Cleaning Reflector Mirror

Tomk1

Any advise on the best methods for cleaning a reflector miror without damaging the coating.

Seanie M

The only recommened method is to "sweep" it with a camel hair brush. Camel har is very soft and non-abravsive - this is what you must use. The coating on a reflector mirror will easily come off with the wipe of your hand, or anything else for that matter, and is only microns thick (or thin!). If you have stains akin to dry dew marks etc these are ok to leave alone, they will not have an effect on your seeing. In time, you can get your mirror re-silvered if the coating ever becomes too dirty or pits and flakes (which can happen with cheaper mirrors).

Seanie.

albertw

Tomk1 wrote:

Any advise on the best methods for cleaning a reflector miror without damaging the coating.

The silver coating or an optic coating on top of the silver?

If its just a mirror then as seanie suggested will work. If there is an optical coating then cleaning will probably do more damage to the image quality than the dust currently is.

Unless its really dirty dont bother.

http://www.arksky.org/asoclean.htm give a nice summary of cleaning refractive surfaces, Not mirrors! but it does put you off cleaning/destroying of you optics.

Cheers,
~Al

Tomk1

Thanks.

Tea drinker

www.skyandtelescope.com has some good info, cleaning and collimation etc.
Under how to.

Best regards,
Martin