barrels and take them off to clean them.

As far as I know the HG eyecups are not removable by unscrewing them. I think they are glued..

 

[tenex]

Some eyecups (Swaro) remove by unscrewing, some (Leica) simply by pulling straight out from their last position. Once on a very windy day in the mountains I got grit in my SLC eyecups which have a double sleeve, so cleaning while still extended avoids trapping it in between. I must have removed some grease despite wiping lightly, but the grit is gone and they still work smoothly. If it felt like I had to add grease at some point, I 'd apply a tiny bit of some modern silicone type and spread it into the barest coating all over the surfaces that slide against one another.

 

[gweller]

As far as I know the HG eyecups are not removable by unscrewing them. I think they are glued..

Oh, that's a shame. I would try to do what you suggested. If you are confident that they are fully waterproof you could try carefully rinsing them under the tap. I've only done that once with an old pair of Leica Trinovids - but I was a bit nervous about doing so I must admit!

 

[dorubird]

My Monarch 5 10x42 ED eyecups was removable by unscrewin, so I supose your 8x42 HG eyecups must be removable too. You have to try carefully!

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Felix,

As a starting point I tried good old IAEFRTM i.e. 'If all else fails read the manual'!
However, it doesn't provide an easy solution:
There’s no indication that the eyecups are removable - and it cautions against exposing the binocular to running water.
(the manual can be found at: Nikon | Download center | MONARCH HG )

- -
However, the problem has been raised before and Brian on Rokslide offers the following:

'The rubber cups are glued to the underlying plastic barrels. Carefully peel the cups off.
Then you can access the 3 TINY phillips head screws that retain the plastic barrels to the ocular housings.
Work over a tray to capture the VERY small screws & detent pads. You'll need a phillips screwdriver for eyeglasses.
The rubber eyecups will need to be re-glued with contact cement.
It's really not that difficult but is a bit tedious.'
(see at: Eye cup cleaning on Nikon Monarch HG )


So you could try the above. Or as the manual advises: 'To keep your binoculars in excellent condition, regular servicing by authorized dealer is recommended’.


John

 

[NDhunter]

I would recommend putting the binocular under the water faucet and rinse the dirt out while opening and closing the
eyecups. They are fully waterproof, and this would be the best way. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
This is a common method, and the Monarch HG is able to handle it.
Jerry