Cleaning optics?

ItemB · Jan 2, 2017

Happy New Year all,

What do you guys use to clean your optics, scopes,binos, spotting scopes. Also is there a good product to keep fog from forming on the lenses? I must be a mouth breather or something seems if its cold out I get some fog on the outside of the lenses on my binos.

NDwalleyes · Jan 2, 2017

Rubbing alcohol. Never tried the antifog stuff.

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Buy some alcohol preps at the pharmacy and put them in your hunting pack.

Bed Wetter · Jan 2, 2017

ndwalleyes said:
Rubbing alcohol. Never tried the antifog stuff.

- - - Updated - - -

Buy some alcohol preps at the pharmacy and put them in your hunting pack.

Even better way: pour some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol into your lenses and swish it around in there and dump it out. Do this a couple times. It will rinse out loose particles of sand so you don't scratch your lenses when you wipe them.

If the inside of your lenses fog up, your seals are shot and your scope needs to go back to the manufacturer for repair. (This happened to me and Trijicon fixed it free of charge even though I wasn't the original owner and the scope had been spray painted. They even cleaned off the remaining paint that I'd been trying to remove.)

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FYI, I consulted Nightforce, Trijicon, and guywhoscience about using rubbing alcohol and they all recommended using it for cleaning your scope.

Captain Ahab · Jan 2, 2017

I usually just use an alcohol pad or a little rubbing alcohol as well. Never have a problem as long as I bring my optics inside before the next hunt. I have cringed in the past when a guy jumps in the pickup for a sunup cruise and realized the binos were in a cold pickup. I always bring my rifle(scope) and binos in before heading out now.

Kurtr · Jan 2, 2017

Anti fog Nikon wipes worked good need to re apply every time you clean

measure-it · Jan 2, 2017

Buy a lens brush ( sptg gds or camera store) to brush off your lens before the wipes--save lenses from scratches).

ItemB · Jan 2, 2017

Bed Wetter said:
Even better way: pour some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol into your lenses and swish it around in there and dump it out. Do this a couple times. It will rinse out loose particles of sand so you don't scratch your lenses when you wipe them.

If the inside of your lenses fog up, your seals are shot and your scope needs to go back to the manufacturer for repair. (This happened to me and Trijicon fixed it free of charge even though I wasn't the original owner and the scope had been spray painted. They even cleaned off the remaining paint that I'd been trying to remove.)

- - - Updated - - -

FYI, I consulted Nightforce, Trijicon, and guywhoscience about using rubbing alcohol and they all recommended using it for cleaning your scope.

This only happens on binos not all the time though, and it is on the outside not on the inside, its usually if I am sitting outside in the cold for a while and have the binos up to my eyes for longer time I am thinking its from breathing and the hot air that comes out of my mouth rises and puts a little fog on the lenses if I take them down and let sit for a minute or give a light rub with my glove or whatever its gone.

I also like the idea of using them pre-packaged wipes thanks

2400 · Jan 2, 2017

ItemB said:
if I take them down and let sit for a minute or give a light rub with my glove or whatever its gone

I'd be real careful rubbing a scope or bino lens with anything except a clean microfiber cloth. Anything else and you'll put scratches on the glass.

Allen · Jan 2, 2017

And this...is why I don't spend big bucks on optics. When the rifle and scope end up in the shit and a target presents itself, I need to clean some glass and I'll use whatever is present. Glove, finger, shirt, day old tampon, whatever!

In the lab, I took great care of optical glass. In the field, it's all about the hunt.

svnmag · Jan 2, 2017

Windex, whatever particulate removing cloth you choose/trust to blot or pressurized air and whatever cloth you trust to apply a light film of dish soap. I wear glasses. NOTHING works except soap, shaving cream etc.

Anti-fog CEOs should be shot. Again, NOTHING works except soap.

The End.

Norske · Mar 1, 2017

Windex is too harsh for multicoated optics, even bad for eyeglasses. For multicoated optics it's hard to beat Kodak photo lens cleaner. Brush, blow, then use camera lens cleaner.

Cleaning optics?

ItemB

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Bed Wetter

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Captain Ahab

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measure-it

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ItemB

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2400

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