Cleaning a very dusty scope

Sonofagun · Apr 1, 2011

How would you clean off a scope that has been stored on a gun w/o protective end caps?

Both ends of the scope have lots of dust and I don't want to scratch the scope lens.

rob-ss · Apr 1, 2011

I’d start with a can of compressed air before I had any physical contact with it.

jmiller320 · Apr 1, 2011

Apply lens cleaner and let it soak. Use an air duster to blow that crap out.

lx1x · Apr 1, 2011

Kim79 · Apr 1, 2011

vacuum attachement

Old Skool · Apr 1, 2011

My question would be, how old is it? A WW II era scope, like a old
Weaver I have, is bare glass. Scopes produced today have multiple
layers, applied in a vacum enviroment. This maximizes the light
transmitance, but makes for a fragile coating, damaged by some
chemicals. So use the proper/recomended lens cleaner. In between
these two extremes are scope lens coated with Magnesium Fluoride.
I clean mine with Windex, with no ill effects.

Old Skool

Half-cocked · Apr 1, 2011

Windex is great. More important than the fluid you use, though, is the material.

Amateur astronomers like to use cotton balls, because (1) they're very absorbant, (2) they're very soft, and don't have harsh surfaces that could scratch delicate coatings, and (3) they retain and take up dirt, instead of pushing it around.

I'd recommend using clean, new 100% cotton balls, spritzing them with Windex, then wiping gently. After every wipe, use a new cotton ball. They're a couple of cents each, your scope is worth it.

Don't spray Windex directly on the glass... it will seep into crevices. To get to the nooks and crannies, try a 100% cotton Q-Tip, gently spritzed with Windex.

Don't apply lots of pressure - light, gentle wiping should remove any dirt and dust.

JoeBobOutfitters.com · Apr 1, 2011

I'd blow/suck it off (Insert Clandestine intro here) first and then use cotton balls or a lens cleaner pen:. They use carbon to clean things. Just use the brush end first, and then the carbon cleaner end. More or less, ALL of the lens pen cleaners (like the Nikon one above) are all made by the same company, just with a different logo on the side.

Dodahdude · Apr 1, 2011

Your not in Kansas anymore JoeBob.....

mikec · Apr 1, 2011

What about just rinsing it off with running water? A scope should be sealed, right? I am not talking about soaking the scope in a fish tank for an hour or two, just a blast under the kitchen faucet.

JoeBobOutfitters.com · Apr 2, 2011

Dodahdude said:
Your not in Kansas anymore JoeBob.....

I get around

.

mikec said:
What about just rinsing it off with running water? A scope should be sealed, right? I am not talking about soaking the scope in a fish tank for an hour or two, just a blast under the kitchen faucet.

I don't think I'd run an older used scope under water. It probably won't hurt anything, but it might have leaky seals after all that time...

Sonofagun · Apr 3, 2011

rob-ss said:
I’d start with a can of compressed air before I had any physical contact with it.

Rob-ss
Compressed air is readily available as I work on PC's so this is my first plan of attack.

Sonofagun · Apr 3, 2011

lx1x said:

1x1x,

This is the 2nd plan of attack - got one yesterday called the Epic Lens Pen.

Sonofagun · Apr 3, 2011

Old Skool said:
My question would be, how old is it? A WW II era scope, like a old
Weaver I have, is bare glass. Scopes produced today have multiple
layers, applied in a vacum enviroment. This maximizes the light
transmitance, but makes for a fragile coating, damaged by some
chemicals. So use the proper/recomended lens cleaner. In between
these two extremes are scope lens coated with Magnesium Fluoride.
I clean mine with Windex, with no ill effects.

Old Skool

Old Skool,

I wouldn't say that is has that much dust on it but definately a couples years of dust. I'm also trying to clean off the scope so see what markings it has on it since nothing stands out in nice white letters.

Sonofagun · Apr 3, 2011

JoeBobOutfitters.com said:
I get around .

I don't think I'd run an older used scope under water. It probably won't hurt anything, but it might have leaky seals after all that time...

JoeBobOutfitters.com,

That's what I was most worried about. I'm going to use compressed air to get the worst of it off of the lens then use the lens cleaner like ya'll recommended.

If all goes well the next thing is a set of scope lens covers!

Cleaning a very dusty scope

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