Over a period of time all optical instruments accumulate dust and dirt on the optical surfaces. Occasionally there may be accidental backstreaming of oil onto the optical surfaces of evacuated optical instruments. It may be necessary to remove fingerprints from optical surfaces.
Do not attempt to clean optical surfaces of dirt and dust unless performance is affected. . .and never by wiping or brushing.
Dust and dirt can usually be removed by carefully flushing the surfaces with high purity Freon (DuPont Freon TF solvent.) The Freon should be poured into a clean polyethylene "squeeze" bottle. Starting at the top of the vertical surface to be cleaned, squirt the Freon onto the surface and continue toward the bottom in a horizontal pattern. The surface should now be clear of dust and dirt, however, if flushing was uneven a repeat of the process may be necessary. Research grade methanol or acetone may be substituted if Freon is not available.
The above flushing process will also remove oil that has been deposited if the oil has not been exposed to UV radiation. We know of no easy method for removing surface contamination caused by oil vapors exposed to UV radiation. When Freon flushing does not remove the contamination we recommend return of the optics for factory cleaning and/or recoating.
Fresh fingerprints can often be removed by Freon flushing following the procedure outlined above. The longer the fingerprint remains on the surface the more difficult it is to remove. If UV irradiated, total removal may be impossible.
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