Oil on microscope lens

[nucleotideboy]

Hello all. New member, so first thing's first: hello!

I was wondering if anybody can give me some advice. Some plum in our lab has managed to get immersion oil on one of our dry lenses. Does anybody know a safe way to try and save the lens?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Hi nucleotideboy. :wave: Welcome. Your name bodes well.

Gaahhh! Oil on a dry lens – one of the cardinal sins of microscopy!

The standard oil-cleaning procedure is appropriate. Squirt some ethanol on lens tissue and gently wipe across the lens in a uniform direction. Five or six wipes is sufficient. Use a different part of the lens tissue with each wipe. Follow by gently wiping with a dry lens tissue to remove any residual ethanol.

Never rub a lens in a circular motion! Always wipe in a straight line across the lens.

 

[Enmos]

Never rub a lens in a circular motion!Always wipe in a straight line across the lens.

Why is this ?

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

I was taught that if you are careless and have grit in your lens tissue, rubbing in a circular motion runs the danger of grinding a deep scratch into your lens.

 

[Enmos]

I was taught that if you are careless and have grit in your lens tissue, rubbing in a circular motion runs the danger of grinding a deep scratch into your lens.

Hmm ok, makes sense.
In camera manuals it always says that you should wipe clockwise though. Not the same thing of course.

 

[ElectricFetus]

DON'T USE ACETONE!

That about all I can think of as don'ts, really just some chemwipes and soap water or ethanol, or what ever... just not acetone.

 

[nucleotideboy]

Thank you all for your replies! Much appreciated. And I look forward to becoming an active member here. I'm a total science junky so look forward to chatting!

 

[S.A.M.]

Hi nucleotideboy. :wave: Welcome. Your name bodes well.

Gaahhh! Oil on a dry lens – one of the cardinal sins of microscopy!

The standard oil-cleaning procedure is appropriate. Squirt some ethanol on lens tissue and gently wipe across the lens in a uniform direction. Five or six wipes is sufficient. Use a different part of the lens tissue with each wipe. Follow by gently wiping with a dry lens tissue to remove any residual ethanol.

Never rub a lens in a circular motion! Always wipe in a straight line across the lens.

Do you use undiluted ethanol?

 

[BenTheMan]

Do you use undiluted ethanol?

mmmmmm undiluted ethanol....

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Do you use undiluted ethanol?

Ahhh, good question – thanks for raising it. We use 70% ethanol from the same quirt bottles used to wide down the benches.

mmmmmm undiluted ethanol....

Uh oh, somebody’s heading to the ER …….