[Histonet] Cleaning lenses of light microscopes

[Rene J Buesa]

Hi Jorge:
Cleaning objective lenses has to be limited to the external surfaces (the front lens close to the slide and the back lens close to the microscope tube). Trying to clean the interior lenses is not recommended because it will involve disassembling the different duplets and triplets it may contain and sometimes putting them back is very tricky.
Before trying to clean the surfaces of the lenses you have to eliminate any and all dust particles because if you do not do that you may scratch the surface. There are many pressurized air containers used for surface clean computer keyboards that are perfectly suitable for that purpose.
The best liquid I have found to clean lenses is 70% isopropyl alcohol sold everywhere as "rubbing alcohol" and you should use Q-Tips to apply it. First wet one Q-Tip, rub it against the cleaned lens and later remove the alcohol with another and use as many as you need to leave the lens completely dry. Never use the Q-Tips more than once. You should use a small flashlight to control the status of the lens as to its cleanliness.
Oculars are a different issue because you have to remove the 2 lens holders (usually a single lens each, unless you have "Compensation" or "Periplan" or high magnification oculars (above 10X) in which case you may have a "duplet" on the top. If you lose track of which lens goes up or down, look at the fixed inner diaphragm in the ocular and notice that it has a border to hold it in place; that border is closest to the  lower lens.
"Lens cleaners" have all proprietary formulas and some even are green tinted to differentiate from others but rubbing alcohol will do. Avoid using xylene (although in cases when there is a large immersion oil smooch on the front lens of the immersion objective it is absolutely required), otherwise xylene may "sip" into the doublets and with time affect the cement between the lenses ruining the objective.
I hope this will help you in your endeavor
René J.  


On Tuesday, August 26, 2014 9:53 AM, Jorge A. Santiago-Blay <blayjorge <@t> gmail.com> wrote:
  


Hello:

I am trying to clean lenses of teaching light microscopes. In addition to
dusting lenses the lenses and inner parts carefully, there are numerous,
sometimes conflicting, recommendations re. liquids to use. Do you have any?

Also, some companies sell "lens cleaner". Do you know what are those
products made out off. Any recommendations (positive or negative)?

If you have any comments, please feel free to send them to my email:
blayjorge <@t> gmail.com  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jorge

Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
blaypublishers.com
http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.html
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