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In article <21187@acorn.co.uk> rking@acorn.co.uk (Richard King) writes:


   Folks,

   What are the recommended methods for cleaning mirrors ?
   My 6" has a layer of dust which I can't shift with an aerosol
   air blower so I'm wondering what else I can do.

Here's what I do.

Blow off what you can.  Then rinse off as much as possible with a
gentle stream of water (no scrubbing!).  De-ionized is best, but
tapwater will do so long as you don't let your mirror dry before the
next step.

Now, use pure soap-flakes *completely* dissolved in warm de-ionised
water.  Fill up your concave mirror and gently swill around.  After a
couple of minutes, pour off and repeat.

Now that you've shifted most of the crap that is going to dissolve or
come loose without scrubbing, you fill up your mirror with warm soapy
water again and *very gently* drag a loose piece of cotton wool
radially over the surface from the center out to the rim.  Don't be
afraid to use several pieces (i.e. replace after every 3-4 wipes).
Pour out the water and repeat.  Don't let the mirror dry before the
next step

Now, wash off the soap well with clean warm de-ionized water, rinsing
at least twice.

Some people use pure ethanol or propanol as a final drying stage, but
if your water was clean and the rinsing was thorough, your mirror
should dry cleanly in a gentle stream of warm air.  I never bother
with the solvent.

It should be obvious that you've got to make the preparations in
advance.  You need a few squeezy bottles, filled with clean and soapy
water and labelled as such; you need to prepare a dozen or two cotton
wool swabs; you need a hair-dryer or similar to hand.  It's helpful to
have a waterproof wastebin nearby.  Warming the water will need a
*clean* pan and a stove and so on.  The important thing is that if you
don't do this lot before starting on the mirror, you are going to find
the process much more difficult.


This technique works a treat on my 18"

Paul

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