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LegionOfShroom

Registered: 02/13/17
Posts: 235
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Cleaning Oil Immersion Lens (AmScope B120) 1
#27761496 - 05/03/22 01:54 PM (2 years, 16 days ago) |
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I recently purchased my first microscope, an AmScope B120
I used the 100x oil immersion objective with the unmarked bottle of oil that came with the microscope several times
 (leaks everywhere and smells like cedar)
Each time after using I cleaned the oil immersion lens with this lens paper that I got on Amazon. I lightly dabbed and wiped the lens with paper but I didn’t use any solvent

Now I have noticed some fogginess the last time I tried using the 100x objective, and today I found this thread
Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said:
Quote:
Celes247 said: Thanks for the other tips, too. It does come with some immersion oil, but I will definitely need to invest in the eyepiece with reticle for measurement.
Don't use that immersion oil! It will dry on the 100x objective and make it permanently foggy if you forget to clean it off with solvent at the end of the night, which you will.
Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said:
You need immersion oil, just don't use the stuff that comes with microscopes that smells like cedar.
Is there some way I can undue the damage that has been done by not properly cleaning away the immersion oil?
 This is some cleaning fluid that came with an AmScope cleaning kit that I purchased. I suppose the right thing to do to prevent this from happening would have been to apply this to the lens paper then clean the oil immersion lens.
Perhaps a stronger solvent such as Naptha could be used to clean the lens now that the damage is done? I’m aware that using strong solvents can compromise adhesives along with other things
 I’d be concerned about a strong solvent touching the white ring around the 100x objective lens, it seems to be rubber or some kind of adhesive
Edited by LegionOfShroom (05/03/22 02:00 PM)
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Cleaning Oil Immersion Lens (AmScope B120) [Re: LegionOfShroom] 1
#27762115 - 05/03/22 10:24 PM (2 years, 15 days ago) |
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Maybe naptha or acetone + a q-tip.
Often I clean microscope objectives by removing them and then looking at the top of the objective with a dissection scope, that way I can see if it's really clean.
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LegionOfShroom

Registered: 02/13/17
Posts: 235
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Thanks Alan, I’ll give that a try
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jm2bso
Stranger

Registered: 12/20/16
Posts: 13
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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Re: Cleaning Oil Immersion Lens (AmScope B120) [Re: LegionOfShroom]
#27768202 - 05/08/22 06:51 AM (2 years, 11 days ago) |
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We always start with methanol and fresh lens paper for cleaning coated optics. Here is a good protocol to start with:
Place a drop of methanol or reagent-grade acetone on the side of a lens tissue paper. With the other hand, hold the optic by its edges.
Gently place the wet area of the tissue onto the optic.
Slowly drag the lens tissue across the surface applying equal pressure until the lens and tissue are dry.
Try to avoid rubbing or applying force to the lens paper. If methanol doesn't work, move on to chloroform, then xylene.
Edited by jm2bso (05/08/22 05:14 PM)
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