Should I worry about nitrogen loss in my ED50? (1 Viewer)

[b-lilja]

Hi all,

So many posts from me! Sorry about it all. Going through an optics reconfiguration.

As I mentioned in the fragile ED50 thread, the eyepiece mount unscrewed from my unit resulting in a loss of nitrogen and replacement with air at standard humidity. The unit is now rethreaded and effectively resealed I believe. I live in Seattle and it happened during a rainy wet period so the internal humidity is probably at 60-70% or thereabouts.

I'm going to epoxy up the unit and am trying to decide whether to send it back to Nikon for a last hurrah and hopefully open the unit in a nitrogen bath and reseal it.

Do folks think I should worry? I'm assuming the whole nitrogen purge of waterproof optics is done for a reason - condensation and mold? Should I get a life and move on and deal with it if it arises later?

 

[Binastro]

Hi,

60% to 70% humidity is probably a level where fungus could start.

If I was sealing a unit I'd start at my present 33% level here with heating on.
Or move to Arizona?:

If it is under warranty, I suppose it could be returned to Nikon.
If not, in these times I'd just keep a close watch.
Inspect carefully with a bright torch.

Nothing lasts forever unfortunately.

In normal times one would hope for a local repair shop with nitrogren filling facilities.

Regards,
B.

 

[mayoayo]

Can you just open the scope and leave it in a sealed plastic bag with silica pouches for a couple of days,and then seal it?.You could also fill the plastic bag with pressurized air,from a lens cleaning spray,presumably at lower humidity levels, in addition to the silica ,and then place the scope there.

 

[mbb]

Hi,

60% to 70% humidity is probably a level where fungus could start.

If I was sealing a unit I'd start at my present 33% level here with heating on.
Or move to Arizona?:

If it is under warranty, I suppose it could be returned to Nikon.
If not, in these times I'd just keep a close watch.
Inspect carefully with a bright torch.

Nothing lasts forever unfortunately.

In normal times one would hope for a local repair shop with nitrogren filling facilities.

Regards,
B.

Ideally, I think you would mainly want to have low absolute humidity or thus low vapour pressure inside the eyepiece before sealing it. Just heating up the air would lower the relative humidity in the room, but not necessarily reduce the absolute humidity. (Potentially the opposite if that would make some water evaporate from some materials or water surface.)
(Relative humidity being just the relation between the actual absolute humidity in the air and the maximum absolute humidity the air can contain, the latter being mainly defined by the air temperature: the higher the air temperature, the more vapour the air can contain and thus the lower the relative humidity if absolute humidity stays the same.)
Unless you have a controlled indoor environment, in our Belgian climate I might prefer having the eyepiece filled with outdoor air on a dry but very cold, freezing, sunny winter day. (We tend to have higher absolute humidity levels indoors during winter: airing the windows less, cooking more, drying clothes inside...) In other climates, with other HVAC systems, things might be different.

But, if there is moisture inside you need to remove first, you might want to dry it first, which will go better with low relative humidity...

Using a sealed container with silica gel, as proposed here by Mayoayo, might also be an interesting approach.

Well, I guess I would still prefer to have it done by the manufacturer in their controlled environment and filled with the correct gas

 

[Binastro]

I don't know whether a car with true climate control set on maximum would reduce moisture enough to be good enough to seal the scope, perhaps in addition to Mayoayo's method.

I see high end cars dripping water from their climate control system.

Regards,
B.

 

[Hermann]

In the early 1980s many birders in Britain used Optolyth drawtube scopes. These leaked like a sieve in the rain. As did the first Nikon Fieldscopes (Fieldscope 1). When they got wet inside people just unscrewed them and let them dry out. I remember sitting in Nancy's cafe in Cley on a rainy, stormy day in autumn. All the tables where occupied with (very) wet birders, and on every table there were several scopes opened up to dry out. I had just switched to a Kowa TS-1 (I used a Nickel Supra before that), mine was just about the only scope that wasn't wet inside ... 👍

Hermann

 

[NDhunter]

I would not worry about N loss, that is not in there very long in any event. The N is used to force normal air out when the
optic is put together.
Just use and enjoy your scope. I find I say "wow" every time I use mine.
Good luck.
Jerry

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

In the early 1980s many birders in Britain used Optolyth drawtube scopes. These leaked like a sieve in the rain. As did the first Nikon Fieldscopes (Fieldscope 1). When they got wet inside people just unscrewed them and let them dry out. I remember sitting in Nancy's cafe in Cley on a rainy, stormy day in autumn. All the tables where occupied with (very) wet birders, and on every table there were several scopes opened up to dry out. I had just switched to a Kowa TS-1 (I used a Nickel Supra before that), mine was just about the only scope that wasn't wet inside ... 👍

Hermann

Interesting! Did it take longer for the scope to get dried that time?

 

[b-lilja]

I decided to take Jerry's advice, get a life, use the scope, and worry about more important things.
They really are terrific little things.