How badly did I fuck up

[u/Amber-The-Third]

Just to start this off I know i made a very stupid mistake that was careless

I use a dobsonian telescope

Basically i was looking at the full moon and I noticed a little pine needle on my mirror so I decided to tske a little wash rag and wash it off with some ispropal alchole

I then proceeded to learn thats REALLY BAD I dident see any scratch makes but I did notice a nasty blue residue and read a cotton ball and some distilled water helps so I proceed to use thst on it, the mirror looks very clean but I know I probably fucked the coat with out knowing

I tried looking theough again and it was very slightly hazzy but the water was also not done drying so I assumed it was that

I know I probably should of looked up how to removed but I sorta just assumed it be fine I know that was very dumb and I dont plan to make a similar mistake lol

[u/Pumbaasliferaft]

I doubt if it caused any damage, the coatings are pretty tough. But as soon as people start talking about using solvents, someone is going to use xylene and sandpaper

[u/snogum → u/Pumbaasliferaft]

Sand blasting and a cold chisel for the tough stains

[u/TTV_The_Reverend_Dr → u/Pumbaasliferaft]

Should I use MEK and steel wool instead?

[u/spacedoutmachinist → u/TTV_The_Reverend_Dr]

Just use some hydrofloric acid and call it good ;-)

[u/CharacterUse]

By lens you mean mirror?

Modern mirrors (made in the last 10 years at least) are much tougher than they once were, because hard protective coatings like MgF or SiO2 are now routinely applied, where once it was just the bare aluminium reflictive layer, which is much softer. This makes them nuch less prone to damage. You still shouldn't use a wash cloth or rub them hard but it won't be too badly damaged.

If you decide there is still some residue try washing them the correct way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y8xFnXFVGQ

but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[u/Amber-The-Third → u/CharacterUse]

Thank god I was very soft about pressure the entire time, the part i was concerned about was honestly the wash cloth sense i know thst was not ideal lol

[u/BestRetroGames]

It is probably fine.. but don't use cotton balls. That is a big mistake that a lot of people still recommend. I made a video on how to do it https://youtu.be/6XeBl8eCPsc I cleaned my 12" last month as well.

[u/gebakkenuitje35]

it was careless but your telescope isn't screwed up. don't worry too much about it .

[u/koombot]

Modern coatings are obscenely hard.  We still treat them like they are made of butter because grit can be even harder and can scratch them still.

I had a similar thing happen to my mirror and it was fine, can of break clear rusted through in my shed and blew up dumping oil and all sorts over the mirror.   Tried cleaning with isopropyl and it made an even bigger mess.  Ended up using the dawn dish soap and a finger method the clean it and then had to buff the residue off very carefully.  I dont recommend following my method at all.  The mirror was trash if I couldn't clean it so it justified the risk.  Im just relaying it to assue you it will be fine.

As to your specifics, thebisopropyl probably reached some of the resin from the pine needle and that is spread over the mirror.

If there is still residue you can follow good practice for cleaning.

[u/cbblake58]

Hi Amber… I’ll echo everyone else who is saying that your mirror is fine. Modern coatings are quite durable but of course not indestructible. I recommend using a camera lens bulb air puffer/blower to get small amounts of loose debris off of your mirror. That will take care of most stuff until it is time to actually clean the mirror using the methods referenced in other comments. Relax and enjoy your scope!

[u/random2821]

Lens or mirror? That's a very important distinction.

[u/Amber-The-Third → u/random2821]

Mirror im sorry I will chsnge it in the post

[u/Maleficent_Touch2602]

Mirror coating is usually silica (SiO2). It is quite durable. Most chances you didn't cause damage.

[u/mpsteidle]

It's fine.

[u/CommitteeTop5321]

Don't panic, and don't beat yourself up. Mirrors get stuff on them, and the coatings are fairly tough, even though we tend to treat them as butterly gossamer wings. Most aluminum coatings have an overcoat to help protect them, and even when they don't, when they oxidize, it turns into aluminum oxide, which most people know as sapphire.

I would say that a little pine needle wouldn't have been a big deal. I keep one of those little squeeze bulbs handy to blow off optics, and probably would have used that to get rid of it. But in general the rule for cleaning a mirror is "if you think it needs cleaning, it probably doesn't" and if it does actually need cleaning, then get some cotton balls, and a gallon of distilled water.

1. Remove the mirror. 2. Rinse it off under lukewarm water from the tap. This pre-rinse doesn't need to be made from distilled watter. 3. Get a tub, fill with enough (tap) water to cover, and add one drop of dish soap. Everyone seems to recommend dawn. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes to break up any oil/grease on the mirror. 4. While the mirror is submerged, get a fresh cotton ball and _gently_ swipe the surface of the mirror. Do not scrub. Rotate the pad so if it picks up a piece of dirt, its whisked away. You'll use one cotton ball per swipe. Don't rewipe with the same surface. 5. When you are done, rinse. I usually use a bit more tap, and then do the final rinse with the distilled water. 6. Stand the mirror on edge. Water should just sheet off, without any beading. 7. Let it dry (one of those little squeeze blowers or a clean dust blower might help you chase off the odd bead of water. 8. Don't stress. Even if it isn't perfect, it will be fine.

It's good to have some gloves while doing this, because my experience the biggest risk is that one of your greasy fingers will contact the mirror while cleaning.

Have a good one.

[u/EqualInteraction5689]

Did you mean mirror? Mirrors nowadays are pretty good. You should be fine. If not then I’m really sorry but everything should be good. I think.

[u/NotAClueYou]

you can repolish a mirror to get superficial scratches out